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Intimate partner violence (IPV) can involve patterns of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Women typically experience physical IPV in combination with emotional IPV, while emotional IPV is often experienced in the absence of other types of IPV. There is very little known about women's experiences of these different types of IPV over time. The primary aim of this paper is to describe patterns in women's individual experiences of physical and/or emotional IPV across the first 10 years of motherhood. Data were drawn from a prospective pregnancy cohort of 1507 first-time mothers in Melbourne, Australia. Emotional, physical, and combined physical and emotional IPV were reported in the first, fourth and tenth year of motherhood using the Composite Abuse Scale. The overall prevalence of each type of IPV remained consistent across the three time-points, with emotional IPV alone being the most prevalent. There was substantial variability in women's experiences of IPV over time and there was no common progression from one type of IPV to another. Women were more likely to report IPV at more than one time-point if they experienced combined physical and emotional IPV, while for women who reported emotional or physical IPV alone this was more likely to be at a single time-point. A number of socio-demographic characteristics in early pregnancy were associated with a higher risk of reporting IPV at all three time-points, including being unemployed (RRR = 3.6; 95% CI: 2.1, 6.2) and being aged 18–24 years (RRR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.8, 5.4). Knowledge of the variability and persistence of IPV in the first 10 years of motherhood, and factors associated with these experiences, can help tailor effective health and social service responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with adverse outcomes for both victims and perpetrators, though there is significant heterogeneity in manifestations of relationship violence. A growing amount of research has focused on elucidating predictors of clinical IPV—defined as severe violence involving institutional or medical intervention due to actual or potential injury—so as to better understand potential prevention and intervention targets. Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with IPV in adulthood, yet this literature focuses on discrete, retrospectively reported adversities (e.g., physical abuse and neglect) and has yet to consider clinical IPV as an outcome. Little is known about if and how broadly adverse early environments may confer risk for this specific form of relationship violence. We investigated associations between exposure to ELA prior to age five and clinical IPV victimization and perpetration by age 20 in a longitudinal, community-based sample of men and women in Australia (N = 588). Early life adversity was prospectively indexed by maternal reports of financial hardship, child chronic illness, maternal stressful life events, maternal depressive symptoms, parental discord, and parental separation. Youth interpersonal conflict life events at age 15—an interviewer-rated assessment of episodic stressors involving conflict across relationships in mid-adolescence—was tested as a potential mediator for both victims and perpetrators. Among women, ELA predicted IPV victimization and perpetration, and interpersonal conflict life events partially mediated the link between ELA and victimization, but not perpetration. Neither ELA nor interpersonal conflict life events predicted victimization or perpetration among men. Women exposed to ELA are at-risk for conflictual interpersonal relationships later in life, including violent intimate relationships, and deficits in conflict resolution skills may be one mechanism through which ELA leads to IPV victimization among this subgroup. Violence prevention and intervention efforts should target interpersonal skills, including conflict resolution, among women and girls exposed to adverse early environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research investigating how cognition influences youth intimate partner abuse (IPA) remains limited. Understanding cognitive risk markers is theoretically important and can inform intervention to maximize the chance of behavior change. The current article investigated cognition regarding general antisociality, relationships, and gender-role attitudes on youth IPA perpetration among 275 (123 female) 14- to 18-year-olds. Theoretically derived relationships (based on social information processing theory and the General Aggression Model) were hypothesized, which furthered understanding of how cognition contributes to relationship aggression in adolescents, while controlling for common behavioral correlates. Results showed that, overall, other experiences of aggressive behavior more strongly related to youth IPA perpetration than cognitive correlates. Among boys, general antisocial cognition was more strongly associated with youth IPA perpetration than relationship-specific cognition, with the reverse being true for girls. These findings suggest there is value in exploring theoretically indicated cognitive risk markers for youth IPA in a gender-sensitive and dynamic manner. Findings also provide direction for future studies considering cognition and youth IPA in a more predictive manner and areas for consideration in intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) can comprise physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and is a widespread public health concern. Despite increasing recognition that women experience different types of IPV, the majority of research has focused on physical IPV. The