Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Victimization as a Predictor of Engagement in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury.

While prior research has studied associations between child abuse and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), there is limited research assessing unwanted pursuit behavior (UPB) victimization and NSSI. In addition, few studies have assessed the self-reported functions of NSSI among survivors of violence. Among a sample of 18-25-year-old young adults (N = 333), both UPB victimization and child abuse were significantly associated with NSSI frequency. In regression models, UPB victimization was associated with increased use of affect regulation, antidissociation/feeling-generation, self-punishment, and antisuicide functions, while child abuse was associated only with antidissociation/feeling-generation and self-punishment. Affect regulation mediated the association between UPB victimization and NSSI frequency, but not the association between child victimization and NSSI frequency. Implications for research and clinical practice will be discussed.

Cognitive emotion regulation strategies as a mediator between cyber dating violence and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among college students.

Objective: Cyber dating violence (CDV) is prevalent among emerging adults and could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, limited research has been conducted on potential mitigating (or exacerbating) factors, such as the use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CER). The present study examined whether CER strategies mediate the relationship between CDV and PTSD. Participants: Among a sample of 598 college students, the present study focuses on those who reported past-year CDV (56%; N = 335). Methods: An online survey was completed by college students to assess CDV, CER, and PTSD using validated self-report measures. Results: CDV was bivariately correlated with PTSD symptoms as well as adaptive and maladaptive CER. Within a mediation model, maladaptive (but not adaptive) CER mediated the relationship between CDV and PTSD. Conclusions: CDV is common among college students. Targeting maladaptive CER, such as self-blame and rumination, could lead to reductions in PTSD symptoms.

Social Reactions to Disclosures of Intimate Partner Stalking and Unwanted Pursuit Behaviors: Associations With PTSD, Academic Outcomes, and Empowerment.

Among college survivors of unwanted pursuit behaviors (UPBs; 40.1%, n = 189) or intimate partner stalking (IPS, i.e., UPBs causing emotional distress; 32.1%, n = 151), the present study examined effects of social reactions to disclosures on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, academic outcomes, and personal empowerment. Compared to UPB survivors, IPS survivors were more likely to disclose and reported higher positive and negative reactions to disclosure as well as greater frequency of UPBs/IPS, IPV, and PTSD symptoms. Among both groups, only negative social reactions were positively associated with PTSD symptoms. However, among IPS (but not UPB) survivors, only positive social reactions were related to academic outcomes and empowerment when controlling for PTSD and IPS frequency. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

College students' perceptions of alcohol's role in disclosures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

Objective: Much is known about how alcohol increases the risk of sexual assault or intimate partner violence victimization during college. This research qualitatively explores perceptions about how alcohol influences disclosures about these events to informal supports. Participants: Participants included college students who received a disclosure wherein they or the survivor were drinking during the disclosure (n = 81). Methods: Responses were coded with regard to who was drinking and whether the effect of drinking during the disclosure was perceived as positive, negative, mixed, or neutral/none. Results: Participants perceived alcohol to have both positive (e.g., increasing the likelihood of discussing difficult topics) and negative (e.g., cognitive impairment increased negative emotions) effects on disclosures. Conclusion: Prevention and intervention efforts should identify targeted strategies (e.g., remembering one or two easy and helpful phrases; revisiting the topic again while sober) to help survivors and disclosure recipients have constructive conversations in the presence of alcohol.

Are Benefits of Participation Higher Than Risks? An Exploration of Reactions to Participation in Research on Intimate Partner Stalking Among College Young Adults.

Ethical guidelines dictate that research studies should present more benefit than harm to participants, thus, it is important to study participants' reactions to participation, particularly in the context of potentially traumatic topics. While several studies have indicated that positive evaluations of research typically outweigh perceived harms among survivors of physical, sexual, or psychological intimate partner violence, few studies have assessed survivors of intimate partner stalking (IPS) or unwanted pursuit behaviors (UPBs). Among 602 undergraduates (78% women), the present study examined reactions to research participation in a study on IPS/UPBs. Results indicated that, among victims and non-victims of IPS, positive global evaluations and perceived benefits outweighed negative emotional reactions and perceived drawbacks to participation. While some participants (7.5%) reported emotional reactions to participation, most, on average, evaluated the study positively (94.4%), many reported benefits (45.5%), and just one (0.2%) reported drawbacks. Emotional reactions were positively correlated with both drawbacks and benefits of participation. Frequency of UPBs/IPS and IPV were positively correlated with emotional reactions to participation; however, when included in a model with psychological distress (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms), symptom frequencies were more strongly related to reactions to research than victimization variables. In all, research on IPS/UPBs appears to be evaluated generally positively and can likely be undertaken safely when using safeguards to inform participants and debrief them following participation.

