Premarital Violence: The Impact of Family of Origin Violence, Stress, and Reciprocity

• NCJ Number: 124714
• Journal: Violence and Victims Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1990) Pages: 51-64
• Author(s): L L Marshall; P Rose
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Four hundred and fifty-four premarital undergraduates reported their stress and observation and experience of violence in their families of origin. They also reported the violence they have expressed and received in adult love relationships.

Abstract

Among females, 53 percent to 71 percent of the variance in their expression and receipt of violence was accounted for by their own receipt and expression of violence (respectively) and by their having been abused as a child. This suggests that what they do is closely related to what is done to them. In contrast, among males less than 1 percent to 10 percent of the variance in their expression and receipt of violence was accounted for by the same variables. Neither negative stress ratings nor the observation of violence were important explanatory variables. Surprisingly, positive stress contributed to males expressing violence. 6 tables, 51 references. (Author abstract)