Implications of Experiences in the Family of Origin and Infi delity in Violence Loving Relationships

Abstract

The experiences of partners in their families of origin, the circumstances of everyday life and aspects of infi delity in the marital relationship have been studied to explain the genesis of intimate partner violence. This study investigated the experiences of the family of origin, which sociodemographic data and what factors associated with infi delity have a greater predictive power of intimate partner violence, besides the possible interactions between these variables. A quantitative, correlational and explanatory study was developed with 600 participants (384 men, 216 women), correlations were established and linear regression models were proposed. The results identifi ed that circumstances of daily life (such as gender, having children or not, partner's age) and experiences in the family of origin (physical neglect, sexual abuse and parental alliance) contribute to the explanation of the diff erent expressions of violence in the couple. Infi delity, although correlated with violence, did not prove to be a predictor. Physical neglect and sexual abuse were identifi ed as predictors of physical violence while the dysfunctional parental alliance was a predictor of psychological violence. The women showed higher rates of psychological violence while men presented greater perpetration of sexual coercion. The marital clinic is a highlighting in this context, since it proposes to welcome and treat the conjugal relationship in its structuring and relational aspects, improving the establishment of more balanced, stable and functional relational models.