Effects of Intimate Partner Violence During COVID-19 and Pandemic-Related Stress on the Mental and Physical Health of Women Veterans.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about women veterans' intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic or the impacts of pandemic-related stress on their mental and physical health. OBJECTIVES: To identify IPV experiences among women veterans prior to and during the pandemic, pandemic-related stressors, and examine their respective contributions to mental and physical health. DESIGN: National sample of women veterans drawn from a larger web-based longitudinal study. Relationships between recent IPV and pandemic-related stressors were tested with linear regressions, controlling for pre-pandemic IPV and mental and physical health symptoms, demographic, and military-related covariates. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-two women veterans (Mage=58.8 years). MAIN MEASURES: We assessed IPV (CTS-2), PTSD (PCL-5), depression (CESD), anxiety (DASS-A), physical health (PHQ-15), and physical health-related quality of life (SF-12) prior to the pandemic (June 2016-December 2016/January 2017) and during the pandemic study period (March 2020-December 2020/January 2021). We assessed pandemic-related stressors (EPII) during the pandemic study period. KEY RESULTS: Over a third (38.7%) of participants experienced IPV during the pandemic study period (psychological: 35.9%, physical: 9.9%, sexual: 4.2%). Overall rates, frequency, and severity of IPV experience did not significantly differ between the pre-pandemic and pandemic study periods. Few participants tested positive for COVID-19 (4.2%); however, most participants reported experiencing pandemic-related stressors across life domains (e.g., social activities: 88%, physical health: 80.3%, emotional health: 68.3%). IPV during the pandemic and pandemic-related stressors were both associated with greater PTSD and depressive symptoms. Pandemic-related stressors were associated with worse anxiety and physical health symptoms. Neither IPV during the pandemic nor pandemic-related stressors were associated with physical health-related quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: IPV experiences during the pandemic were common among women veterans, as were pandemic-related stressors. Although IPV did not increase in the context of COVID-19, IPV experiences during the pandemic and pandemic-related stressors were linked with poorer mental and physical health.

Nonconsensual Distribution of Sexually Explicit Images Within a Context of Coercive Control: Frequency, Characteristics, and Associations with Other Forms of Victimization.

The present study examined the frequency and characteristics of nonconsensual distribution of sexually explicit images (NCD) among undergraduates (n = 496) and its co-occurrence with other forms of interpersonal violence (e.g., physical, sexual, and psychological abuse). Overall, 17.34% of participants reported NCD victimization; most were women (90.70%). Women who reported NCD from current/former partners (71.79%), compared to non-romantic acquaintances, reported more additional interpersonal violence from the same perpetrator and marginally higher threats of NCD, but were no more likely to receive NCD demands. NCD appears to occur within a pattern of elevated violence; prevention and intervention efforts are needed.

The role of general self-efficacy in intimate partner violence and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder among women veterans.

Whereas some prior studies have assessed associations between general self-efficacy, intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms cross-sectionally, there is limited research investigating the potential directions of these effects or the longitudinal effects over multiple assessment points. We investigated the role of general self-efficacy in experiences of IPV and PTSD symptoms across time among 411 women veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Online survey data were collected at baseline (Time 1; T1), 18 months after baseline (Time 2; T2), and 2 years after baseline (Time 3; T3). Structural equation models were used to test hypotheses that T2 general self-efficacy would mediate reciprocal associations between IPV experiences and PTSD symptoms while controlling for T2 IPV experiences, T1 PTSD symptoms, and demographic and military covariates (i.e., age, military sexual trauma, and combat exposure). Specifically, we hypothesized that T2 general self-efficacy would mediate the association between (a) T1 IPV experiences and T3 IPV experiences, (b) T1 IPV experiences and T3 PTSD symptoms, (c) T1 PTSD symptoms and T3 IPV experiences, and (d) T1 PTSD symptoms and T3 PTSD symptoms. Findings revealed that T1 PTSD symptoms predicted lower T2 general self-efficacy, and, in turn, lower T2 general self-efficacy was associated with higher T3 IPV experiences, 95% CI [0.06, 0.41]; no other hypotheses were supported. The findings speak to the importance of clinical interventions which promote general self-efficacy as well as assess and treat PTSD symptoms among women who experience IPV.

The Feasibility of a Novel Recruitment Protocol for Collecting Survivor Data via Disclosure Recipient Referrals.

