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The purpose of the study was to identify the insecure adult attachment style associated with childhood physical abuse. Five hundred fifty-two female and 294 male university students completed questionnaires on their child abuse history, adult attachment style, and other variables. Regression analyses were completed. A history of physical abuse was associated with attachment avoidance while controlling for other forms of childhood abuse. Some support was also found for an association between physical abuse and attachment anxiety. Social support, as a control variable, was found to be an important predictor of attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety. A history of childhood physical abuse has important and specific impacts on intimate adult relationships with social support acting as a possible protective factor.

The general assumption has been that male batterers from clinical samples were mostly insecurely attached as compared to non-batterers. Recently, a large group was found (39.4 % of batterers in a clinical sample) whose main attachment style was secure. No previous studies have examined specifically the securely attached batterer. The aim of the present study was to test whether antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), but not borderline personality disorder (BPD), traits may be related to battering among securely attached individuals. Twenty-seven securely attached batterers, 45 insecurely attached batterers, 40 securely attached controls, and 22 insecurely attached controls who lived in the Netherlands, filled in self-report measures of personality disorder traits (i.e., antisocial, narcissism, borderline) and attachment (i.e., avoidant and anxious). Results showed that ASPD traits explained 19 % of the variance of battering in securely attached individuals. NPD and BPD traits are related to battering among securely attached individuals when NPD and BPD traits were entered alone in the equation.

Internal working models of attachment are conceptualized as internalizations of interpersonal dynamics involving attachment—schemata derived from secure therapeutic relationships if not established in childhood. The potential for developing internal working models in the absence of adequate attachment history is demonstrated by the case of a dismissing (avoidantly-attached) client with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) abandoned in early childhood. Using the Collective Heart model (Krakauer 2001 )—which targets posttraumatic misattributions of power and quickly challenges the client’s perceived brokenness and helplessness—the client formed an intimate bond with a formerly unconscious inner guidance resource experienced as a maternal attachment figure long before a robust therapeutic relationship was established. Verbatim case material illustrates autohypnotic interventions potentiating this “Wise Mother’s” guidance of the client’s identity development and mastery of relational tasks by mining and augmenting fragmentary attachment experiences. Theoretical and clinical implications of the evolution and function of the Wise Mother are discussed.

PurposeDespite family of origin violence (FOV) exposure being consistently related to traditional forms of dating abuse (DA) perpetration and victimization, few studies have extended this association to cyber DA. As attachment insecurity is commonly linked to FOV exposure and DA, we examined whether attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance mediated the relation between FOV (i.e., experiencing parent-to-child aggression, witnessing interparental aggression) and cyber DA perpetration and victimization forms (i.e., direct cyber aggression, cyber monitoring/controlling, cyber sexual DA).MethodsWe tested these associations using a crosssectional design with 584 college students.ResultsParent-to-child aggression was indirectly related to all forms of cyber DA perpetration and victimization through attachment anxiety. Attachment avoidance was unrelated to both forms of FOV; however, it was directly related to increased direct cyber aggression victimization, increased cyber sexual DA victimization, and decreased cyber monitoring/controlling perpetration. Findings suggested that those with a history of experiencing parent-to-child aggression may develop an anxious attachment style and perpetrate cyber DA to relieve distress associated with physical distance from their romantic partners. Additionally, people with avoidant attachment styles may be less apt to perpetrate cyber DA due to comfort with physical distance from romantic partners.ConclusionThese findings extended the intergenerational transmission of violence theory of DA etiology from in-person DA to cyber DA perpetration and victimization using an attachment theory framework. Cyber DA prevention research should explore interventions that reduce attachment insecurity, particularly among individuals with histories of parent-to-child aggression.

Are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) by multiple partners (MP) different from victims of IPV by one partner? Are there different victim-related risk factors for IPV by MP? This systematic literature review identified seven empirical studies that related to these issues. The review findings indicated that (1) empirical research on IPV by MP appears to be scarce, with only limited recent development; (2) there were significant differences between women who had been subjected to IPV in a single relationship and women with IPV by MP; (3) IPV by MP was significantly associated with childhood domestic trauma, drug abuse, IPV characteristics, and attachment style; (4) regarding PTSD and personality disorders, the results were mixed and inconclusive; and (5) depression did not appear as a salient risk factor for IPV by MP. Interpretations must be made cautiously because of the wide diversity in measurement approaches. It is important that service personnel and researchers attend with increased awareness to women with IPV by MP.

