Do Psychiatric Disorders Predict Domestic Violence?

Many have suggested that domestic violence can be a causal factor in the development of psychiatric disorders. New research suggests that the causal relationship between psychiatric disorders and domestic violence is two-way. Dr. Miriam Ehrensaft and colleagues followed an unselected cohort of men and women prospectively, screening the cohort for psychiatric disorders at age 18, instances of domestic violence at ages 24–26, and for psychiatric disorders again at age 26. They found that women, but not men, who were involved in abusive relationships had a significantly higher risk of psychiatric morbidity at followup. However, they further found that adolescents of both sexes suffering from psychiatric disorders had increased risk for becoming involved in abusive relationships as adults. The study appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/5/885