Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Psychology

Advisor

Valentina Nikulina

Committee Members

Yvette Caro

Desiree Byrd

Justin Storbeck

Emily Jones

Subject Categories

Clinical Psychology

Keywords

Intimate partner violence, COVID-19, Stress, Perception

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health concern that affects millions across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic created unforeseen stress, and necessitated safety policies that required social isolation, often extended exposure to one’s intimate partner, and an inability to access stress-reduction resources. These factors, along with many others, lead to an abrupt increase in IPV in many couples. Using the couple-adapted family stress model (ABCX), the current study examines both previously defined (e.g., emotional dysregulation, stress, unemployment, communication issues) and COVID-19 specific risk (e.g., quarantine, unprecedented social isolation, fear of contracting COVID-19) and protective factors (e.g., meaning in life, social connectedness) for IPV. Adults from across the United States were recruited online from April to May 2020 (spring 2020). Another distinct group of adult participants were recruited online from December 2020 through March 2021 (spring 2021). Both groups were asked to participate in an anonymous online questionnaire via Amazon’s virtual crowdsourcing marketplace (MTURK) about experiences during their lifetime and during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were assessed in sub-groups according to IPV presence and severity and relationship status as participants who were: 1) bidirectionally physically and sexually aggressive (bidirectional), 2) had no presence of IPV (IPV-absent), 3) were bidirectional perpetrators solely of psychological aggression (psychological-only) 4) those who were not in a relationship (no-relationship). Using the ABCX model, a series of multiple mediation analysis were conducted to investigate if personal resources and the ways in which individuals perceive their circumstances mediated the relationship between COVID-19 specific stressors and IPV severity in adults of different subgroups, when compared to their IPV-absent peers as well as those who were not in a relationship. An ANOVA was conducted to assess if cumulative COVID-19 related stress differed according to IPV subgroups. Results showed that as most COVID-19 related stress variables became reportedly more stressful, IPV severity increased. These relationships were primarily mediated by increased attempts to suppress emotional expression, feelings of loneliness, and search for meaning in one’s life. Analyses also found that adults in bidirectionally aggressive relationships reported significantly more stress than peers in any other subgroup. However, those in psychologically aggressive relationships were found to have significantly less stress than those who were not in relationships at all. Those in IPV-absent relationships also reported significantly less overall stress than any subgroup. These findings suggest that even if psychological aggression was present, intimate partnerships that did not approach the severity of physical aggression or sexual coercion were still protective against increased feelings of stress during this time.

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