Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Intimate Partner Violence and Psychological Distress among Young Couples: Analysis of the Moderating Effect of Social Support

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Young adults are more likely to experience intimate partner violence (IPV) than older adults. Little is known about the effect of confiding to others about sustained violence on the mental health of victims. The objective of this study was to explore the links between IPV, help-seeking behaviors and psychological distress by gender in a sample of 233 young couples.Our results indicate the frequency of sustained psychological violence, but not physical violence, was positively associated to distress. For women, seeking help from a greater number of confidents moderated the association between violence and psychological distress. For men, results showed that frequencies of physical and psychological violence were both positively linked to distress. However, unlike women, social support had no buffering effect on men’s distress. These findings increase our understanding of the effects of social support on young adults’ distress following episodes of IPV.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, C. T., Swan, S. C., & Raghavan, C. (2009). Gender symmetry, sexism, and intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24(11), 1816–1834.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ansara, L. D., & Hindin, J. M. (2010). Formal and informal help-seeking associated with women’s and men’s experiences of intimate partner violence in Canada. Social Science & Medicine, 70(7), 1011–1018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, J. (2000). Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: A meta analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 126(5), 651–680.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • AuCoin, K. (2005). Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-224-x/85-224-x2005000-eng.pdf

  • Barnett, O. W., Martinez, T. E., & Keyson, M. (1996). The relationship between violence, social support, and self-blame in battered women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 11(2), 221–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. B. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychology research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barrera, M., Chassin, L., & Rogoscn, F. (1993). Effects of social support and conflict on adolescent children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(4), 602–612.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boisvert, J. M., Beaudry, M., Guay, S., & Tremblay, P. (2004). Le recours aux conduites violentes chez les jeunes couples: Variables prédictives et impact chez les femmes victimes [The use of violent behavior among young couples: Predictors and impact of women victims]. Rapport d’une recherche subventionnée par le Conseil de Recherches en Sciences Humaines du Canada.

