It Happened Matters More Than What Happened: Associations Between Intimate Partner Violence Abuse Type, Emotion Regulation, and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

• Published in: Violence against women Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 1158 - 1170
• Main Authors: Ruork, Allison K., McLean, Caitlin L., Fruzzetti, Alan E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Comorbidity; Domestic violence; Emotional Regulation; Emotions; Female; Health services utilization; Help seeking behavior; Humans; Intimate partner violence; Intimate Partner Violence - psychology; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychological distress; Risk factors; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - complications; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Survivors - psychology; Trauma; Violence; Women; intimate partner violence; post-traumatic stress; emotion regulation
• ISSN: 1077-8012; 1552-8448
• DOI: 10.1177/10778012211013895

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has varied consequences including post-traumatic stress (PTS). One proposed risk factor for PTS is escalating types of violence; however, data are mixed. Because emotion dysregulation acts as a causal mechanism across numerous problems co-occurring in survivors of IPV, this study examined its association with PTS severity versus abuse type. Regression using data from women (n = 89) seeking treatment for IPV-related distress found the following: Type of abuse was not related to emotion dysregulation and emotion dysregulation was more strongly associated with PTS than type of abuse. This suggests emotion dysregulation may be more predictive of PTS than abuse type.