In this study, we explored patterns of violence and coercive control in young adult dating relationships by testing and extending Johnson’s typology of intimate partner violence. Young adults ( N = 398) between 18 and 27 years old completed an online survey about experiences of violence and coercive control in current and past dating relationships. Using cluster analysis, we classified relationships as no/low coercive control and high coercive control. We then categorized relationship types according to Johnson’s typology using the coercive control clusters and the absence/presence of violence. In total, 35% of relationships were abusive (i.e., violent and/or high coercive control), with 24% of all reported relationships including violence with and without high coercive control, and 11% including nonviolent coercive control. Among violent relationships, situational couple violence was more common than other types of dating violence, and two additional types of violence were found: (a) violence toward a nonviolent coercive controlling partner and (b) nonviolent coercive control toward an intimate terrorist, both of which are potentially types of resistance distinct from Johnson’s concept of violent resistance. Additionally, victims of intimate terrorism and victims of nonviolent coercive control were significantly more fearful of their partners than victims of situational couple violence, and victims of situational couple violence did not differ in their fear of partners compared to respondents in nonabusive relationships. These findings identify additional abusive relationship types and elucidate the importance of extending Johnson’s typology to more comprehensively capture the complex dynamics of coercive control and/or violence in young adult dating relationships.
Partner abuse (PA) continues to be one of the most critical human rights and public health issues of our time (UNICEF, Facts and figures: Ending violence against women, 2014). Communities that experience oppression are most at-risk. Social networks, however, are a key target for PA prevention and intervention. One of the most important sources of support for individuals experiencing PA is family and friends (Coker et al., 2003). The vast majority of PA victims, for example, disclose first to family and friends and turn to them most for informal support (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Scholars have conducted few studies with family and friends directly to understand what factors influence how they respond to PA. Our study purpose was to expand on Chronister et al.'s (2020) findings by identifying what contextual and cultural factors affected, how family members and friends responded to their Filipino loved ones involved in PA relationships. We used a constructivist-interpretivist research paradigm and phenomenological methods to conduct 29 in-depth interviews with family members and friends. The factors that influenced how participants responded included their understanding of PA and its mental health impact; their emotional and physical safety and the safety of their loved ones; cultural scripts; the availability of culturally appropriate responses and services; and interpersonal relationship contexts. Identification of these factors brought to light prominent Filipino values and psychological concepts; the challenges that intersections among cultural values as well as age, generation status, and acculturation posed for participants; and the desperate need for health care and social service systems that work for Filipinos.
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