Poster Session #2: UC Ballroom
Linguistic Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Zed Kramer
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the occurrence or threat of emotional, sexual, or physical abuse between persons in a close relationship. IPV often has devastating effects on women, and, if present, their children. Many studies have examined the effects of violence on women and children, but very few assess the effects for mothers. The present study sought to measure and describe outcomes of IPV through the use of linguistic analysis. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program, 180 transcribed interviews of women who had been victims of abuse across a range of severities were analyzed. The LIWC variables examined were social words, which included family, friends, and humans and affective processes which included positive emotions, and negative emotions consisting of anxiety, anger, and sadness. It was hypothesized that women who have children will have experienced increased shame and guilt as the as a result of the abusive relationship and will have a higher occurrence of social words and negative emotion words than women who do not have children. The contribution of mothers and children having witnessed, or played a part in their abusive relationships will be explored. LIWC was used to help determine a possible correlation between the use of negative emotion words and the presence of children in the relationship. The implications for the future investigation of linguistic analysis of abuse victims as well as for the examination of mothers in abusive relationships are discussed.
Linguistic Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence
UC Ballroom
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the occurrence or threat of emotional, sexual, or physical abuse between persons in a close relationship. IPV often has devastating effects on women, and, if present, their children. Many studies have examined the effects of violence on women and children, but very few assess the effects for mothers. The present study sought to measure and describe outcomes of IPV through the use of linguistic analysis. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program, 180 transcribed interviews of women who had been victims of abuse across a range of severities were analyzed. The LIWC variables examined were social words, which included family, friends, and humans and affective processes which included positive emotions, and negative emotions consisting of anxiety, anger, and sadness. It was hypothesized that women who have children will have experienced increased shame and guilt as the as a result of the abusive relationship and will have a higher occurrence of social words and negative emotion words than women who do not have children. The contribution of mothers and children having witnessed, or played a part in their abusive relationships will be explored. LIWC was used to help determine a possible correlation between the use of negative emotion words and the presence of children in the relationship. The implications for the future investigation of linguistic analysis of abuse victims as well as for the examination of mothers in abusive relationships are discussed.