Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and the Five-Factor Model of Personality: A Systematic Review

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a global concern that has a large impact on both victims and society. Understanding factors that contribute to the perpetration of IPV can help prevent harm. Personality disorders are largely related to IPV perpetration according to recent research; however, there is a large amount of overlap between different personality disorders, and it has been suggested that personality traits may provide a clearer picture on the aspects of personality that result in IPV. Personality traits develop during childhood, and, despite being largely stable, can be modified through intervention. A systematic review was carried out by searching three large databases, examining personality traits from the Five-Factor Model, the prevailing personality model, and IPV perpetration. Eleven studies were included in the final analysis, largely from community samples. The results suggested that neuroticism demonstrates a significant relationship with the perpetration of IPV. There were some differences between community and forensic studies; however, these could be explained by exploring the different types of IPV in line with Johnson's distinction between common couple violence and intimate terrorism. Intimate terrorism, which is more likely to be displayed by clinical samples, is less likely to be emotionally motivated and therefore may not be linked to neuroticism. Limitations to the method used in the review and the impact of these on the findings are discussed.