Anger, Control, and Intimate Partner Violence in Young Adulthood

• NCJ Number: 249963
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2016 Pages: 1-13
• Date Published: January 2016
• Author(s): P. C. Giordano; J. E. Copp; M. A. Longmore; W. D. Manning
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-IJ-CX-0503; 2010-MU-MU-0031
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Based on interactionist behavioral theory, this study tested the hypothesis that both the perpetrator's and his/her partner's behavioral control are associated with increased odds of reporting perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), and that emotional interactions are a component in experiences of IPV.

Abstract

A common theme is that intimate partner violence is not about anger, but about power and control, so prior research has focused either on respondents' or partners' controlling behaviors. For the current study, analyses relied on interview data collected at waves 1 and 5 of a longitudinal study (Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study; n = 928) of adolescent and young adult relationships. Results indicate that after controlling for traditional predictors, both respondent and partner control attempts and measures of anger (including a measure of relationship-based anger) contributed significantly to the odds of reporting perpetration. Further, these patterns did not differ by gender, indicating areas of similarity in the relationship and emotional processes associated with variations in men's and women's IPV reports. (Publisher abstract modified)