The Victim-Offender Overlap in Intimate Partner Violence: Considering the Role of Self-control

ABSTRACT

Although a growing body of literature in the field of criminal justice documents the relationship between victimization and offending, only recently has this knowledge been applied to the study of intimate partner violence (IPV). Utilizing data obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we examine whether low self-control predicts IPV victimization, IPV offending, or both IPV victimization and offending. Specifically, the study extends prior literature by (1) investigating the influence of self-control on the victim-offender overlap in IPV, (2) using longitudinal data, and (3) utilizing a sample of U.S. adults ages 24 to 33. While low self-control was found to significantly predict IPV offending and the overlap in IPV victimization and offending, low self-control failed to significantly predict IPV victimization.

Notes

¹ Self-control measures from Wave I, as opposed to Wave IV, were utilized because they have been well tested and most closely reflect the measures defined by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990). Furthermore, one of the primary tenets of self-control is that it remains stable across the lifecourse, or that even as respondents get older, their level of self-control should remain the same.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emily Spivey

Emily Spivey is a Ph.D. student in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Texas State University. Her current research interests include criminological theory, theory testing, and policing.

Brooke Nodeland

Brooke Nodeland is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas.  She received her Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Texas at Dallas.  Her research interests include cyber offending and victimization, victimology, and public opinion. Some of her recent work has appeared in Crime and Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, and Criminal Justice Review.