Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Psychology

Major Professor

Edelyn Verona, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Diana Rancourt, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Joseph Vandello, Ph.D.

Keywords

Abuse, Coercive Control, Domestic Violence, Firearms

Abstract

Gun violence and intimate partner violence are pervasive public health concerns across the globe. Notably, previous literature has shown a positive relationship between gun ownership and intimate partner violence (IPV), even when a gun is not used during acts of IPV. Despite this established link, few studies to date have explored psychological mechanisms, especially feelings of and desire for power, that could explain this relationship among young men. Given that college students remain one of the most at-risk groups for both victimization and perpetration of IPV, examining the relationship between actual or intended gun ownership and IPV could close vital gaps in the literature within an at-risk group. The current study included a sample of 446 college men (60.0% white, 9.9% Black or African American, 26.5% Hispanic), 29.1% reporting either having owned a gun in their lifetime or intending to purchase a gun in the next 5 years. Protection was the primary motive (73.1%) for gun ownership. IPV was measured through both engagement in coercive control as well as total counts of IPV, all occurring within the past year. Overall, findings of the present study were mixed, with the strongest associations occurring when motives for ownership were examined. Specifically, non-protective but not protective gun ownership motives were associated with more coercive control but largely unrelated to counts of IPV behaviors. When examining the impact of power on these relationships, desiring power but not feeling powerful was associated with both gun ownership, especially non-protective motives, and IPV. Additionally, an indirect effect was detected between non-protective ownership and coercive control through desire for power. Taken together, the results of this study broaden our understanding of not only the relationship between gun ownership and different types of IPV perpetration, but also the psychological mechanisms contributing to this relationship. Furthermore, the present study justifies the examination of gun owners by motive in future gun violence research.

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