Citation

O'Leary KD, Smith Slep AM, O'leary SG. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 2007; 75(5): 752-764.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, State University of New York, NY 11794-2500, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/0022-006X.75.5.752

PMID

17907857

Abstract

This exploratory study was designed to address how multiple factors drawn from varying focal models and ecological levels of influence might operate relative to each other to predict partner aggression, using data from 453 representatively sampled couples. The resulting cross-validated models predicted approximately 50% of the variance in men's and women's partner aggression. The 3 strongest direct predictors of partner aggression for men and women were dominance/jealousy, marital adjustment, and partner responsibility attributions. Three additional direct paths to aggression for men were exposure to family-of-origin aggression, anger expression, and perceived social support. The 1 additional direct path for women was a history of their own aggression as a child or teenager. Implications for more integrative theories and intervention are discussed.

Language: en