Threat Bias and Emotion Recognition in Victims of IPV

Attachment, Trauma, and Mentalization in Intimate Partner Violence: A Preliminary Investigation

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been examined from a range of theoretical perspectives, including attachment theory, with the aim of assessing psychosocial risk factors. Previous research has shown that a child's exposure to violence in the family is a major predictor of IPV victimization later in life. Furthermore, research on abused and traumatized adult samples has shown high frequencies of unresolved/disorganized attachment styles. In particular, disorganized attachment is associated with major problems of affect regulation and deficits in mentalizing ability. The present research had three aims: (a) to assess the childhood traumatic experiences of female victims of IPV; (b) to investigate and identify the attachment patterns of female victims of IPV; and (c) to examine reflective functioning and prementalistic modes in female victims of IPV, in relation to attachment and trauma. A sample of 31 women, recruited through anti-violence centers, were administered the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. The Complex Trauma Questionnaire and the Reflective Functioning Scale (RFS) were also applied to the AAI transcripts. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Coding was conducted by two trained coders and certified as reliable for the AAI and RFS. Clinicians completed the Modes of Mentalization Scale (MMS) to assess participants' mentalization style. The data showed a high percentage of women with insecure attachment and lower reflective functioning. The results are discussed in terms of their clinical and theoretical implications-particularly their application to psycho-forensics, through the development of preventive programs and interventions for IPV. Efforts to understand the etiology of IPV and to intervene to prevent recidivism are fundamental in reducing this public health threat.

The Role of Complex Trauma and Attachment Patterns in Intimate Partner Violence

Objective

Even if the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner violence (IPV) has already been established, there are no sufficient studies examining the relationships between these factors and attachment representations, specifically attachment disorganization. Thus, this study aimed to explore, in a sample of women who experienced IPV (a) the presence of interpersonal adversities during childhood, and (b) attachment representations, with a particular focus on disorganization.

Methods

Women’s representations of attachment experiences were investigated through the Adult Attachment Interview, while the presence of various forms of interpersonal adversities during childhood was assessed using the Complex Trauma Questionnaire. The results of the IPV group (n = 98) were compared with those of women with no history of IPV (control group, n = 81).

Results

Women in the IPV group showed higher values of multiple forms of adverse experiences within their caregiving system. They presented significantly higher rates of disorganized states of mind regarding attachment, indicative of a lack of resolution regarding traumatic experiences, and of disorganized working models resulting from complex trauma. Our results highlighted that, more than the presence of traumatic experiences, it is their irresolution – reflected in the disorganized states of mind regarding attachment at the Adult Attachment Interview – to be a significant predictor of IPV.

Conclusion

These results suggest underline the significance of offering a trauma- and attachment-informed therapy to those who experience IPV. Such results could help both clinicians and researchers in formulating clearer guidelines for IPV interventions.

Non-communicable diseases among women survivors of intimate partner violence: Critical review from a chronic stress framework

A neurobiological framework of chronic stress proposes that the stress-response system can be functionally altered by the repeated presentation of highly stressful situations over time. These functional alterations mainly affect brain processing and include the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and associated processes. In the present critical review, we translate these results to inform the clinical presentation of women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). We approach IPV as a scenario of chronic stress where women are repetitively exposed to threat and coping behaviours that progressively shape their neurobiological response to stress. The changes at the central and peripheral levels in turn correlate with the phenotypes of non-communicable diseases. The reviewed studies clarify the extent of the impact of IPV on women's health in large (N > 10,000) population-based designs, and provide observations on experimental neuroendocrine, immune, neurocognitive and neuroimaging research linking alterations of the stress-response system and disease. This evidence supports the prevention of violence against women as a fundamental action to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases.