Women's Use of Intimate Partner Aggression: Associations With Sexist Experiences.

Identity-based discrimination experiences have been associated with intimate partner aggression (IPA) use, yet very little research has examined sexist discrimination. This study explored whether women's experiences of sexist discrimination are associated with their IPA use. Participants were 626 predominantly white, cisgender, heterosexual women who completed self-report measures online. Women's sexist experiences were significantly and positively correlated with their IPA use, even after controlling for recent stressful experiences and gender-based violence exposures. Psychological distress symptoms significantly mediated the relation between sexist experiences and IPA use. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering the role of sexism in women's IPA.

Trauma Exposure and PTSD Among Women Receiving Treatment for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration.

Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been associated with men's perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), but relatively little research has examined these associations among women who perpetrate IPV. This exploratory investigation evaluated the associations among trauma, PTSD symptoms, and IPV perpetration for women and a comparison sample of men. During intake at a community-based Abuse Intervention Program (AIP), women (n = 32) and a demographically similar comparison sample of men (n = 64) completed measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, physical aggression and emotional abuse perpetration, and use of alcohol and other drugs. The vast majority of women (93.5%) reported traumatic event exposure, and close to half (43.8%) screened positive for a probable PTSD diagnosis. Women's level of PTSD symptoms correlated positively with emotional abuse perpetration, with medium-to-large effect sizes. After controlling for substance use, women's PTSD symptoms were significantly and positively correlated with physical assault and emotional abuse perpetration. Women reported significantly higher rates of exposure to IPV victimization and had significantly higher rates of probable PTSD and PTSD symptoms than did men from the same AIP. Gender did not significantly moderate the associations between PTSD symptoms and IPV perpetration. Overall, findings indicate that trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms are important correlates of women's IPV perpetration. Women in treatment for IPV perpetration may benefit from additional assessment and treatment of trauma and trauma-related symptoms.