A study of female clients at centers supporting victims of intimate partner violence in Nigeria found that the need for closure was associated with traumatic bonding. The study’s authors proposed that intimate partner violence may increase the need for closure, which, in turn, may increase traumatic bonding—making one more likely to stay with an abusive partner. The research was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Intimate partner violence refers to any form of physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or economic harm inflicted by a current or former partner or spouse. Physical violence includes actions like hitting, slapping, or strangling, while emotional and psychological abuse involves intense shouting, verbal harassment, manipulation, threats, and controlling behavior. Sexual violence encompasses forced or unwanted sexual acts, and economic abuse refers to controlling a partner’s financial resources or limiting their access to financial independence.
In previous centuries, some societies around the world tolerated certain forms of violence in intimate relationships, particularly when perpetrated by individuals in positions of authority within a family or social unit. However, societal norms varied greatly across cultures and time periods. In more recent decades, changes in social norms and laws have increasingly made such violence socially unacceptable and unlawful, leading to a rise in reported cases of domestic violence, as greater awareness and legal protections have encouraged more victims to come forward.
Study author Uwemedimo S. Isaiah and his colleagues noted that survivors of intimate partner violence face the decision of whether to remain in an abusive relationship or leave it. However, cultural norms in Nigeria make it difficult for women who are victims of this type of violence to leave. Many often decide to stay with an abusive partner despite continued violence or the risk of further abuse.
The study aimed to investigate whether the need for closure and traumatic bonding play a role in the decision to stay in an abusive relationship. Traumatic bonding is an intense emotional tie created between an abused individual and their abuser as a result of recurrent (and frequently interrupted) cycles of violence. Because intimate partner violence typically occurs in cycles, it can create strong traumatic bonds through these inconsistent patterns of punishment (violence) and reward (temporary cessation of violence). The need for closure refers to a desire for a definite answer on a topic—any answer—rather than facing confusion and ambiguity.
The study participants were 345 women, selected from clients who visited the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SART) in Awka and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, both in Nigeria. Their ages ranged from 18 to 61 years, and on average, they had been married for 10 years. Seventy-six percent of them had children.
The participants completed assessments of their exposure to intimate partner violence (the Composite Abuse Scale), their need for closure (the Need for Closure Scale, Short version), and traumatic bonding (the Stockholm Syndrome Scale).
Results showed that older participants reported stronger traumatic bonding. Individuals reporting stronger traumatic bonding also tended to report a higher need for closure. Intimate partner violence predicted two out of the three aspects of traumatic bonding: psychological damage and love dependence, but not core Stockholm Syndrome.
The study’s authors proposed a statistical model suggesting that exposure to intimate partner violence increases the need for closure, and in turn, the need for closure increases traumatic bonding. Results indicated that this relationship between the factors is indeed possible.
“Need for closure (NFC) mediated the correlation between IPV [intimate partner violence] and TB [traumatic bonding], demonstrating that NFC is a channel by which IPV is transcribed into TB and that IPV’s impact on TB may be amplified by NFC. NFC may promote behaviors that enhance the chance of traumatic bonding. Our findings demonstrate the effects of NFC in the formation and maintenance of traumatic bonds in IPV victims, as well as how these might be used to free people who are suffering from TB in IPV settings,” the study authors concluded.
The study makes a valuable contribution to the scientific understanding of the psychological processes underlying victims’ decisions to stay with their abusers. However, it should be noted that the study’s design does not allow for any cause-and-effect conclusions to be drawn from the data. While the results show that the model proposed by the study’s authors is possible, more research is needed to confirm that it accurately describes the relationships between these factors.
The paper, “Need for closure is linked with traumatic bonding among victims of intimate partner violence: A mediation approach,” was authored by Uwemedimo S. Isaiah, James E. Effiong, Innih Udokang, Samson Ogwuche, Emekubong N. Udoukok, and Steven Kator Iorfa.
