Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T14:18:24.962Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dating Violence among Youth Couples: Dyadic Analysis of the Prevalence and Agreement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2015

Isabel Vicario-Molina ,
Begoña Orgaz Baz ,
Antonio Fuertes Martín ,
Eva González Ortega  and
José Luis Martínez Álvarez
Isabel Vicario-Molina*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
Begoña Orgaz Baz
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
Antonio Fuertes Martín
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
Eva González Ortega
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
José Luis Martínez Álvarez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Isabel Vicario-Molina. Universidad de Salamanca. Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación. Avenida de la Merced s/n. 37001. Salamanca (Spain). E-mail: ivicario@usal.es
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Although dating violence takes place within the context of a couple, there are few studies exploring how the prevalence data change when violence is reported by one partner or both, and to what extent partners agree about the existence of violence. The aim of this study is therefore to analyze and compare the reports about the prevalence of violence obtained from participants and their partners, together with interpartner agreement concerning victimization and perpetration of threats, physical, verbal-emotional and sexual violence. A total of 105 young heterosexual couples answered a questionnaire about victimization and the perpetration of violence in their relationship during the previous year. The results indicated that prevalence rates varied, depending on who reported the violence -the man, the woman or the couple- perhaps because interpartner agreement was low, except for the occurrence of verbal-emotional violence and the absence of physical violence. These findings suggest the need to develop more systematic research, especially through the use of reports from both members of the couple.

Keywords

intimate partner violencecouple datagender differencesinterpartner agreement
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 18 , 2015 , E36
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, K. L. (2010). Conflict, power and violence in families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 72, 726–742. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00727.x Google Scholar
Archer, J. (2000). Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 651–680. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.126.5.651 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Armstrong, T. G., Wernke, J. Y., Medina, K. L., & Schafer, J. (2002). Do partners agree about the occurrence of intimate partner violence? A review of the current literature. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 3, 181–193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15248380020033002 Google Scholar
Brousseau, M. M., Bergeron, S., Hébert, M., & McDuff, P. (2011). Sexual coercion victimization and perpetration in heterosexual couples: A dyadic investigation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 363–372. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-010-9617-0 Google Scholar
Browning, J., & Dutton, D. (1986). Assessment of wife assault with the Conflict Tactics Scale: Using couple data to quantify the differential reporting effect. Journal of Marriage and Family, 48, 375–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrt, T., Bishop, J., & Carlin, J. B. (1993). Bias, prevalence and kappa. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 46, 423–429. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(93)90018-V CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caetano, R., Field, C., Ramisetty-Mikler, S., & Lipsky, S. (2009). Agreement on reporting of physical, psychological, and sexual violence among white, black, and Hispanic couples in the United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 1318–1337. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260508322181 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J. (1960). A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 37–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/001316446002000104 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, MI: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Corral, S. (2009). Estudio de la violencia en el noviazgo en jóvenes universitarios/as: Cronicidad, severidad y mutualidad de las conductas violentas [Analysis of dating violence among university students: Chronicity, severity and reciprocity]. Psicopatología Clínica, Legal y Forense, 9, 29–48.Google Scholar
Cunradi, C. B., Bersamin, M., & Ames, G. (2009). Agreement on intimate partner violence among a sample of blue-collar couples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 551–568. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260508317189 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feinstein, A. R., & Cicchetti, D. V. (1990). High agreement but low kappa: I. The problem of two paradoxes. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 43, 543–549. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(90)90158-L Google Scholar
Fernández-Fuertes, A. A., & Fuertes, A. (2005). Violencia sexual en las relaciones de pareja de los jóvenes [Sexual violence among youth dating relationships]. Sexología Integral, 2, 126–132.Google Scholar
Fernández-Fuertes, A. A., & Fuertes, A. (2010). Physical and psychological aggression in dating relationships of Spanish adolescents: Motives and consequences. Child Abuse & Neglect, 34, 183–191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2010.01.002 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernández-Fuertes, A. A., Fuertes, A., & Orgaz, B. (2011). Características del comportamiento agresivo en las parejas de los adolescentes españoles [Characteristics of aggressive behavior among Spanish adolescents couples]. Psicología Conductual, 19, 501–522.Google Scholar
