Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an increasingly prevalent problem in most parts of the world, including Nigeria. Very little is known about why persons who experience IPV sometimes decide to remain in the abusive relationships. In this study, we investigate whether the need for closure (NFC) may play significant roles in the association of IPV and the decision to stay in abusive relationships (traumatic bonding). Specifically, we tested if NFC would mediate the relationship between IPV and traumatic bonding (TB) among victims of IPV in Nigeria. Participants were 345 women, purposively selected from female clients who visited the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SART) in Awka, Anambra State ( n = 145) and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Lagos ( n = 200). Their age ranged from 18–61 years (M = 35.79; SD = 8.6 years). They responded to the Composite Abuse Scale, the Need for Closure Scale, and the Stockholm Syndrome Scale. Results of data analysis using the Hayes regression-based PROCESS macro showed that IPV was not significantly associated with traumatic bonding while NFC was positively associated with increased traumatic bonding. Estimates of indirect effects indicated that NFC mediated the relationship of IPV and TB serving as a pathway through which IPV was linked to dimensions of TB. This shows that NFC may engender tendencies that increase the likelihood of traumatic bonding. The implications of these findings were discussed across policy, research and psychotherapeutic practice.

中文翻译：

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结束的需要与亲密伴侣暴力受害者之间的创伤性联系有关（调解方法）

在包括尼日利亚在内的世界大部分地区，亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）是一个日益普遍的问题。对于为什么经历过 IPV 的人有时会决定继续维持虐待关系，我们知之甚少。在本研究中，我们调查了结束需求 (NFC) 是否可能在 IPV 关联和维持虐待关系（创伤性联系）的决定中发挥重要作用。具体来说，我们测试了 NFC 是否可以调解尼日利亚 IPV 受害者之间的 IPV 和创伤性纽带 (TB) 之间的关系。参与者为 345 名女性，是特意从访问过阿南布拉州奥卡性侵犯转介中心 (SART)（n = 145）和拉各斯拉各斯州家庭和性暴力应对小组（n = 200）的女性客户中挑选的。他们的年龄范围为 18-61 岁（M = 35.79；SD = 8.6 岁）。他们对综合虐待量表、封闭需求量表和斯德哥尔摩综合症量表进行了回应。使用基于 Hayes 回归的 PROCESS 宏进行的数据分析结果表明，IPV 与创伤性亲密关系没有显着相关，而 NFC 与创伤性亲密关系增加呈正相关。对间接影响的估计表明，NFC 介导了 IPV 和 TB 的关系，作为 IPV 与 TB 维度相关联的途径。这表明 NFC 可能会产生增加创伤性亲密关系可能性的倾向。这些发现的影响在政策、研究和心理治疗实践中进行了讨论。