Lay Understandings of the Structure of Intimate Partner Violence in Relationships: An Analysis of Behavioral Clustering Patterns

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is common and has a lasting negative impact on the health and well-being of victims and survivors. People’s mental frameworks (schemas) of IPV are central in allowing them to identify and respond to IPV. Early recognition of IPV is essential to reducing the cumulative harm caused by repeated instances of abusive behaviors. In relationships with IPV, abuse typically starts with relatively less harmful behaviors, which may be ambiguous in isolation, and escalates. The present research examines the content of lay people’s IPV schemas to gain insight into their understanding of the presentation and progression of IPV. Participants ( N = 168) were presented with two exemplars each of three different relationship types (nonabusive, nonphysically abusive, and physically abusive) resulting in a total of six exemplars. They were also presented with a list of behaviors that comprised nonabusive, nonphysically abusive, and physically abusive actions. For each exemplar, participants selected the behaviors they considered most likely to co-occur with the exemplar behavior. They then rated the abusiveness of the behavioral clusters they had created. Results indicate that participants distinguish nonabusive, physically abusive, and nonphysically abusive clusters. Nonphysically abusive behavior clusters are seen as less abusive than physically abusive behavior clusters, with nonphysically abusive behaviors more likely to be grouped with nonabusive behaviors.

An assessment of appraisals of dating relationship conflicts and perceptions of appropriate coping strategies with psychologically abusive interactions

“…Psychological abuse, in particular, is often ambiguous, making it difficult for victims to identify their experiences as abusive ( Spadine et al, 2020 ). Indeed, in some instances, those who are being psychologically victimized may initially be unaware of (or confused about) their predicament ( Minto et al, 2021 ). Moreover, the people they turn to for support may be equally uncertain and unwilling to label behaviors as abusive without a better understanding of the situation ( Sikström and Dahl, 2023 ).…”

“…Frontiers in Psychology 11 frontiersin.org victimized may initially be unaware of (or confused about) their predicament (Minto et al, 2021). Moreover, the people they turn to for support may be equally uncertain and unwilling to label behaviors as abusive without a better understanding of the situation (Sikström and Dahl, 2023).…”

“…A notable example is its evolution in narcissistic abusive relationships, which often begin with love-bombing and subtle manipulations before victims are subjected to coercive control and gaslighting ( Arabi, 2023 ). In this regard, in some instances, those who are being psychologically victimized may initially be unaware of (or confused about) their predicament ( Minto et al, 2021 ).…”

The Effect of Victim Attractiveness and Type of Abuse Suffered on Attributions of Victim Blame and Credibility in Intimate Partner Violence: A Vignette-Based Online Experiment

“…Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to the experience of suffering physical, sexual, or psychological abuse by a current or former romantic partner and is recognized as a major public health issue (Trabold et al, 2020). Psychological abuse can be particularly difficult for victims to identify due to its subtle and insidious nature (Spadine et al, 2020), and some acts of psychological abuse may even appear affectionate when observed or experienced in isolation (Marshall, 1999; Minto et al, 2021). For example, Prosman et al (2014) found that half of those in their sample who had experienced psychological abuse did not describe their partner's behavior as abusive.…”