The current arricle describes a novel recruitment protocol for collecting data from sexual assault and intimate partner violence survivors referred to research studies by individuals to whom they had previously disclosed. Challenges in both recruiting participants and interpreting data are described. Only 35.8% of cases had usable data for both survivors and disclosure recipients, suggesting that this referral method had limited success in recruiting matched pairs. Suggestions for modifications to improve the protocol for future research are offered. Potential advantages and drawbacks of various methods for recruiting dyads are described in order to facilitate future research on survivors' disclosure processes, social reactions, and the influence of social reactions on survivor recovery.

Disclosure Recipients' Perceptions Related to Helping Victims of Dating and Sexual Violence.

To date, research on social reactions to dating and sexual violence (DSV) disclosure has largely neglected the perspective of disclosure recipients. Moreover, few studies have explored disclosure recipients' perceptions of the victim and perceptions of their own effectiveness in helping as well as the correlates of these perceptions. The purpose of this study was to address these gaps in the literature. Participants were 783 college students (73.0% female) who reported receiving a DSV disclosure in the past 6 months. Participants who provided more negative social reactions to victim disclosures were less likely to empathize with the victim and more likely to feel victim blame/burdensomeness and confusion/ineffectiveness in their responses. Conversely, those providing more positive social reactions were more likely to empathize with the victim and were less likely to report victim blame/burdensomeness and confusion/ineffectiveness. Further, recipients with a DSV victimization history were more likely to report empathy for the victim. Being a man and having higher post-traumatic stress symptoms were associated with greater victim blame/burdensomeness, while the victim approaching the recipient to disclose and DSV experiences that occurred long ago were associated with lower victim blame/burdensomeness. Finally, depressive symptoms, receiving disclosures from a stranger/casual friend, and less frequent discussion about the incident were significantly associated with increased confusion/ineffectiveness. These findings suggest that perceptions of the victim and helping effectiveness, and factors associated with them, may be promising targets of programs seeking to reduce negative and increase positive social reactions to DSV disclosures.

Predictors of uptake and retention in an intervention to improve social reactions to disclosures of sexual assault and partner abuse.

Objective Examine uptake (e.g., initial session participation) and retention (e.g., booster session participation) in an intervention about responding to sexual assault and partner abuse disclosures. Participants: Participants were 836 students (primarily White; upper-middle class) at a medium-sized university. Method: Participants completed baseline surveys, were invited to a two-session intervention, and responded to a follow-up survey. Results: Initial session attendance was 36.2% (n = 303); of those, 83.1% (n = 252) attended the booster. Female, sexual minority students, and students with fewer prior negative reactions, and higher initial session satisfaction were more likely to attend than other students. Participants' reported reasons for not attending included scheduling problems and topic discomfort. Participants reported that remote attendance and higher cash incentives would have made attendance more likely. Conclusion: Findings indicate the draw of cash incentives, a need to reach high-risk students and integrate into existing organizations, and the potential for individualized prevention.

A Mixed-Method Process Evaluation of an Intervention to Improve Social Reactions to Disclosures of Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse.

Because of the high rates and deleterious consequences of sexual assault (SA) and partner abuse (PA) on college campuses, there is a proliferation of programming to both prevent and respond to these issues. Most research to date, however, presents outcome evaluation data on these programs and neglects to present process evaluation data which are critical for program refinement and dissemination. The purpose of this study was to present process evaluation data (i.e., acceptability and feasibility) specific to a program that endeavored to increase positive and decrease negative social reactions from disclosure recipients to individuals disclosing SA and PA. Participants were 303 students who completed the program and participated in postintervention surveys and a subset of students (n = 18) who completed exit interviews. Results documented that the program was both feasible and acceptable, as evidenced by high satisfaction ratings. Important suggestions were also provided for how to improve the program, such as reducing repetition and making scenarios more realistic. Finally, participants who reported higher program engagement and more program usage generally reported more intentions to provide positive social reactions, less intentions to provide negative social reactions, and less actual negative social reactions. This information is useful not only for adapting the current program discussed herein but also for program developers and preventionists wishing to create similar programming to effectively prevent and improve response to SA and PA.

