Attitudinal Correlates of Physical and Psychological Aggression Perpetration and Victimization in Dating Relationships

Abstract

We examined gender-related attitudes as correlates of physical and psychological aggression perpetration and victimization among 325 undergraduate students in dating relationships. It was hypothesized that adversarial sexual beliefs and acceptance of interpersonal violence would be positively correlated with physical and psychological aggression perpetration and victimization in both men and women. Results indicated that adversarial sexual beliefs were consistently associated with relationship aggression, whereas the acceptance of interpersonal violence was not. Specifically, adversarial sexual beliefs were significantly correlated with perpetration of dating aggression in both genders and with experiencing aggression in men. Findings suggest that adversarial sexual beliefs place those in dating relationships at relatively higher risk for problems with aggression.

Pathways from Child Sexual and Physical Abuse to Sexual and Physical Intimate Partner Violence Victimization through Attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence

“…However, the pattern of gender differences was generally consistent with previous studies, showing higher prevalence rates in sexual victimization experienced from a current or former partner among women than among men (e.g., Smith et al 2017). In terms of experiencing physical violence in intimate relationships, studies using CTS2 scales have found no or minor gender differences (Chan et al 2008;Doroszewicz and Forbes 2008;Torres et al 2012).…”

“…Further, McDonnell et al (2010 found that both female and male adolescents who held supportive attitudes toward violence and justified it, reported higher odds of dating victimization, based on a combined score of lifetime physical and emotional victimization in dating relationships. Also, Torres et al (2012) have demonstrated that both accepting adversarial sexual beliefs and physical IPV were linked to physical victimization among men. Among women, accepting sexual IPV increased the odds of being a victim of physical victimization.…”

The Role of Acceptance of Violence Beliefs and Social Information Processing on Dating Violence Perpetration

“…Regarding gender differences, consistent with previous studies (Karlsson et al, 2016;O'Leary et al, 2008;Torres et al, 2012), boys justified aggression in dating relationships to a greater extent than girls, although girls perpetrated more acts of aggression. With regard to the predictive model for acceptance of dating violence beliefs, SIP and dating violence perpetration, the results of the multigroup analysis led us to conclude that gender did not act as a moderator.…”

“…This was also found to be true in the case of beliefs justifying aggression in dating relationships (Fern andez-Gonz alez, Calvete, & Orue, 2017a;Karlsson, Temple, Weston, & Le, 2016), which indicates that boys hold the belief to a greater extent than girls that the use of aggression toward a partner is justified under certain circumstances. Furthermore, the acceptance of dating violence has been found to be a stronger correlate of dating violence for boys than girls (Fern andez-Gonz alez et al, 2017a;Foshee et al, 2001;Torres et al, 2012).…”

Attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence and Intimate Partner Acceptance-Rejection among Cape Verdean students living in Portugal

“…From both structural and feminist perspectives, male acceptance of physical, psychological and sexual violence within intimate relationships has been associated with a need for assurance of male dominance and power. The research suggest that young menen genders are not perpetration may be associated to internalized misogynistic social norms, revelling adversarial sexual beliefs, sex-role stereotyping, adherence to traditional gender roles, and dissatisfaction with power in the relationship (e.g., Torres et al, 2012). The fact that it is social and culturally expected that men are more powerful than their female partners, as the intimate relationships are naturally unequal, therefore, legitimates the use of all types of violence, including psychological violence (e.g., Kaukinen, 2014).…”