An Empirical Examination of a Theory of Women’s Use of Violence in Intimate Relationships

(This research was funded by National Institute of Justice 2001-WT-BX-0502 to Dr. Suzanne C. Swan; Dr. Sullivan was a Co-Investigator)

The purpose of the study was to develop an empirically based theoretical framework of women's use of aggression in intimate relationships. Specifically, contextual factors such as race and ethnicity, women’s victimization, cognitive factors, childhood trauma, PTSD and substance use were examined to provide an empirical framework for understanding women’s use of aggression.

• Weiss, N.H., Duke, A.A., & Sullivan, T.P. (2014). Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Women’s Use of Aggression in Intimate Relationships: The Moderating Role of Alcohol Dependence. Journal of Traumatic Stress. PMCID: PMC4343313
  
• Sullivan, T. P., McPartland, T., Price, C., Cruza-Guet, M., & Swan, S. C. (2013). Relationship Self-Efficacy Protects Against Mental Health Problems Among Women in Bidirectionally Aggressive Intimate Relationships With Men. Journal of Counseling Psychology 60(4)641-647. PMCID: NIHMSID 554823
  
• Young-Wolff, K., Jaquier, V.E., Hellmuth, J., Swan, S. C., Connell, C.M. & Sullivan, T.P. (2013). Patterns of Resource Utilization and Mental Health Symptoms among Women Exposed to Multiple Types of Victimization: A Latent Class Analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 28(15), 3059-83. PMCID: NIHMSID 554813
• Swan SC, Gambone LJ, Van Horn ML, Snow DL, Sullivan TP. (2012). Different Factor Structures for Aggression and Victimization Among Women Who Used Aggression Against Male Partners. Violence Against Women. 18(9), 1045-66. PMID: NIHMSID 456020
  
• Sullivan, T. P., Cavanaugh, C. E., Ufner, M. J., Swan, S. C., & Snow, D. L. (2009). Relationships among women's use of aggression, their victimization and substance use problems: A test of the moderating effects of race/ethnicity, Journal of Aggression Maltreatment, and Trauma, 18, 646-666. PMCID: PMC2788967
• Caldwell, J., Swan, S.C., Allen, C., Sullivan, T. P., & Snow, D.L., (2009). Why I hit him: Women’s reasons for intimate partner violence, Journal of Aggression Maltreatment, and Trauma, 18,672-697. PMCID: PMC2975361.