Psychological Violence and Attitudes Towards Love in Intimate Partner Relationships Among University Students

Psychological violence is the most frequent form of aggression in intimate partner relationships. It is characterised by its subtle nature, which hinders detection and intervention. Understanding this phenomenon requires examining attitudes toward love, as they influence how violent behaviours are perceived and legitimised. The aim of this study was to identify manifestations of psychological violence and love attitudes among university students, to analyse the relationship between these variables, and to determine the contribution of love attitudes in explaining the variability in psychological violence. An observational cross-sectional study included 1118 university students aged 17-23 years (M = 20.17; SD = 1.66). The Questionnaire on Psychological Violence in Intimate Partner Relationships (CVPPar) and the Short Love Attitudes Scale (LAS) were administered. The findings revealed variability in both psychological violence and love attitudes, as well as significant associations between the two. In particular, the Eros, Ludus, and Mania styles showed the strongest associations with most of the manifestations examined. Regression analyses indicated that love attitudes significantly contributed to explaining variance in psychological violence, with explained variance ranging from 34% to 43%, indicating moderate explanatory power. This study concludes that attitudes towards love are associated with psychological violence, emphasising the importance of early psychoeducational interventions.