A Pilot Evaluation of an Intervention to Improve Social Reactions to Sexual and Partner Violence Disclosures.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an intervention (Supporting Survivors and Self [SSS]) created to increase positive social reactions and decrease negative social reactions to sexual assault and partner violence disclosures among informal support disclosure recipients. Participants were 1,268 college students from a medium-sized New England university who completed an online baseline survey and were assigned to either the treatment or control condition. The SSS intervention trained potential informal supports on what to say and not to say to disclosure recipients. Six months after the SSS intervention, participants in both conditions completed the follow-up survey online. Although intentions to provide positive social reactions significantly increased among participants in the treatment group compared with the control group and there were marginally significant effects in the anticipated directions for alcohol-specific intended social reactions, no overall difference was observed across conditions in actual social reactions provided. Moderation analyses suggested that, in general, the SSS intervention was more effective on various outcomes for students who were younger, male, non-White, sexual minorities, and/or non-victims. Moderation analyses also suggested that the intervention varied in efficacy depending on the circumstances of the disclosure. Despite the mixed outcomes of the SSS intervention, these data suggest that the SSS intervention was effective in improving social reactions for some students and under some circumstances. Future research is needed to further refine the SSS intervention to bolster its effectiveness in reducing negative social reactions and increasing positive social reactions for all students.

Predictors of Disclosure Recipients' Social Reactions to Victims' Disclosures of Dating and Sexual Violence: A Longitudinal Study of College Students.

Dating violence (DV) and sexual violence (SV) are pernicious issues among college students that lead to deleterious outcomes, which are more likely when victims receive more negative social reactions (e.g., blaming the victim) and fewer positive social reactions to disclosure (e.g., providing emotional support). Most research studies have examined victims' reports of social reactions to their assault disclosures, with only a few cross-sectional studies of predictors of disclosure recipients' provision of positive and negative social reactions to victims. The purpose of the current study was to address these gaps in the literature. Participants were 481 college students (76.4% women, 89.2% White/Non-Hispanic) who reported being a disclosure recipient during the past six months (measured at Time 2 to cross-sectionally and longitudinally predict their social reactions to victims' disclosures). Results suggested that both victim and disclosure recipient characteristics (e.g., gender, race), disclosure recipient perceptions of victims (e.g., empathy for victim, blame of victim, victims' coping) and both disclosure recipient and victim behavior at the time of disclosure (e.g., drinking, distress) were related to disclosure recipient social reactions. These findings underscore the need for programs for potential informal disclosure recipients that target psychological variables (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) and behavior at the time of disclosure, as well as their perceptions of victims more generally, in addition to improving their knowledge and ability to respond with positive social reactions and avoid negative social reactions.

Do Women's Coping Responses to Unwanted Pursuit Behaviors Reduce Future Victimization? A Prospective Exploration.

While some studies have assessed perceptions of the effectiveness of coping responses to unwanted pursuit behavior (UPB) victimization, there is limited research assessing the prospective effectiveness of various coping responses in reducing victimization. The current study assessed the effectiveness of a range of coping responses in reducing UPB victimization over an 8-week timeframe. Undergraduate women who had reported experiencing two or more incidents of UPB following the break-up with a man within the past 3 years (N =181) completed measures on coping responses. Whereas Moving Against and Moving Toward responses were bivariately correlated with increases in UPB victimization across the 8-week interim, in a multivariate model, none of the coping responses were associated with Time 2 UPB victimization; rather, higher frequencies of both Time 1 UPB victimization and concurrent Time 2 intimate partner violence predicted Time 2 UPB victimization. More research and replication studies are needed since the results here suggest that current UPB response recommendations (e.g., changing social media accounts, maintaining a log of contact from the perpetrator) do not result in reductions in victimization; further research is needed to identify responses that do result in a reduction of unwanted pursuit.

Prospective mental health effects of intimate partner stalking among women veterans.

