The Association Between Emotion Regulation and Domestic Violence in Couples

Abstract

Background: Domestic violence (DV) is a significant public health issue. According to the general aggression model, individuals who struggle with emotion regulation (ER) may be more prone to using violence as a means to manage, terminate, or avoid unpleasant emotional states. Objectives: The present study aims to explore the relationship between ER and DV among couples. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted with 219 healthy women aged 20 to 49, along with their healthy husbands, registered in the electronic health record system in Gorgan, Iran, in 2022. Participants were selected through simple random sampling. They completed a digital demographic form, the Persian version of the Conflict Tactics Scale-2 (CTS-2), and the Persian version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, frequency, and Spearman correlation. Results: The mean scores for DV indicated that both men (22.70 ± 25.26) and women (21.58 ± 18.87) can be perpetrators of DV, and similarly, both men (23.70 ± 25.80) and women (21.30 ± 17.97) can be victims of DV. The study also found that the mean scores for ER were similar for men (66.67 ± 19.34) and women (68.11 ± 18.53). However, the correlation test results between mean DV scores and ER showed no significant relationship for either perpetrators (r = 0.111 in men vs. 0.043 in women) or victims (r = 0.090 in men vs. 0.450 in women) of DV. Conclusions: The study concluded that both men and women face challenges in ER, but these challenges are not linked to perpetrating or being a victim of DV. The findings underscore the complexity of DV, suggesting that ER alone is not the cause of violent behaviors. These results could be valuable for healthcare professionals managing couples experiencing DV.