Coercive control in a national U.S. self-report survey: Prediction of repeated intimate partner violence.

Abstract

Coercive, controlling behavior toward intimate partners correlates with physical intimate partner violence (IPV). We examined whether it also predicts subsequent IPV or other aggression. We conducted a secondary analysis of self-reports by 1,039 women and 509 men who participated in the first two waves of the Interpersonal Conflict and Resolution Study (Mumford et al., 2019). We defined coercive control as any reported perpetration at Wave 1 of threat to physically harm, threat to use information to control, or put down or disrespect their partner. The participants also reported perpetration of verbal abuse and physical or sexual aggression against intimate partners. We tested correlations of these behaviors with similar acts toward nonintimates (friends or unfamiliar persons) in Wave 1 and the prediction of physical violence in Wave 2, approximately 5 months later. Coercive control (14% of men, 26% of women) was correlated with physical or sexual IPV (8% of men, 15% of women) in both women and men and with physical violence and coercive control to nonintimates. In logistic regressions entering Wave 1 physical IPV on the first step, Wave 1 coercive control was a significant independent predictor of Wave 2 physical IPV overall, and for men but not women. Coercive control did not independently predict nonintimate physical violence. Coercive control toward an intimate partner is a unique predictor of physical IPV among men. Future research should use improved measures of coercive control and further examine coercive control as an indicator of general antisociality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).