Risk Factors for Male-Perpetrated Domestic Violence in Vietnam Veteran Families in the United States, 1988

The goal of this project was to gain a better understanding of risk factors associated with male-perpetrated domestic violence, partner's mental distress, and child behavior problems using data from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) (Kulka et al., 1990). The researchers sought to demonstrate that two important social and health problems, domestic violence and trauma-related psychological distress, were connected. Additionally, they showed that the sequelae of trauma, defined as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid alcohol abuse, served as major mediators to explain the etiology and propagation of aggressive behaviors in families. The project was organized into four studies, each of which addressed a specific objective: (1) Variables characterizing the perpetrator's family of procreation were used to determine the pattern of relationships among marital and family functioning, perpetrator-to-partner violence, partner's mental distress, and child behavior problems. (2) The perpetrator's early background and trauma history were studied to establish the degree to which the perpetrator's family of origin characteristics and experiences, childhood antisocial behavior, exposure to stressors in the Vietnam war zone, and subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology related to perpetrator-to-partner family violence. (3) The perpetrator's degree of mental distress was examined to ascertain the ways in which the current mental distress of the perpetrator was associated with marital and family functioning, violence, and current mental distress of the partner. (4) Developmental and intergenerational perspectives on violence were used to model a network of relationships explaining the potential transmission of violence across generations, commencing with the perpetrator's accounts of violence within the family of origin and terminating with reports of child behavior problems within the family of procreation.

本研究依托越南战争退伍军人适应研究（National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, NVVRS，Kulka等，1990）的数据，旨在深入解析与男性施暴的家庭暴力、伴侣心理困扰及儿童行为问题相关的风险因素。
研究团队旨在证实，家庭暴力与创伤相关心理困扰这两类重要的社会与健康问题之间存在显著关联。此外，本研究证实，创伤后遗症（即创伤后应激障碍（Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD）与共病酒精滥用）是阐释家庭攻击行为的病因与传播机制的核心中介变量。
本项目共分为四项子研究，各项均针对明确的研究目标展开：
1. 以表征施暴者生育家庭（family of procreation）的变量为基础，探究婚姻与家庭功能、施暴者对伴侣的暴力行为、伴侣心理困扰及儿童行为问题之间的关系模式。
2. 研究施暴者的早期成长背景与创伤史，以明确施暴者原生家庭（family of origin）的特征与经历、童年反社会行为、越南战争战区应激暴露情况，以及后续PTSD症状与施暴者对伴侣的家庭暴力之间的关联程度。
3. 考察施暴者当前的心理困扰程度，以厘清施暴者当前心理困扰与婚姻家庭功能、暴力行为及伴侣当前心理困扰之间的关联路径。
4. 基于暴力行为的发展视角与代际传递视角，构建关系网络模型以阐释暴力行为的跨代传递机制：该模型起始于施暴者对其原生家庭（family of origin）内暴力行为的自述，终止于其生育家庭（family of procreation）中儿童行为问题的相关报告。