This study examined predictors for parents’ potential for abusing their children. Two hundred and thirteen Jewish and Arab parents of children up to 6 years of age completed six questionnaires assessing child-abuse potential, childhood history of abuse/neglect, attachment style, emotional control, perceived stress, and cognitive appraisal of parenthood. Results indicated that parents who experienced childhood abuse and neglect scored significantly higher in child-abuse potential than parents without a history of abuse or neglect. A Structural Equation Model indicated that anxious and avoidant attachment mediated the experiences of abuse and neglect in childhood and emotional control; whereas emotional control deficits mediated the relationship between insecure attachment and parenthood as challenge vs. threat, leading to greater child-abuse potential. Clinical implications were discussed.

Child homicide is the most extreme form of violence against children. Within South Africa, children face the highest risk of homicide by parents/caregivers. It is suggested that prolonged exposure to adverse relationships with one's own parents may be linked to committing child homicide as it may lead to psychological damage and disturb neurological functioning. This paper explores the adverse parent-child relationships of 22 men and women incarcerated for the murder of either a biological child, a stepchild or a child in their care and draws on 49 in-depth interviews with these participants. We illustrate that traumatic parent-child experiences in the form of absent parents, neglect and abuse have a profound impact on establishing unhealthy attachment styles and emphasize the importance of early adverse parent-child bonds in setting the tone for future bonds as adults. The pathway to adopting an adverse attachment with one's own child is argued to be influenced by these early traumatic emotional experiences within the home. This study highlights the need to acknowledge the impact that adverse parent-child experiences have on the formation of violent forms of parental behavior. It is imperative to reduce children's emotional vulnerabilities by implementing strategies to strengthen current parenting practices, to promote the development of less violent parent-child relationships and to work towards resolving parents' experiences of trauma in reducing child homicide.

A recent focus of research and clinical practice has been on the issue of abuse of parents by their children (parent abuse). This paper reviews the literature on this phenomenon. While parent abuse falls under the umbrella of family violence, it appears to be qualitatively different from other forms of intra-family abuse. Research has primarily focused on prevalence rates and the characteristics of perpetrators and victims. While various factors such as gender, age, emotional attachment to parents, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family stress and parenting style and structure have been associated with parent abuse, findings are equivocal. Etiological models are general and untested, and treatment approaches lack empirical support. It is concluded that more rigorous and extensive research is required in order to provide a deeper understanding of this complex issue, and to inform treatment approaches.

The aim of this study is to examine university students’ attitudes and experiences regarding psychological violence in intimate partner relationships in the context of attachment styles, gender roles, and parasocial interactions. In this study, a mixed-methods research design, specifically the explanatory sequential design, was employed. In the quantitative phase, the attitudes of 508 university student participants towards dating violence were examined with structural equation modeling in terms of attachment styles, parasocial interaction levels and gender roles perceptions. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 university students who had experienced psychological violence in their romantic relationships, and the interviews were analyzed with the interpretive phenomenological analysis method. According to the conducted structural equation model, anxious attachment and avoidant attachment predict attitudes towards female psychological dating violence, while anxious attachment predicts attitudes towards male psychological dating violence. In the qualitative phase, the analysis revealed four main themes concerning perceptions of attachment styles: self, attitudes in relationships, evaluation tendencies in relationships, and relationship maintenance styles. Regarding perceptions of gender roles, two main themes emerged: gender equality and relationship roles. Media interactions yielded three main themes: interaction engagement, social learning effects, and the role of media within relationships. Lastly, perceptions of romantic relationship experiences were organized into four main themes: relationship encounters, relationship expectations, relationship issues, and dating violence. The findings suggest that people’s attachment styles, gender roles and interactions with different media channels are effective in their attitudes and experiences towards psychological violence in dating. The results emphasize that personal and social patterns are important in attitudes towards dating violence and that further studies on this subject should be increased.

Because the first antistalking statute was enacted in California in 1990, stalking research has been expanded immensely, yet been largely confined to exploring traditional pursuit tactics. This study instead examined the prevalence and correlates of cyberstalking behaviors while examining the phenomenon in a more inclusive manner than previous studies focusing on cyberstalking by including social networking avenues. In addition to a measure assessing cyberstalking-related behaviors, questionnaires assessing pathological aspects of personality, including attachment style, interpersonal jealousy, interpersonal violence, and anger were also provided to participants. Results indicate that, given preliminary evidence, cyberstalking-related behaviors are related to past measures of traditional stalking and cyberstalking, although prior attachment, jealousy, and violence issues within relationships are significant predictors of cyberstalking-related behaviors. In addition, unexpected gender differences emerged. For example, women admitted greater frequencies of cyberstalking perpetration than males, signaling that further research on frequency and motivation for cyberstalking among the sexes is necessary.