NCJ Number
239827
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: April 2012 Pages: 165-175
Date Published
April 2012
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of child abuse history, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and anger arousal on female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence.
Abstract
Preliminary research suggests that child abuse is indirectly associated with female-perpetrated intimate partner violence via posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and anger. To date, however, no known studies have investigated these relationships for physical and psychological dating violence within a female college sample. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of child abuse history, PTSD symptoms, and anger arousal on female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence. Female undergraduates (N=496) completed measures of child abuse, PTSD symptoms, anger arousal, and dating violence perpetration as part of a larger trauma and violence study. Results indicated that child abuse directly predicted female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence and indirectly impacted female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence via PTSD symptoms and anger arousal. The direct relationships between PTSD symptoms and female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence were nonsignificant after controlling for the effect of anger arousal. Abstract published by arrangement with Springer.