Fernández Fuertes, A. A., Fuertes, A., & Pulido, R. R. (2006). Evaluación de la violencia en las relaciones de pareja de los adolescentes. Validación del Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADRI) versión española [Evaluating violence in dating relationships of adolescents. Validation of Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADRI) Spanish version]. International Journal of Clinical Health Psychology, 6, 339–358.Google Scholar
Fleiss, J. L. (1981). Statistical methods for rates and proportions (2 nd Ed.). New York, NY: Wiley.Google Scholar
Follingstad, D. R., Wright, S., Lloyd, S., & Sebastian, J. A. (1991). Sex differences in motivations and effects in dating violence. Family Relations, 40, 51–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/585658 Google Scholar
Frieze, I. H. (2005). Female violence against intimate partners: An introduction. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29, 229–237. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2005.00217.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gámez-Guadix, M., Straus, A., & Hershberger, S. (2011). Childhood and adolescent victimization and perpetration of sexual coercion by male and female university students. Deviant Behavior, 32, 712–742.Google Scholar
González, R., & Santana, J. D. (2001). La violencia en parejas jóvenes [Violence among youth couples]. Psicothema, 13, 127–131.Google Scholar
González-Lozano, M. P., Muñoz-Rivas, M. J., & Graña, J. L. (2003). Violencia en las relaciones de pareja en adolescentes y jóvenes: Una revisión [Violence among teen and youth couples: A review]. Psicopatología Clínica Legal y Forense, 5, 23–39.Google Scholar
Hamby, S. L. (2005). Measuring gender differences in partner violence: Implications from research on other forms of violent and socially undesirable behavior. Sex Roles, 52, 725–742. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-4195-7 Google Scholar
Hamby, S. L. (2009). The gender debate about intimate partner violence: Solutions and dead ends. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 1, 24–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0015066 Google Scholar
Hamby, S. L., & Sugarman, D. B. (1999). Acts of psychological aggression against a partner and their relation to physical assault and gender. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 61, 959−970. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/354016 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanley, M. J., & O’Neill, P. (1997). Violence and commitment: A study of dating couples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12, 685–703. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/088626097012005006 Google Scholar
Jackson, S. M., Cram, F., & Seymour, F. W. (2000). Violence and sexual coercion in high school students’ dating relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 15, 23–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, M. P. (1995). Patriarcal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 283–294. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/353683 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jouriles, E. N., & O’Leary, K. D. (1985). Interspousal reliability of reports of marital violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 419–421. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-006X.53.3.419 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Cook, W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Krahé, B., Bieneck, S., & Möller, I. (2005). Understanding gender and intimate partner violence from an international perspective. Sex Roles, 52, 807–827. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-4201-0 Google Scholar
Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2010). Controversies involving gender and intimate partner violence in the United States. Sex Roles, 62, 179–193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9628-2 Google Scholar
Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Neidig, P., & Thorn, G. (1995). Violent marriages: gender differences in current marital violence and childhood abuse. Journal of Family Violence, 10, 159–176.Google Scholar
Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., & Vivian, D. (1994). The correlates of spouses’ incongruent reports of marital aggression. Journal of Family Violence, 9, 265–283.Google Scholar
McMaster, L. E., Connolly, J., Pepler, D., & Craig, W. M. (2002). Peer to peer sexual harassment in early adolescence: A developmental perspective. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 91–105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579402001050 Google Scholar
Muñoz-Rivas, M. J., Gámez-Guadix, M., Graña, J. L., & Fernández, L. (2010). Violencia en el noviazgo y consumo de alcohol y drogas ilegales entre adolescentes y jóvenes españoles [Dating violence and alcohol consumption and illegal drugs among adolescents and young Spaniards]. Adicciones, 22, 125–133.Google Scholar
Muñoz-Rivas, M. J., Graña, J. L., O’Leary, K. D., & González, M. P. (2007a). Aggression in adolescent dating relationships: Prevalence, justification, and health consequences. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40, 298–304. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.11.137 Google Scholar
Muñoz-Rivas, M. J., Graña, J. L., O’Leary, K. D., & González, M. P. (2007b). Physical and psychological aggression in dating relationships in Spanish university students. Psicothema, 19, 102–107.Google Scholar
Muñoz-Rivas, M. J., Graña, J. L., O’Leary, K. D., & González, M. P. (2009). Prevalence and predictors of sexual aggression in dating relationships of adolescents and young adults. Psicothema, 21, 234–240.Google Scholar
Murphy, C. M., & O’Leary, K. D. (1989). Psychological aggression predicts physical aggression in early marriage. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 579–582. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.57.5.579 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Leary, K. D. (1999). Psychological abuse: A variable deserving critical attention in domestic violence. Violence and Victims, 14, 3−23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O’Leary, K. D., & Arias, I. (1988). Assessing agreement of reports of spouse abuse. In Hotaling, G., Finkelhor, D., Kilpatrick, J. T., & Straus, M. A., (Eds.), Family abuse and its consequences: New directions in research (pp. 218–227). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
