Examining the role of social contact and loneliness in linking intimate partner violence and internalizing distress

Abstract

Low social support is a well-established risk factor for mental health problems among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Social support includes elements of social contact and loneliness, and in this study, we examined the specific roles social contact and loneliness play in explaining the association between IPV and internalizing distress. We also assessed the psychometric properties of the Composite Abuse Scale Short Form (CASR-SF), a relatively new measure of IPV. Participants (N = 353) were male and female adults living in Ireland with a lifetime history of IPV. The psychometric properties of the CASR-SF were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis and composite reliability analysis. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to determine if social contact and loneliness fully or partial accounted for the association between IPV and internalizing distress. The CASR-SF was best explained by a single-factor model that fitted the data well, and had excellent internal reliability (ω = 0.97). The SEM results indicated that there was a direct association between IPV and internalizing distress (β = 0.32), and this association was partially mediated by loneliness (β = 0.06) but not social contact. The CASR-SF operated well as a measure of IPV in this sample, and subjective assessments of the quality and quantity of social interactions (loneliness) was more important than the number of social interactions (social contact) in accounting for the association between IPV and internalizing distress. Reducing loneliness may therefore be an important clinical objective in helping survivors of IPV with mental health problems.