Trauma and Emotion Regulation Lab (TERL)
Primary Investigator: Jordan VandeVenter
Research Mentor: Skylar Rucci, B.A.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Terri Messman Ph.D.
Intimate Partner Emotional Abuse (IPEA) is a form of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and is more prevalent than physical or sexual IPV (Sullivan et al., 2012). IPEA is estimated to affect 21-89% of women, with one study estimating that 72% had experienced it (Bliton et al., 2016). Most research views IPEA as a unidimensional construct, however it is multidimensional, including various forms of psychological harm such as restrictive engulfment, dominance and intimidation, denigration, and hostile withdrawal (Murphy & Hoover, 1999). Emotion dysregulation is conceptualized as a construct that reflects deficits in emotional awareness, clarity, acceptance, as well as difficulties in engaging in goal-directed behavior, controlling impulses when distressed, and accessing effective strategies for emotion regulation. Research shows that physical IPV victimization is associated with deficits in emotion regulation (Taccini et al., 2024), but there is limited understanding in how IPEA affects emotion dysregulation among college women.
The present study aimed to investigate the associations between the four types of IPEA and facets of emotion dysregulation, given the detrimental effects IPV has on emotion dysregulation, and the high rates of IPEA among college women.
Hypothesis: We expect higher levels of emotion dysregulation while considering the presence of physical IPV, among those who have experienced IPEA.
MANCOVA compared women who experienced each subtype of IPEA with those who had not on the emotion dysregulation facets, while considering the presence of physical IPV.
Participants
Data were collected from a sample of 674 undergraduate women at a Midwestern university that was predominantly white (90.1%) and heterosexual (85.4%).
LEADS Institute and STEMM Scholars
Semenza, D. C., Ziminski, D., & Anestis, M. D. (2024). Physical intimate partner violence and emotional harm in five US states. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 39(9-10), 2344-2368. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231218219
Taccini, F., Rossi, A. A., & Mannarini, S. (2024). Understanding the role of self‐esteem and emotion dysregulation in victims of intimate partner violence. Family Process, 63(4), 2258-2275. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12966
During this research project, I gained communication, professionalism, and teamwork skills. Working in lab and practicing presentations built verbal communication skills, while making the poster and google site for presentation built written communication skills. Prioritizing completing tasks and goals on time as well as showing dependability through showing up consistently built professionalism. Collaborating with others in my lab to reach a common goal as well as building relationships with members and mentors built teamwork skills.