The Prevalence of Mental Health Problems in Men Arrested for Domestic Violence

• Published in: Journal of family violence Vol. 27; no. 8; pp. 741 - 748
• Main Authors: Shorey, Ryan C., Febres, Jeniimarie, Brasfield, Hope, Stuart, Gregory L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.11.2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aggression; Aggressiveness; Alcohol; Anxiety; Clinical Psychology; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Domestic violence; Drug abuse; Family Violence; Health Problems; Indexing in process; Law and Psychology; Males; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Original Article; Panic; Personality disorders; Personality traits; Phobias; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Psychological aspects; Psychopathology; Psychotherapy and Counseling; Quality of Life Research; Social desirability; Domestic violence; Social desirability; Aggression; Mental health
• ISSN: 0885-7482; 1573-2851
• DOI: 10.1007/s10896-012-9463-z

The problem of male perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) is widespread. In an effort to identify risk factors for perpetrating IPV, researchers have examined mental health problems among perpetrators. However, the majority of research in this area has examined personality psychopathology and/or limited their investigation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression. Thus, the present study examined self-reported Axis I psychopathology among men arrested for domestic violence ( N  = 308). Results replicated past research showing high rates of PTSD and depression. In addition, the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social phobia, and alcohol and drug disorders were very high. All types of mental health problems were positively associated with aggression perpetration. Males meeting probable diagnostic classification reported significantly more frequent aggression than males not meeting diagnostic classification, even after controlling for social desirability. Directions for future research and implications of these findings are discussed.