Citation

Lantagne A, Furman W. Psychol. Violence 2020; 10(4): 379-389.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/vio0000267

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Rates of physical dating aggression peak in young adulthood (Halpern, Oslak, Young, Martin, & Kupper, 2001). Existing research on relationship risk factors associated with physical dating aggression has relied upon only one individual's report of the relationship and his or her corresponding report of dating aggression. Few studies have taken a dyadic approach and included relationship predictors from both members of the couple. The present study contributes to the limited work examining both male's and female's relationship characteristics as predictors of physical dating aggression within young adult couples. Specifically, male's and female's conflict, satisfaction, jealousy, relational styles, and relationship involvement were examined.

METHOD: Actor-partner interdependence models (Kenny, 1996) were used to examine main effects of male's and female's relationship characteristics on their own and their partner's physical dating aggression among 137 heterosexual couples (Mage = 22.44 years). Actor-partner interactions between male's and female's relationship characteristics were also examined.

RESULTS: Each person's relationship characteristics predicted their own dating aggression (i.e., actor effects) and their partner's aggression (i.e., partner effects). In addition, significant actor by partner interactions occurred, and aggression was highest among couples when both partners had high jealousy, conflict, or anxious styles. When one individual in the dyad had low levels of these characteristics, a buffering effect occurred, and levels of aggression generally did not differ from when both individuals endorsed low levels of the characteristic.

CONCLUSION: Findings support conceptualizing aggression as a relationship specific phenomenon. Prevention and intervention should shift from focusing on individuals to targeting relationship characteristics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en