Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Psychology

Supervisor

Saklofske, Donald H.

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an international public health concern that poses significant mental and physical health risks for affected individuals. To improve prevention and intervention efforts, it is imperative that researchers and government bodies understand risk factors for IPV. This dissertation sought to evaluate individual differences in personality and childhood experiences as risk factors for various forms of IPV. The first two studies in this dissertation assessed whether the Dark Tetrad personality traits moderated the relationships between participants’ and their partners’ levels of IPV perpetration. In these studies, we assessed whether the Dark Tetrad traits operated differently in their associations with bidirectional IPV (i.e., both partners perpetrating violence against each other). The first sample comprised 109 men and 290 women (age range = 17-33, Mage = 18.74, SDage = 1.84) recruited through the psychology participant pool at the University of Western Ontario. Results showed that the relationships between participants’ and their partners’ frequency of IPV varied depending on their levels of specific Dark Tetrad traits. Participants in Study 2 were 153 men and 207 women recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (age range = 18-73, Mage = 34.39, SDage = 10.96). Results showed that being female, higher levels of partner IPV perpetration severity, and Factor 2 psychopathy resulted in significantly higher odds of engaging in more severe IPV perpetration. Finally, the third study investigated whether the Dark Tetrad traits mediated the relationships between exposure to violence in childhood and subsequent IPV perpetration in adulthood. A total of 153 men and 246 women (age range = 18-73, Mage = 33.50, SDage = 10.26) were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Results showed no relationship between IPV perpetration and childhood IPV exposure. Therefore, mediation analyses were not possible. Follow-up exploratory analyses demonstrated that gender moderated the relationships between childhood IPV exposure and levels of Factor 1 psychopathy and Machiavellianism. Results from this research have implications for future implementation of appropriate interventions in the context of IPV perpetration. It is also important to implement better education on individual differences as mechanisms underlying IPV perpetration for society as a whole.

Summary for Lay Audience

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an international public health concern that poses significant mental and physical health risks for affected individuals. To improve prevention and intervention efforts, it is important for researchers and government bodies to understand risk factors for IPV. The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to assess the ways in which a group of four ‘dark’ personality traits (i.e., the Dark Tetrad of personality), as well as exposure to violence in childhood predicted frequency and severity of IPV perpetration in adulthood. The first two studies in this dissertation evaluated whether the Dark Tetrad traits influenced the extent to which individuals engaged in bidirectional IPV (i.e., both partners perpetrating violence against each other). Results of Study 1 revealed that extent to which violence was bidirectional depended on participants’ levels of specific Dark Tetrad traits. Results from Study 2 showed that women and those higher in the trait known as Factor 2 psychopathy had higher odds of engaging in more severe IPV perpetration. Finally, the third study investigated whether the Dark Tetrad traits explained the relationship between exposure to IPV in childhood and perpetration of IPV in adulthood. Results showed that there was no link between exposure to IPV in childhood and perpetration of IPV in adulthood in this sample. However, follow-up research showed that men who were exposed to violence in childhood were more likely to exhibit higher levels of dark traits than women. Results from these studies have implications for future implementation of appropriate IPV interventions. It is also important to implement better education on personality traits as predictors of IPV for society as a whole.

Download

Share

COinS