The purpose of the present study was to test a specific path model. It was hypothesized that the relationship between the impact (amount and valence) of stress and an outcome (expressing violence toward a partner) would be mediated by an individual's cognitive appraisal of stressful events. Multiple regression procedures were used to test the model. Standardized beta coefficients indicated the strength of the relationships among the variables. Significant findings indicated that the strength of specific relationships among the ten variables (impact of events, three types of primary appraisal, four types of secondary appraisal and the expression of threats and acts of physical violence toward a partner) differed depending upon subject sex and whether the impact of the events was perceived as positive or negative.

Dating violence among college students has become a pressing concern. However, to date, the bulk of the research in this area has attempted to discern correlates of marital violence. Little research has been paid to the isolation of predictors of violence that occurs early in the relationship. This paper demonstrates the utility of several risk factors identified among male college students in predicting dating violence. Factors included are history of abuse in the family of origin; insecure attachment style as measured by parental attachment and girlfriend attachment; attributional style; anger; and depression. Though it is likely that many other factors predict male dating violence, this study aims to isolate those factors that operate within the framework of history of abuse and insecure attachment. Results indicated the following: 1. History of abuse accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in predicting dating violence. 2. The interaction of attachment to family and partner was related to verbal aggression and abuse toward and from the partner. 3. Attributional style did not significantly predict dating violence beyond history of abuse. 4. Depression was not significantly related to dating violence; however, anger was significantly and directly related to verbal aggression and overall abuse from self toward partner. 5. Results were also discussed in terms of the four abuse criteria, including some notable findings regarding partner attachment style and direction of abuse. In addition, implications for treatment and prevention and suggestions for future research were offered. / Master of Science

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Research has found that dating violence is a predictor of marital violence; however, research has been unclear about what predicts dating violence. Past research has been inconclusive. Furthermore, very few studies focus on gender differences in risk factors. This study examines a variety of risk factors for male and female perpetrators of dating violence in college dating relationships. Eight risk factors were used in this study: witnessing parental violence, experiencing childhood violence, problems with alcohol, length of relationship, relationship satisfaction, anger management skills, partner’s use of physical aggression, and partner’s use of psychological aggression. Correlations and multiple regressions were run for each gender. The study found that for males, partner’s use of physical aggression, low anger management skills and high relationship satisfaction were the strongest variables associated with male’ s use of physical aggression against a dating partner. For the females, partner’s use of physical aggression, followed by partner’s use of psychological aggression were the most significant variables. The model in this study was a good predictor of male violence, accounting for 81% of the variance, however, it only accounted for 51% of female violence which indicates that other unknown factors are influential in female’s use of physical violence. / Master of Science

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there are any differences between college students 1) who have received violence 2) who have received threats of physical violence, and 3) who have not received threats or physical violence from their partners. The study examined ways in which these three groups describe their own and their partners' self-esteem and personality. Significant findings indicate that perceptions of one's self esteem and partner's self esteem are affected by the level of violence received. Surprisingly, those who received threats of violence, for both perceptions of self and partners, had the lowest self esteem. No significant relationship was found between vilence and perceptions of personality. Additional findings suggest that those in violent relationships have lower relationship satisfaction that those who receive threats or no violence at all.

The relations among physical and sexual abuse, alcohol and drug use, and dating violence were investigated in a sample of female juvenile delinquents. Various reasons for drinking and their associations with frequency of alcohol use were also explored. Data used in the current investigation were obtained at a state correctional facility for female juveniles in Indiana. The results indicated that physical and sexual abuse were associated with dating victimization in this sample. Further, greater frequency of drug use was associated with having a greater number of abusive romantic partners after controlling for total number of partners. The reasons for drinking assessed in this study differentially predicted frequency of alcohol use. Race/ethnicity differences were detected for several of the variables under investigation and these results are compared to the findings of prior empirical studies. The implications of these findings for future research and for meeting the specific programming needs of female juvenile delinquents are discussed.

The current study used a Post-positivist paradigm and was quantitative in nature. In addition, it used a descriptive survey design, which utilized self-reported questionnaires. The final sample included 125 students, ages 18-20, in undergraduate psychology courses at a Southern California university. This study attempted to explore the differences between the tree types of dating violence profiles: 1) victim only, 2) perpetrator only and 3) mutually violent; however, only 37 participants completed the questionnaire, which made statistical analysis impossible. Nonetheless, this study explored differences in relation to the demographic characteristics and five variables: a) gender, b) self-esteem, c) severity of violence, d) relationship satisfaction, and e) acceptance of violence. Therefore, this study proposed that differences would be identified and used correlations to reveal any associations between the variables. It was discovered that dating violence occurred among the sample with an 87.8% prevalence rate.

