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Couples' affect dynamics: Associations with trait hostility and physical intimate partner violence
Stacey S Tiberio1, Deborah M Capaldi1
1Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, OR, USA.
Development and Psychopathology
|October 8, 2019
Summary
Hostility links to physical intimate partner violence (IPV). For women, rapid negative emotion responses partially explain this link. For men, both partners' hostility is the key factor.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Criminology
Background:
- Hostile and coercive interactions in relationships increase risk outcomes.
- Moment-by-moment social interactions significantly influence relationship dynamics.
- Trait hostility is a known predictor of aggressive behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if affect reciprocation during conflict mediates the hostility-IPV link.
- To investigate the role of negative and positive affect reactivity in physical intimate partner violence (IPV).
- To test a dyadic model of IPV perpetration in at-risk couples.
Main Methods:
- Dyadic model with concurrent measurement.
- Community sample of 156 at-risk men and their female partners.
- Dynamic development systems theory framework.
Main Results:
- For women, quicker negative affect reactivity partially mediated the hostility-IPV association.
- For men, trait hostility of both partners was the strongest predictor of physical IPV perpetration.
- Positive affect reactivity did not show a protective effect against IPV involvement.
Conclusions:
- Affective responses during conflict play a differential role in the hostility-IPV link for men and women.
- Both partners' individual traits and relational dynamics influence physical IPV.
- Findings underscore the importance of emotion regulation in intimate relationships to prevent IPV.
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