Beyond passivity: Dependency as a risk factor for intimate partner violence.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Criminology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Interpersonal dependency in male perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) is understudied.
• Understanding this link has significant clinical implications for intervention and treatment.
• Previous research has not comprehensively quantified the relationship between dependency and IPV perpetration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To meta-analytically quantify the relationship between interpersonal dependency and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in men.
• To examine potential moderators influencing the dependency-IPV link, such as measurement methods and sample characteristics.
• To elucidate underlying dynamics in male IPV perpetration for improved identification and treatment strategies.

Main Methods:

• A meta-analytic technique was employed to synthesize data from 17 extant studies.
• Studies were identified through an extensive literature search across PsychInfo, Medline, and Google Scholar databases.
• Search terms focused on dependency and intimate partner violence (IPV).

Main Results:

• A small but statistically significant positive relationship was found between interpersonal dependency and male IPV perpetration (r = 0.150).
• The effect size strengthened (r = 0.365) when studies measuring dependent personality disorder symptoms were excluded.
• IPV measure, sample type, and perpetrator age emerged as significant moderators of the dependency-IPV effect size.

Conclusions:

• Interpersonal dependency is a significant, albeit small, correlate of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in men.
• Excluding dependent personality disorder symptoms suggests a broader construct of dependency may be more strongly linked to IPV.
• Findings offer insights into the dynamics of male IPV and inform clinical approaches for identifying and treating perpetrators.