  • Bookwala, J., Sobin, J., & Zdaniuk, B. (2005). Gender and aggression in marital relationships: A life-span perspective. Sex Roles, 52(11/12), 797–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caetano, R., & Cunradi, C. B. (2003). Intimate partner violence and depression among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. Annals of Epidemiology, 13(10), 661–665.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. C., Rose, L., Kub, J., & Nedd, D. (1998). Voices of strength and resistance: A contextual and longitudinal analysis of women’s responses to battering. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(6), 743–762.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, B. E., McNutt, L., Choi, D. Y., & Rose, I. M. (2002). Intimate partner abuse and mental health: the role of social support and other protective factors. Violence against Women, 8(6), 720–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cascardi, M., Langhirichsen, J., & Vivian, D. (1992). Marital aggression: Impact, injury, and correlates for husbands and wives. Archives of Internal Medicine, 152(6), 1178–1184.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Wills, A. T. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coker, A. L., Watkins, K. W., Smith, P. H., & Brandt, H. M. (2003). Social support reduces the impact of partner violence on health: application of structural equation models. Preventive Medicine, 37(3), 259–267.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coker, A., Derrick, C., Lumpkin, J., Aldrich, T., & Oldendick, R. (2000). Help-seeking for intimate partner violence and forced sex in South Carolina. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 19(4), 316–320.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R., Lipman, R. S., Rickels, K., Uhlenhuth, E. H., & Covi, L. (1974). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist, (HSCL): A self-report symptom inventory. Behavioral Science, 19, 1–15.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goodkind, J. R., Gillum, T. L., Bybee, D. I., & Sullivan, C. M. (2003). The impact of family and friends’ reactions on the well-being of women with abusive partners. Violence Against Women, 9(3), 347–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham-Kevan, N., & Archer, J. (2003). Intimate terrorism and common couple violence: A test of Johnson’s predictions in four British samples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(11), 1247–1270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. L., & Pomeroy, E. C. (2007). Crime victims: What is the role of social support? Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma, 15(2), 97–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. L., & Kane, M. N. (2009). Does type of crime affect the stress and coping process? Implications of intimate partner violence. Victims & Offenders, 4(3), 249–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, R. F., Kilpatrick, D. G., Falsetti, S. A., Resnick, H. S., & Weaver, T. (1996). Violent crime in psychological adjustment. In J. R. Freedy & S. E. Hobfall (Eds.), Traumatic stress: Theory and practice (pp. 129–161). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harned, M. S. (2002). A multivariate analysis of risk markers for dating violence victimization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17(11), 1179–1197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houry, D., Kaslow, N. J., & Thompson, M. P. (2005). Depressive symptoms in women experiencing intimate partner violence. Journal Interpersonal Violence, 20(11), 1467–1477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ilfeld, F. W. (1978). Psychologic status of community residents along major demographic dimensions. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35(6), 716–724.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence. Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57(2), 283–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P. (2000). Conflict and control: Images of symmetry and asymmetry in domestic violence. In A. Booth, A. C. Crouter, & M. Clements (Eds.), Couples in conflict (pp. 178–204). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P. (2001). Conflict and control: Symmetry and asymmetry in domestic violence. In A. Booth, A. C. Crouter, & M. Clements (Eds.), Couples in conflict (pp. 95–104). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P., & Ferraro, K. J. (2000). Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: Making distinctions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(4), 948–963.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaniasty, K., & Norris, F. H. (1992). Social support and victims of crime: Matching event, support, and outcome. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20(2), 211–241.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaukinen, C. (2004). The help-seeking strategies of female violent-crime victims the direct and conditional effects of race and the victim-offender relationship. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19(9), 967–990.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krug, E. G., Dahlberg, L. L., Mercy, J. A., Zwi, A., & Lozano-Ascencio, R. (2002). Rapport mondial sur la violence et la santé [World Report on Violence and Health]. Genève: Organisation mondiale de la Santé.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2005). Top 10 greatest “hits”: Important findings and future directions for intimate partner violence research. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(1), 108–118.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laroche, D. (2005). Aspects of the context and consequences of domestic violence—Situational couple violence and intimate terrorism in Canada in 1999. Quebec City: Government of Quebec, Table 8.

  • Leone, J. M., Johnson, M. P., & Cohan, L. C. (2007). Victim help seeking: Differences between intimate terrorism and situational couple violence. Family Relations, 56(6), 427–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lussier, Y. (1999). Le Questionnaire sur la résolution de conflits-révisé [Questionnaire on conflict resolution - reviewed]. Document inédit. Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec.

  • Mihorean, K. (2005). Trends in self-reported spousal violence. In K. AuCoin (Ed.), Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile 2005 (pp. 13–32). Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mihorean, K. (2006). Factors related to reporting spousal violence to police. In L. Ogrodnik (Ed.), Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile 2006 (Catalogue no. 85-224-XIE, pp. 19–24). Retrieved June 15, 2008, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-224-x2006000-eng.pdf .

  • O’Campo, P., McDonnell, K., Gielen, A., Burke, J., & Chen, Y. (2002). Surviving physical and sexual abuse: What helps low-income women? Patient Education & Counseling, 46(3), 205–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, K. D. (1999). Developmental and affective issues in assessing and treating partner aggression. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(4), 400–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pakieser, R., Lenaghan, P., & Muelleman, R. (1998). Battered women: Where they go for help. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 24(1), 16–19.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rickwood, D. J., Deane, F. P., & Wilson, C. J. (2007). When and how do young people seek professional help for mental health problems? Medical Journal of Australia, 187(7 Suppl), S35–S39.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santé Québec, (1988). Et la santé ça va ? Tome 1:Rapport de l’Enquête Santé Québec 1987 [How your health going: Report of the Quebec Health Survey 1987, Volume 1]. Québec : Gouvernement du Québec.

