Victims' Emotional Attachment to Their Perpetrators- New Perspectives

There is no widely accepted theory that could explain why some victims (and not others) experience strong emotional attachment to their perpetrators (Reid et al., 2013). Difficulties in formulating a robust theory might be related to the
sampling bias present in the previous research that lead to faulty reasoning. There is no research exploring the experiences of victims who remain with their abusive partners for romantic reasons only. Moreover, there is no research
exploring the experiences of perpetrators of trauma bonding, omitting their 'input' in the formation and maintenance of trauma bonding. This gap in knowledge makes it difficult to understand the true dynamics of the problem. Using a mixed
methods approach this Ph.D. project aims to propose a model of victims' attachment to their abusers with a predictive and explanatory power that could be extrapolated to similar contexts. Also, to propose formal conceptual definitions of
trauma bonding and to develop measurement instruments allowing for effective assessment of the victims within the professional context. A robust theory and adequate measurement tool will aid the creation and evaluation of effective
interventions for the victims and perpetrators. This might help to address problems associated with repeat domestic violence, which currently costs the British public £66 billion per year.