present study aims to examine associations between different types of IPV (physical, emotional, physical, and emotional) and women's mental, physical, and sexual health by analyzing longitudinal data from a prospective pregnancy cohort of 1,507 first-time mothers in Melbourne, Australia. Questionnaires included validated measures of physical and mental health (Short Form Health Survey, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and IPV (Composite Abuse Scale). Emotional IPV alone was the most commonly reported type of IPV (n = 128, 9.5%), followed by both physical and emotional IPV (n = 76, 5.7%), and then physical IPV alone (n = 30, 2.2%). Women reporting emotional IPV or physical and emotional IPV had increased odds of poor health compared with women reporting no IPV. Experience of physical and emotional IPV was most strongly associated with mental health issues, including depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [2.9, 7.1]) and self-reported anxiety (adjusted OR 2.9, 95% CI = [1.9, 4.4]). Experience of emotional IPV alone was associated with poor mental health as well as physical factors, including poor general physical health (adjusted OR 1.9, 95% CI = [1.2, 3.1]), and pain during sex (adjusted OR 1.8, 95% CI = [1.2, 2.7]). Increased odds of poor body image were also observed for women reporting emotional IPV alone and physical and emotional IPV. These findings highlight the need for greater awareness of the diversity in women's experiences of IPV among health care providers. This includes understanding the prevalence of emotional IPV among new mothers, and the range of health problems that are more common for women experiencing IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the associations between schema modes and aggression in 59 male forensic psychiatric inpatients. Two instruments were used to assess schema modes: One measured modes through self-report, the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI), and one measured modes via observer (nurse) judgments, the Mode Observation Scale (MOS). Aggression was measured in two ways: Self-reported aggression during participants' lifetimes was assessed using the Life History of Aggression-Self-Report-Aggression Scale (LHA-S-A), and incidents of aggression during hospitalization in the month following schema mode assessment, were identified through review of medical records. Self-reported (SMI) and observer-reported (MOS) measures of schema modes were poorly related and produced disparate associations with aggression. As hypothesized, the observer-reported MOS Angry-Child and MOS Impulsive-Undisciplined-Child modes were significantly associated with aggression during the follow-up. A number of other schema modes (MOS-Healthy-Adult, SMI-Angry-Child, MOS-Complaining-Protector, SMI-Undisciplined-Child, and MOS-Angry-Protector) were unexpectedly associated with aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug use has been shown to interact in complex ways with the occurrence and prevalence of family and domestic violence (FDV), with illicit drug use being associated with an increased risk for FDV. The current study aims to extend upon the literature by investigating the role of illicit drugs in intimate partner violence (IPV), family violence (FV), and other violence (violence between people other than partners or family) within a representative Australian sample (n = 5,118). Participants were recruited through an online survey panel and completed an online self-report survey assessing the role of alcohol and other drugs on violence, with a specific focus on FDV. Binary logistic regression showed that respondents who reported having used any illicit drug in the past 12 months (with or without alcohol use) had over three times the odds of experiencing any violence in the past 12 months (OR = 3.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [2.25, 4.48]) compared with those not using illicit drugs. Furthermore, drug involvement in FDV (IPV or FV) was significantly more likely than other violent incident types (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = [1.25, 2.19]). For the most recent FDV incident, age group was the only significant demographic predictor of drug involvement at this incident; younger age groups were over twice as likely to report drug involvement than those over 65 years of age. Drug involvement at the most recent FDV incident was also associated with over twice the odds of injury (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = [1.67, 3.38]) and significantly greater negative life impact. The findings that drug use increases both the risk for and impact of FDV indicate the need for policy that advocates for interventions addressing both drug use and violence in combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International research has shown that intimate partner abuse affects many young people throughout adolescence. Despite a recent focus on family and intimate partner violence in Australia, there is almost no Australian data on the frequency or nature of youth intimate partner abuse (YIPA). The current study sought to better understand the frequency and nature of YIPA in Australian adolescents. To this end, 423 participants aged between 14 and 18 from Victorian (Australian) high schools completed an anonymous questionnaire regarding experiences of perpetration and victimization in their most difficult intimate relationship. Results showed high rates of both YIPA victimization and perpetration among boys and girls who had been in intimate relationships. As was expected, verbally and psychologically aggressive behaviors were reported more frequently than physically or sexually aggressive