Intimate partner violence, firearms, and sleep disturbances: The influence of coercive control and partner firearm ownership

Sticking to Their Guns: Examining Firearm‐Related Protective Actions among Intimate Partner Violence Victims

“…However, it is important to note that smaller sample sizes from a single state are common in research utilizing shelter samples of IPV victims (e.g., Jackson et al. 2020; Lynch 2020; Lynch and Logan 2018; Sorenson and Wiebe 2004). Further, because a convenience sampling method was employed, we are not able to report a response rate, which also limits the ability to generalize these findings.…”

“…Notably, agency samples, such as those recruited from courts or shelters, typically possess certain characteristics, such as more severe abuse experiences than community samples (Kelly and Johnson 2008). However, it is important to note that smaller sample sizes from a single state are common in research utilizing shelter samples of IPV victims (e.g., Jackson et al 2020;Sorenson and Wiebe 2004). Further, because a convenience sampling method was employed, we are not able to report a response rate, which also limits the ability to generalize these findings.…”

“…These items were adapted from Logan and Lynch’s (2018) firearm survey of Domestic Violence Hotline respondents and have been used in other research employing shelter samples of IPV victims (e.g., Jackson et al. 2020; Lynch 2020). The 13 items included implicit threats involving a firearm (three items; e.g., playing with the gun in front of the victim which felt like a threat, cleaning the gun in front of the victim when fighting), explicit threats involving a firearm (four items; e.g., verbally threatening to shoot the victim, children, friends or family), and actual acts of abuse using a firearm (six items; e.g., hurting victim with gun without shooting [e.g., pistol whip], coercing victim at gunpoint, actual shooting at victim).…”

“…First, we assessed participants' IPV experiences involving firearms by asking participants to report the occurrence of 13 items pertaining to threats of abuse and actual abuse involving a firearm during the past 12 months (a = .95). These items were adapted from Logan and Lynch's (2018) firearm survey of Domestic Violence Hotline respondents and have been used in other research employing shelter samples of IPV victims (e.g., Jackson et al 2020;). The 13 Second, we assessed non-firearm-related IPV in several domains, including the following: (1) major physical abuse (6 items ranging from beating victim, choking victim, to harming victim with weapon other than a gun; a = .90), ( 2) stalking (6 items ranging from repeated, unwanted contact to monitoring by a partner; a = .88), and (3) sexual IPV (3 items; including forced sex [both physically forced and threats] and reproductive coercion; a = .91).…”

Disarming abusers: Domestic violence protective order (DVPO) firearm restriction processes and dispositions

“…The authors found that most victims of firearm abuse reported feeling fearful (82.7%), concerned for their safety (86.2%), and that many (43.1%) reported a related physical injury (Adhia et al., 2021). More frequent firearm threats in the context of IPV are also associated with increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity (Sullivan & Weiss, 2017) and sleep loss (Jackson et al., 2020). When an abusive partner has access to firearms, they may also engage in more serious abuse overall, with or without using that weapon (Kafka et al., 2021; Rothman et al., 2006).…”