OBJECTIVE: Women veterans are disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence (IPV). Within the civilian literature, intimate partner stalking (IPS) is a common, uniquely deleterious form of IPV; the present study seeks to prospectively examine the psychological effects of IPS among women veterans. METHOD: Women veterans (n = 266) were recruited using the KnowledgePanel, a probability-based survey panel; participants completed surveys at time 1 (T1) and at time 2 (T2) follow-up 18 months later. Women responded to questionnaires assessing IPV and IPS experiences, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. RESULTS: At T1, 54.5% of women reported lifetime IPV, of whom 64.1% reported IPS; at T2, 49.2% reported past-year IPV, of whom 7.6% experienced past-year IPS. Bivariately, women in the T1 IPS group reported higher T2 PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms than the T1 IPV only and no IPV groups. In a multivariate model, there remained indirect effects of T1 IPS on T2 PTSD symptoms, when other forms of violence (i.e., T1 and T2 IPV, MST, IPS) were controlled. CONCLUSIONS: When added to models including other forms of IPV, women who experienced IPS reported increased risk for PTSD symptoms, which predicted heightened PTSD symptoms over time. Providers treating women veterans should assess for experiences of IPS as an additional form of IPV and address PTSD to prevent the development of subsequent comorbid psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Prospective Predictors of Receiving Disclosures of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Among College Students.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has indicated that many undergraduates receive disclosures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence (IPV) from their peers; however, much of this research has been cross-sectional. The present study assessed the extent to which demographic characteristics and victimization history predicted whether participants received disclosures over the subsequent 6 months. Directional hypotheses assessed whether psychological symptoms and attitudes predicted, or were consequences of, disclosures at follow-up. METHOD: College students (n = 867) from a broader treatment intervention study completed pretest (Time 1) and 6-month follow-up surveys (Time 2). RESULTS: Individuals who reported new disclosures at follow-up (56%) were more likely to be women, have previous experience receiving either sexual assault or IPV disclosures, and have experienced sexual assault or IPV victimization in their lifetime and across the follow-up period. Sexual orientation did not predict receipt of disclosures at follow-up; intervention group did not moderate these relationships. Results of longitudinal structural equation models found that although higher Time 1 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and depressive symptoms predicted disclosure status at follow-up, Time 1 disclosure status did not predict subsequent increases in posttraumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms. Attitudinal variables were not significantly associated with disclosures reported at Time 1 or follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the importance of attending to personal experiences of victimization within interventions aiming to improve responses to disclosure. Although individuals with higher distress are more likely to receive subsequent disclosures, disclosure does not appear to lead to increases in long-term psychological distress.

Exploring the association between anticipated and actual responses to disclosures of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.

Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) commonly disclose their experiences to friends or family members, or within other personal relationships. Disclosure recipients' responses to these disclosures are associated with victims' mental health. Previous research has separately measured both actual responses to IPV/SA and anticipated responses to IPV/SA (e.g., response to a hypothetical scenario) from the perspective of disclosure recipients. Yet, little research has described the association between disclosure recipients' anticipated and actual responses. The aim of the current paper was to use a prospective design to examine the association between disclosure recipients' anticipated and actual responses to IPV/SA, including positive and negative social reactions, perceptions of victim responsibility, empathy, and confusion and ineffectiveness about how to respond. Participants (N = 126 college students aged 18-23; 70.6% women) answered questions about their anticipated responses to a hypothetical IPV/SA disclosure scenario, and then six months later answered the same questions about their actual responses to an actual disclosure of IPV/SA. Although most anticipated and actual responses were significantly associated, associations were moderate in size. Some associations were stronger for participants with a closer relationship to the victim, for participants who had their own victimization history, for women, and for men. Individuals can predict their responses to some degree, but are not totally accurate in doing so.

Bidirectional associations between alcohol use and intimate partner violence and sexual assault victimization among college women.

Whereas some prior studies have explored whether alcohol increases the risk for victimization and/or whether distress resulting from victimization increases the risk for alcohol use, few studies have simultaneously tested these bidirectional hypotheses among a high-risk sample (i.e., undergraduate women), while including both sexual assault (SA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, and exploring potential moderating effects of PTSD symptoms on these paths. Among 631 college women, the present study tested these bidirectional associations using cross-lagged panel models across two measurement periods (i.e., Time 1 [T1] and Time 2 [T2], six months later). Results suggested that T1 alcohol use increased risk for T2 SA (but not T2 IPV victimization), and PTSD symptoms moderated this association; at lower levels of PTSD symptoms, there were no significant associations between alcohol use and subsequent SA victimization, whereas at higher levels of PTSD symptoms, alcohol use predicted subsequent SA victimization. By contrast, the opposite directional hypothesis was not supported; neither T1 lifetime SA nor IPV were associated with T2 drinking, regardless of the level of their PTSD symptoms. Prevention and intervention efforts should simultaneously address risk factors for alcohol use and victimization using trauma-informed practices.

Patterns of Surveillance, Control, and Abuse Among a Diverse Sample of Intimate Partner Abuse Survivors.

Using a mixed-methods design, the present study examined intimate partner surveillance among a diverse sample of intimate partner abuse (IPA) survivors (n = 246), including women of Mexican (n = 83), Korean (n = 50), Vietnamese (n = 49), and European descent (n = 64). Most survivors (57%) described surveillance in either survey or interview; inductive thematic analysis revealed seven forms of surveillance. Finally, two-step cluster analysis identified two patterns of victimization most clearly differentiated by surveillance, but ethnic group differences in rates and patterns of abuse did not emerge. Implications for both clinicians and researchers are discussed.