actions. Mutual YIPA was detected more frequently than unidirectional YIPA, and most commonly involved high severity reciprocal aggression. The current study further confirmed that YIPA is a complex and heterogeneous issue, involving a range of behaviors, patterns of use, and severities. A gender-sensitive approach to the current study allowed for consideration of the similarities and differences between male and female experiences of YIPA. The current study provides a novel method of ascertaining both the frequency and severity of YIPA experiences in a sample of young people, expands on both Australian and international literature, and identifies important gender considerations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage place demands on intimate relationships and provide fertile ground for disagreements and conflicts. It is not known whether poverty also leads to intimate partner violence (IPV). This study investigates the association between income and forms of IPV victimization for both males and females. We also examine whether income inequalities are related to IPV and whether the gender balance of household income contributes to IPV victimization. Data are from a cohort of 2,401 young offspring (60.3% females) who participated at the 30-year follow-up of the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy in Brisbane, Australia. Participants completed questionnaires including their income details and the Composite Abuse Scale. Within low-income families, both partners experience higher levels of IPV. Females' income is not independently related to experiencing IPV either for females or males. Females and males experience a higher rate of IPV when the husband earns a low income. When considering partners' relative income, families in which both partners earned a low income experienced higher levels of almost all forms of IPV. Income (im)balance in which females earn more or partners both have higher income was less often associated with the experience OF IPV IPV appears to be mutually experienced in the setting of the poverty. Objective economic hardship and scarcity create a context which facilitates IPV for both partners in a relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 2017 final report of the Australia's Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, recommendations noted the importance of school-based prevention efforts to create child-safe communities. In this study, we report on a national evaluation of the nature and availability of child sexual abuse prevention programs delivered in Australian primary schools. A survey instrument, anchored in empirical evidence, was distributed to all providers of child sexual abuse prevention programs in Australian primary schools serving children aged 4 to 13 years. Respondents were program coordinators or facilitators who provided data on 35 school-based child sexual abuse prevention programs that reached 631,720 children (approximately 26% of the Australian primary school student population) in 1 year. On average, each program reached 18,049 children in a calendar year (ranging from 200 to 80,000 children). Median child age for program exposure was 8 years. However, program duration was poorly reported so it was difficult to establish what program dosage was received. Most programs (80%-94%) covered specific item content, "always or often," for 13 important areas of content, including five of seven items that had the strongest evidence of effectiveness, derived from a recent Cochrane Review (e.g., distinguishing appropriate and inappropriate touching). Programs less frequently addressed such content as safety in using technology and perpetrator strategies (e.g., grooming). The findings provide important information about the scope and nature of child sexual abuse prevention programs, and baseline data against which future program advancements can be tracked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines perceptions of environmental cues to crime, violence, and injuries in barroom settings, and how they differ between bar fight participants and non-participants. Bouncer friendliness, patron sex composition, and room temperature were chosen as experimental variables based on three criteria: (a) emerged as a theme in bar user focus groups, (b) unclear effects in the literature, and (c) policy relevant and easy to modify. These experimental variables were manipulated in written vignettes set in a bar. A three-part online questionnaire recorded 681 male university students' responses to questions on demographics, the experiment, drinking and clubbing habits, and the Snell Masculinity Scale. A 2 × 2 × 2 randomized independent groups factorial design with covariates was embedded in the questionnaire, measuring the effects of the experimental variables on bar users' perceived fear of victimization, likelihood and frequency of crime, venue preference, and perceived severity of injuries after accounting for prior bar fight participation and masculinity. Participants generally rated perceived fear of victimization, likelihood and frequency of crime, and severity of injuries to be highest when the bouncer was unfriendly, the temperature was hot, and patrons were majority male. Only main effects were significant (p < .01). Masculinity scale responses were not related to participant perceptions. While fight participants (9.8% of the sample) and non-participants had similar perceptions of the risk associated with certain environmental cues, fight participants were significantly (a) less fearful of victimization in settings they perceived as dangerous and (b) more willing to drink in any hypothetical venue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]