Verbal, Physical, and Injurious Aggression Among Intimate Couples Over Time

Abstract

This study uses a large, longitudinal national data set to examine sociological, feminist, and psychological perspectives to assess the level of intimate couple aggression and change in dyad aggression over time. The first multivariate analysis evaluates factors associated with the type of couple aggression (none, verbal, physical, or injurious), and the other analyzes predictors of change in severity of aggression that couples experience over time. Demographic variables, social integration, dependency, and psychological health measures are used to examine level of aggression and change over time. Sociological, feminist, and psychological perspectives are all supported to some degree by the results of this study, and we suggest a synthesis of these perspectives to explain the dynamics of couple aggression.