O’Leary, K. D., & Williams, M. C. (2006). Agreement about acts of aggression in marriage. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 656–662. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.20.4.656 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ortega, R., Ortega, F. J., & Sánchez, V. (2008). Violencia sexual entre compañeros y violencia en parejas adolescentes [Sexual violence among peers and dating partners]. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 8, 63–72 Google Scholar
Perry, A. R., & Fromuth, M. E. (2005). Courtship violence using couple data: Characteristics and perceptions. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 1078–1095. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260505278106 Google Scholar
Rodríguez-Franco, L., Antuña, M. A., López-Cepero, J., Rodríguez, F. J., & Bringas, C. (2012). Tolerance towards dating violence in Spanish adolescents. Psicothema, 24, 236–242.Google Scholar
Rojas-Solís, J., & Carpintero, E. (2011). Sexism and physical, sexual and verbal emotional aggression in courtship relationships in university students. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 9, 541–564.Google Scholar
Roudsari, B. S., Leahy, M. M., & Walters, S. T. (2009). Correlates of dating violence among male and female heavy-drinking college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 1892–1905. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260508325492 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sabina, C., & Straus, M. A. (2008). Polyvictimization by dating partners and mental health among U.S. college students. Violence and Victims, 23, 667–682. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.23.6.667 Google Scholar
Schafer, J., Caetano, R., & Clark, C. L. (1998). Rates of intimate partner violence in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 1702–1704. http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.88.11.1702 Google Scholar
Schafer, J., Caetano, R., & Clark, C. L. (2002). Agreement about violence in U.S. couples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, 457–470. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260502017004007 Google Scholar
Sears, H. A., & Byers, E. S. (2010). Adolescent girls’ and boys’ experiences of psychologically, physically, and sexually aggressive behaviors in their dating relationships: Co-occurrence and emotional reaction. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, 19, 517–539.Google Scholar
Siegel, S. (1956). Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Sinclair, H. C., & Frieze, I. H. (2005). When courtship persistence becomes intrusive pursuit: Comparing rejecter and pursuer perspectives of unrequited attraction. Sex Roles, 52, 839–852. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-4203-4 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spitznagel, E. L., & Helzer, J. E. (1985). A proposed solution to the base rate problem in the kappa statistic. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 725–728. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1985.01790300093012 Google Scholar
Straus, M. A. (2004). Women’s violence toward men is a serious social problem. In Gelles, R. J. & Loseke, D. R. (Eds.), Current controversies on family violence (2 nd Ed., pp. 55–77). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Straus, M. A. (2008). Dominance and symmetry in partner violence by male and female university students in 32 nations. Children and Youth Service Review, 30, 252–275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.10.004 Google Scholar
Straus, M. A. (2010). Thirty years of denying the evidence on gender symmetry in partner violence: Implications for prevention and treatment. Partner Abuse, 1, 332–362. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1946-6560.1.3.332 Google Scholar
Straus, M. A. (2011). Gender symmetry and mutuality in perpetration of clinical-level partner violence: Empirical evidence and implications for prevention and treatment. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16, 279–288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2011.04.010 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales: Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17, 283–316. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/019251396017003001 Google Scholar
Szinovacz, M. E. (1983). Using couple data as a methodological tool: The case of marital violence. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 633–644. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/351668 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szinovacz, M. E., & Egley, L. C. (1995). Comparing one-partner and couple data on sensitive marital behaviors: The case of marital violence. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 995–1010. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/353418 Google Scholar
Teitelman, A. M., Ratcliffe, S. J., Morales-Aleman, M. M., & Sullivan, C. M. (2008). Sexual relationship power, intimate partner violence, and condom use among minority urban girls. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23, 1694–1712. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260508314331 Google Scholar
Vicario-Molina, I., Fuertes, A., & Orgaz, B. (2010). Acoso sexual entre iguales: Incidencia y reacción emocional en una muestra de estudiantes de 4° de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria [Peer sexual harassment: Incidence and emotional reaction in a sample of 4th high school year students]. Psicología Conductual, 18, 629–650.Google Scholar
Vitanza, S., Vogel, L. C. M., & Marshall, L. L. (1995). Distress and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in abused women. Violence and Victims, 10, 23−34.Google Scholar
White, J. W., Merrill, L. L., & Koss, M. P. (2001). Predictors of premilitary courtship violence in a Navy recruit sample. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 910–927. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/088626001016009004 Google Scholar
Wolfe, D. A., Scott, K., Reitzel-Jaffe, D., Wekerle, C., Grasley, C., & Straatman, A. L. (2001). Development and validation of the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 13, 277–293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//1040-3590.13.2.277 Google Scholar