The Role of Attachment, Self-Esteem and Impulsivity on Intimate Partner Violence in Same- and Opposite-Sex Relationships

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive problem that impacts individuals in both same and opposite sex relationships. As such, understanding risk factors for the perpetration of this type of violence within each population are important for intervention efforts. The present study examined the interactive effects of attachment, self-esteem, and impulsivity on men and women’s perpetration of intimate partner violence in same- and opposite- sex relationships. Participants were 417 individuals recruited from an undergraduate and community population, who completed measures of adult attachment, self-esteem, impulsivity, as well as physical and psychological aggression against intimate partners within the past 12 months. Tests of mediation, moderation, moderated mediation, and moderated moderated mediation were conducted. Results revealed that self-esteem mediated the relationship between problematic attachment and psychological aggression. In addition, (lack of) perseverance moderated the indirect effect of problematic attachment on psychological aggression through self-esteem. Finally, results revealed that among heterosexual participants, sensation seeking moderated the indirect effect of problematic attachment on psychological aggression through self-esteem. However, those findings were not significant among gay and lesbian participants. Limitations and future directions are discussed.