Clinical and Personality Disorders in a Danish Treatment-Seeking Sample of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators.

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health concern with profound psychological consequences. Perpetrators often have a history of childhood trauma and a range of co-occurring psychiatric problems, which may have implications for treatment. This study examines the prevalence of psychiatric and personality disorders (PD) among perpetrators and the association between a range of demographic, childhood trauma, and adult criminality variables for the most prominent disorders. Data were collected from IPV perpetrators ( n = 529) engaging in a treatment program, ' Dialogue Against Violence'. High rates of childhood trauma were observed. There was significant variation in the prevalence of clinical disorders and PDs, with Antisocial PD and Anxiety Disorder being the most common. A clinical disorder was the strongest predictor of PDs, likewise a PD was the strongest predictor of clinical disorders. Findings demonstrated that IPV perpetrators have a number of personality and clinical disorders and traumatic histories that need to be considered within a treatment perspective.