Effects of Extroversion Traits on Domestic Abuse among inmates in Prisons in Kiambu County, Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Effects of Extroversion Traits on Domestic Abuse among inmates in Prisons in Kiambu County, Kenya

Harun Issack Hassan, Dr. Mokua Gilbert Maroko, Dr. Jane Karimi
Mount Kenya University

ABSTRACT:- This study examined the effects of extroversion traits on domestic abuse. This study examined extroversion traits among prison inmates in Kiambu County, Kenya. A sample size of 370 representing a target population of 10,334 inmates with a margin of error of 0.05 was selected. The study found that 66.2% of inmates who participated in the study with extroversion personality had a more solidary, quiet, and reserved trait while 33.5% had an outgoing, friendly, and energetic, trait. Respondents who were more solidary, quiet and reserved, 27.5% strongly agreed that they had experienced domestic abuse, 44.5% agreed, 9.0% strongly disagreed, 13.7% disagreed, while 5.2% were not sure. Regarding respondents who were outgoing, friendly, and energetic, 30.8% strongly agreed they had experienced domestic abuse, 51.4% agreed, 10.3% strongly disagreed, 4.7% disagreed, while 2.8% were not sure. There is a weak negative correlation (0.119) between extroversion personality type and domestic abuse. However, the negative correlation (-0.105) between extroversion and type of domestic abuse perpetrated was weak at a significance of 0.066. In addition, there was a positive correlation (0.203) between extroversion personality type and type of physical assault perpetrated. Also, the study found a negative correlation (0.144) between extroversion and physical assault trends of whether the physical assaults increased, stayed the same or decreased before imprisonment.

Keywords: Extroversion, traits, domestic abuse, inmates, assault trends

Introduction

Domestic abuse portends severe consequences on the victims’ physical and mental health and can even morph into several problems ranging from anxiety to more devastating issues such as depression, Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and drug and substance abuse. In the USA, a study conducted to evaluate domestic abuse response among offenders and perpetrators concluded that domestic abuse is now considered a global health issue (Buzawa & Buzawa, 2017). Similarly, in New York, global data published by WHO (2017) indicates that 35% of women worldwide experience intimate partner abuse or non-partner sexual abuse in their lifetime; this includes a third of women worldwide experiencing some form of domestic abuse. All these studies paint a grim picture of domestic abuse prevalence, abuse against women, and the growing need for intervention.
In the UK, a study investigating domestic abuse among women victims found that abuse against women is linked to adverse health outcomes, including the death of victims, threat of physical and emotionally violent acts, and abuse against others to injure or demonstrate power and exercise control over them (Oram, Khalifeh, & Howard, 2017). Another study conducted in Portuguese found that women with certain personality traits might seek help to reduce the cruelty of the abuses (Pereira et al., 2020). In the systematic review of literature by Pereira et al. (2020), studies evaluating the characteristics of female victims of intimate partner abuse concluded that victims of domestic abuse are more likely women if they experienced this kind of abuse in their childhood. Other factors contributing to women’s vulnerability to domestic abuse included economic dependence, lack of social aid and general dismay for their lives. Women who had the above-identified characteristics suffered physical and psychological abuse from their partners throughout their lives. The studies clarify the impacts of domestic abuse on women while also creating a psychological link between early instances of abuse and victim likelihood in later life. However, the studies do not identify whether inmates serving sentences for domestic abuse have similar characteristics and whether their personality traits relate to their childhood experiences.

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