Intimate Partner Violence, Relationship Changes During Incarceration, & Concerns for Reentry

• In Event: Advances in Research on Romantic Relationships, Crime, & Victimization

Abstract

Experiences with intimate partner violence victimization, partner substance abuse, and partner incarceration are common and often co-occurring events for women in the United States. We employ a series of binomial logistic regressions using data from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (n = 843; non-incarcerated women) to examine how women’s experiences with intimate partner violence and substance abuse (e.g., by their incarcerated partner) impact their relationships during incarceration and their perceptions of what they expect the biggest challenges to their relationships to be post-incarceration (e.g., during reentry). Women whose partners were incarcerated for domestic violence and whose partners were jealous were more likely to say they drifted apart from their partner during his incarceration. Reports of jealousy, emotional violence, and their partner being angry while using drugs or alcohol were associated with concerns that they will not be able to trust their partner post-release. Women who said their partners were emotionally violent and angry while using alcohol or drugs were more likely to express concern that their partner will not be able to meet their expectations post-release. Finally, women who said their partners were jealous, emotionally violent, and violent when using alcohol or drugs were more likely to say that they expect to be angry at him post-release. Overall, intimate partner violence and substance abuse were indicators of concerns that women had for their partners’ reentry into society. Curiously, physical violence perpetration when not using drugs or alcohol is not associated with relationship changes or concerns for reentry in any of the models. Implications for couples and the family unit are discussed.

Authors

• Eman Tadros, Syracuse University

• Katherine A. Durante, University of Utah

• Danielle C. Slakoff, Sacramento State University