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Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This assignment attempts to explore how certain factors that play a role in the perpetration of dating violence among South African male adolescents are related to identity development. While there has been much investigation of the factors relating to dating violence, much less has been written about how these factors are related to the developmental tasks of adolescence. This assignment starts with a brief exploration of local and international literature on adolescent and adult dating violence. Certain factors that are considered to be particularly relevant to adolescent dating violence are then highlighted. These are exposure to trauma, alcohol and drug use, peer group influences, and aggressive and misogynist expressions of masculinity. The main focus of the thesis is then to investigate the extent to which these factors can be tied to one of the main developmental tasks of adolescence, namely identity formation. It is argued that, while adolescence is a phase in which identity is being developed, identity formation can be compromised by early exposure to aggression. This, together with the desire to imitate significant others, may lead to a re-enactment of aggression. Alternatively, it can lead to a heightened identity confusion, which may create a greater reliance on external sources, most significantly the peer group. It is possible that, for acceptance, the peer group may require an expression of masculinity that is misogynist and aggressive. Given that dating relationships are an arena in which identities are negotiated with a peer group, it is possible that the aggression that is encouraged may find expression within these dating associations. The abuse of alcohol and drugs, modelled by others in early life and encouraged by the peer group, serves to augment the likelihood of dating violence. This process is also discussed in the light of the post-Apartheid South African context. Understanding the abovementioned factors in terms of identity development has implications for empirical enquiry and prevention programmes. It is argued that research should take into account the developmental tasks of adolescence, whilst attempting to understand the unique challenges that face adolescents in South Africa. Intervention programmes should be focused on assisting adolescent males with the developmental task of identity negotiation.

This thesis is comprised of two separate studies, the first of which set out to examine the Intimate Partner Abuse behaviour and attitudes of young Australian students. Intimate Partner Abuse (IPA) may be defined as a pattern of deliberate physical, sexual, or psychological abuse within a married, de-facto, dating, or courting relationship (Miller & Bukva, 2001: Victoria Health Promotion Foundation, 2004). Specifically, Study One aimed to explore the IPA attitudes of Australian students and examine the relationships between these attitudes with a view to provide theoretical guidance for understanding how negative IPA attitudes may be maintained. A total of 400 students (male = 99, female = 301) with ages ranging from 15 to 25 years (M = 19.38, SD = 2.04) participated in Study One. Participants completed the Conflict Tactics Scale - Revised (CTS2; Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Surgarman, 1996), which measures the number of times respondents have experienced physic al and psychological abuse over the previous 12-month period. Attitudinal questionnaires were also completed by participants, including a measure of IPA victim blame and endorsement of IPA myths. Overall, rates of IPA among the present sample were consistent with those reported in overseas samples, with over 85% of women reporting being the victim of psychological abuse in the previous 12-months, and over 30% having been the victim of physical abuse. Lower scores on measures of victim blaming attitudes were associated with more positive attitudes towards women and less endorsement of IPA myths. These findings implicate the importance of addressing attitudes towards women and commonly held IPA myths within IPA prevention programs for young people. Study Two evaluated a brief educational program for Australian Technical And Further Education (TAFE) and high school students, which was selected and modified on the basis of a literature review of published program evaluations and the findings of Study One of this thesis. The program, titled Through New Eyes: Exploring the Hidden Dynamics of Domestic Violence (Hunter Women's Centre, 2003), aimed to inform the IPA attitudes of students and comprised of videos and discussion questions. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was used with a non-randomised experimental and control group. The program was evaluated using a questionnaire measure of participants' attitudes as well as their experience of the program. There were 98 students who consented to participate in Study Two, 48 (male = 26, female = 22) of whom fulfilled all the requirements of participation and were included in the results of the study. Participants' ages ranged from 14 to 25 years (M = 16.91, SD = 2.12). Several statistically significant desi rable changes were observed among participants of the program, however there were similar changes observed among control group participants. Study Two provides some support for the effectiveness of the Through New Eyes program in informing the attitudes of young Australians. However, it is recommended that future research evaluate this program in combination with skill building programs in order to assist students to translate attitudinal changes into behavioural ones.