Personality Profiles of Intimate Partner Violence Offenders With and Without PTSD

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious forensic and clinical problem throughout the United States. Research aimed at defining and differentiating subgroups of IPV offenders using standardized personality instruments may eventually help with matching treatments to specific individuals to reduce recidivism. The current study used a convenience sample of court-ordered IPV offenders to explore whether the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can reliably differentiate this population in terms of personality characteristics and clinical symptoms. Profile analysis showed meaningful differences between PTSD (n = 22), non-PTSD (n = 43), and nontrauma (n = 13) groups on a variety of Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and Personality Assessment Inventory personality and clinical scales. The PTSD group reported significantly less IPV than the non-PTSD and nontrauma groups, as well as endorsing greater overall distress, greater symptoms of anxiety, and greater symptoms of depression across instruments. Implications for assessment are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• assessment
• domestic violence
• intimate partner violence
• MCMI-III
• PAI
• personality
• PTSD

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Dan Matthews, Kathleen Clapp, Alisa Hadfield, and Michael Dougher for their oversight of this project, Tim Reed and Rene Rivas for their assistance in data collection, and Sarah Feldstein Ewing for her assistance in the manuscript preparation. This research was supported by funds allocated by the New Mexico Legislature to the Second Judicial District Court of New Mexico, a Graduate Research Development grant awarded to the second author by the Graduate and Professional Student Association at the University of New Mexico, and a University of New Mexico Research Allocation Committee Grant awarded to Michael Dougher.

Notes

Note. PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder, TLEQ = Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (endorsement of TLEQ items specifies both DSM-IV criteria A1 and A2); PSDS = Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Survey (endorsement of specific most serious trauma reflects percentages within each group).

*p<.05. **p<.01.

Note. MCMI-III = Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III.

*Significant group difference using the Bonferroni correction (α = .002). Means with different superscripts are significantly different within identified group differences.

Note. PAI = Personality Assessment Inventory.

*Significant group difference using the Bonferroni correction (α = .002). Means with different superscripts are significantly different within identified group differences.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tim Hoyt

Tim Hoyt is now at Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington, USA

Alisha M. Wray

Alisha M. Wray is now at the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Melissa Gerstle

Melissa Gerstle is now at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

Peggy C. Maclean

Peggy C. Maclean is now at the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.