Mating in close proximity: An investigation of the role of attachment styles on IPV perpetration in the time of COVID-19

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern with increasing rates of IPV being seen around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand the circumstances in which violence is used in intimate relationships and the individual and interpersonal factors that increase the risk of using violence, it is important to understand the adaptive problems toward which coercive tactics tend to be directed. Previously, IPV has been linked to aspects of romantic attachment, with insecure attachment styles most often linked to higher rates of IPV. To assess the extent to which IPV perpetration is related to attachment styles, Chapter 2 is a cross cultural study to examine the associations between IPV perpetration and romantic attachment dimensions. The results indicate that insecure attachment style is associated with IPV across 57 nations. Since the onset of COVID-19 there has been a global rise in IPV rates. Chapter 3 explores the effects of COVID-related PTSD on intimate relationships, specifically whether attachment insecurity puts individuals more at risk of perpetrating violence against an intimate partner in the face of a stressful life event. The findings indicate that COVID-related PTSD is associated with increased IPV perpetration only in securely attached individuals. Insecurely attached individuals displayed different patterns. These findings indicate that securely attached individuals and their partners may be particularly susceptible to external life stressors and may be more at risk of perpetrating IPV under heightened and prolonged distress. Chapter 4 explores whether relationship quality mediates the attachment-moderated association between COVID-19 related PTSD and IPV perpetration. The findings of the study reveal that insecure individuals who perceive greater relationship quality perpetrate less violence against their intimate partner. The results indicate that relationship quality may serve as a buffer against IPV perpetration but only in individuals with an insecure attachment style. Chapter 5 uncovers the role of partner’s attachment style in predicting IPV perpetration during COVID-19. The findings demonstrate that anxious-avoidant couples are more at risk of perpetrating IPV against avoidant partners. Additionally, anxious individuals who are partnered with avoidant individuals report greater relationship commitment regardless of relationship satisfaction. The results suggest that anxious individuals who are in a romantic relationship with an avoidant partner are more at risk of perpetrating IPV and remaining in abusive relationships. Chapter 6 discusses the implications of the thesis and emphasizes the importance of understanding the precise adaptive design of the psychological mechanisms that generate intimate partner violence behavior- including what cultural, situational, dyadic, and developmental triggers activate its behavioral expression- to strategically improve efforts to reduce violence in our world.