Emotional Reactivity of Partner Violent Men with Personality Disorder during Conflict

• DOI: 10.1007/s10896-019-00069-9
• Publication Date: 2019-05-25T20:32:01Z
• Authors: Lisa H. Trahan; Julia C. Babcock
• Keywords: Reactivity; Affect

This study addresses negative affect, psychophysiological reactivity, and antecedents to psychological aggression within the context of intimate partner violence. One hundred and thirty-nine partner violent men were administered the SCID-II and participated in verbal conflict with their partner in a laboratory setting, during which time observed affect and psychophysiological indices were continuously recorded. Relative to men with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), men with borderline personality disorder (BPD) exhibited longer periods of anger (p = .03) and lower skin conductance reactivity (p = .04). Relative to men with no diagnosis, men with BPD exhibited less frequent distress (p = .04) and longer periods of anger (p = .02); men with ASPD exhibited shorter periods of anger (p = .03) and greater heart rate reactivity (p = .04). In men with ASPD, psychological aggression was likely to be preceded by partner positive/neutral affect. Treatment and research implications are discussed.