A retrospective descriptive study of male perpetrators of intimate partner violence referred by judicial authorities: an example from Turkey.

Abstract

Purpose: Our study examines the socio-demographic, forensic psychiatric, and childhood trauma exposure (CTE) data of Turkish intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators and draws comparisons with the violence data.

Methods: Data of male perpetrators referred to the domestic violence outpatient clinic by judicial authorities between November 2019 and June 2022 were retrospectively examined, with a focus on CTE data.

Results: The mean age of the male perpetrators examined in the study was 37.1 years. Among the overall sample, 16.2% (n = 17) had experienced violence at school in childhood, and 22.9% (n = 24) had experienced CTE. Regarding the frequency of domestic violence in their households, of the perpetrators admitted to the clinic for IPV, 40% (n = 42) reported rarely, 43.8% (n = 46) sometimes, and 16.2% (n = 17) often engaged in violent acts. There is a significant relationship between the frequency of IPV and the level of CTE (χ2: 13.052, SD: 2, p = 0.001, Cramer's V: 0.353). Similarly, individuals who witnessed domestic violence during childhood were found to commit partner violence more frequently (χ2: 8.157, SD: 2, p = 0.017, Cramer's V: 0.279).

Conclusions: In this study, we found a strong relationship between CTE and IPV. To the best of our knowledge, our study is only example that investigates the relationship between CTE and IPV in a Turkish sample.