Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Gayle Beck

Committee Member

Bernadette Ombayo

Committee Member

Matthew Woodward

Committee Member

Rane Ankney

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a form of violence that consists of physical, sexual, psychological, and financial abuse, as well as manipulation and control by a romantic partner (World Health Organization, 2013). IPV can have a profound impact on many aspects of life, including psychological health, with many survivors experiencing high levels of shame and dissociation. Both shame and dissociation are disengagement coping strategies that individuals may utilize in the face of abuse from a trusted individual like a romantic partner, as illustrated in Betrayal Trauma Theory (Freyd, 1996). Though the use of shame and dissociation as disengagement coping strategies may protect survivors during active abuse, over time these can become longstanding responses to distress and lead to detrimental effects on survivors’ health and functioning (Snyder & Pulvers, 2001). Additionally, shame and dissociation may influence how survivors interact with others and engage in the world around them. Shame and dissociation have been negatively associated with quality of life (QOL) in trauma samples (Jackley, 2001; Panisch et al., 2022; Persons et al., 2010). The current study extends available literature by examining the direct and indirect impacts of IPV on QOL. The sample was comprised of 595 help-seeking women who had experienced IPV; the sample ranged from 18 to 75 in age (Mage = 36.63, SD = 12.15). Participants identified their race as white (47.5%), Black (40.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Asian (1.4%), Indian (0.2%), Native American (0.3%), and other (6.4%). The Conflict Tactics Scale-2 was used to assess frequency of IPV exposure. The Internal Shame Scale was used to examine intensity of shame while the Dissociative Experiences Scale was used to assess the frequency of dissociative symptoms. The Quality of Life Inventory was used to measure overall quality of life as well as subdomains including achievement, self-expression, environment, and interpersonal relationships. Parallel mediation models were performed via Mplus v8 to examine the direct and indirect relationships between IPV, shame, and dissociation on overall QOL and on each unique QOL subdomain. Results indicated that IPV was significantly, positively associated with shame and that greater levels of shame were associated with lower levels of QOL. Shame partially intermediated the relationship between IPV and QOL. These findings were replicated across all four QOL subdomains. No significant associations regarding dissociation were found. Results support that shame plays a significant, intermediating role between IPV and QOL. Further, the current findings indicate an expansive impact of IPV on survivors’ wellbeing and functioning. Results are considered in light of previous research as well as the theoretical postulates of Betrayal Trauma Theory. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.”

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

Download

Share

COinS