  • Statistics Canada (2005). La violence familiale au Canada : Un profil statistique [Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile].N o 85-224-XIF.

  • Stets, J. E., & Straus, M. A. (1990). Gender differences in reporting marital violence and its medical and psychological consequences. In M. A. Straus & R. J. Gelles (Eds.), Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptations to violence in 8,145 families (pp. 151–165). New Brunswick: Transaction Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A. (2001). Scoring and norms for the CTS2 and CTSPC. Durham: Family Research Laboratory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised Conflicts Scales (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Theran, S. A., Sullivan, C. M., Bogat, G. A., & Stewart, C. S. (2006). Abusive partners and ex-partners: Understanding the effects of relationship to the abuser on women’s well-being. Violence against women, 12(10), 950–969.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, M. P., Kaslow, N. J., Kingree, J. B., Rashid, A., Puett, R., Jacobs, D., & Matthews, A. (2000). Partner violence, social support, and distress among inner-city African American women. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28(1), 127–143.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, M. P., Kaslow, N. J., Short, L. M., & Wyckoff, S. (2002). The mediating roles of perceived social support and resources in the self-efficacy-suicide attempts relation among African American abused women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(4), 942–949.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tousignant, M., & Kovess, V. (1985). L’épidémiologie en santé mentale: Le cadre conceptuel de l’Enquête Santé Québec [Epidemiologyin Mental Health: The conceptual framework o fthe Quebec Health Survey]. Sociologie et Société, 17(1), 15–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ullman, S. E. (1996). Do social reactions to sexual assault victims vary by support provider? Violence and Victims, 11(2), 143–157.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vaeth, P. A. C., Ramisetty-Mikler, S., & Caetano, R. (2009). Intimate partner violence depression among couples in the United States in the context of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(5), 771–790.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vivian, D., & Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (1994). Are bi-directionally violent couples mutually victimized? A gender-sensitive comparison. Violence and Victims, 9(2), 107–124.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walby, S. and Allen, J. (2004). Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: findings from the British Crime Survey. Home Office Research Study No. 276. London: Home Office.

  • Williams, S. L., & Frieze, I. H. (2005). Patterns of violent relationships, psychological distress, and marital satisfaction in a national sample of men and women. Sex Roles, 52(11/12), 771–784.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wills, T. A., & Fegan, M. F. (2001). Social networks and social support. In A. Baum, T. A. Revenson, & J. E. Singer (Eds.), Handbook of health psychology (pp. 209–234). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yap, M. B. H., & Devilly, G. J. (2004). The role of perceived social support in crime victimization. Clinical Psychology Review, 24(1), 1–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshioka, K., Gilbert, L., El-Bassel, N., & Baig-Amin, M. (2003). Social support and disclosure of abuse: Comparing South Asian, African American, and Hispanic battered women. Journal of Family Violence, 18(3), 171–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zlotnick, C., Kohn, R., Peterson, J., & Pearlstein, T. (1998). Partner physical victimization in a national sample of American families: Relationship to psychological functioning, psychosocial factors, and gender. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(1), 156–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

    Isabel Fortin & Stéphane Guay

  2. School of Psychology, Laval University, Québec, Canada

    Vicky Lavoie & Jean-Marie Boisvert

  3. École de Criminologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3J7

    Stéphane Guay

  4. School of Social Work, Laval University, Québec, Canada

    Madeleine Beaudry

Authors
  1. Isabel Fortin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stéphane Guay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vicky Lavoie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jean-Marie Boisvert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Madeleine Beaudry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stéphane Guay.

Additional information

This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (410-2000-1157)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fortin, I., Guay, S., Lavoie, V. et al. Intimate Partner Violence and Psychological Distress among Young Couples: Analysis of the Moderating Effect of Social Support. J Fam Viol 27, 63–73 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-011-9402-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-011-9402-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation