Developing a model of experiencing spousal violence in women based on personality traits with a mediating role of psychological distress

One of the manifestations of violence against women is spousal abuse. Due to patriarchy in Iranian societies, spousal abuse is mainly applied by men and against women in various forms.

The present study aimed to develop a model of experiencing spousal violence in women based on personality traits with a mediating role of psychological distress.

The present study is an applied-fundamental research in terms of aim and a descriptive, structural equations type research in terms of implementation. The study population consisted of all women referring to divorce counseling, welfare, social emergency and counseling centers in Sanandaj in 2021. Among them, 400 were selected using a convenience sampling method. The research instruments included the Spousal Abuse, Dark Personality Traits, Alexithymia and Psychological Distress questionnaires. SPSS-25 and SmartPLS-3.2.8 software was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that dark personality traits (β=0.351), alexithymia (β=0.168) and psychological distress (β=0.470) have direct and positive (p<0.001) impact on spousal abuse, and dark personality traits (β=0.198) and alexithymia (β=0.207) indirectly and through psychological distress (p<0.001) had a positive and significant effect on spousal abuse. The standardized root mean squared residual was 0.067, indicating a good fit of the model.

Women with high scores of alexithymia, dark personality traits and psychological distress are more likely to be abused by their husbands. By controlling these characteristics, it is possible to change the behavior of spouses towards women, and finally, it is possible to prevent spousal abuse and further harms.