Citation

Lefebvre AA, Dugal C, Brassard A, Lussier Y, Lafontaine MF, Godbout N, Péloquin K. J. Marital Fam. Ther. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/jmft.12537

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

For several decades, attempts have been made to understand the risk markers of intimate partner violence (IPV) to prevent its occurrence, but few studies have emphasized both partners' perspective in examining these markers. This study explored the associations between attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) and the perpetration of psychological and physical IPV through relationship dissatisfaction in a sample of 88 couples seeking therapy for relationship difficulties.

RESULTS from path analyses based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model showed that participants' attachment avoidance was indirectly related to their own and their partner's higher perpetration of psychological IPV through higher relationship dissatisfaction. Participants' attachment avoidance was also associated with their own higher perpetration of physical IPV through their higher relationship dissatisfaction. The findings highlight that attachment insecurities and relationship dissatisfaction can both contribute to establishing dysfunctional and violent interaction patterns in couples.

Language: en

Keywords

couples; attachment insecurity; intimate violence partner; relationship dissatisfaction; therapy