Young adults' immediate and delayed reactions to simulated marital conflicts: implications for intergenerational patterns of violence in intimate relationships.
This study investigated the thoughts and feelings that young adults from violent (VPA) and nonviolent (NPA) interparental-conflict backgrounds reported while listening to simulated marital conflicts and after a delay for reflection. While listening to conflicts, VPAs were more likely than NPAs to predict negative outcomes and to place blame. No between-groups differences regarding negative outcomes emerged after a delay. VPAs also reported perpetrating and experiencing more aggressive conflict in their dating relationships. Post hoc probes revealed that the negative-outcome-prediction and blaming variables played no significant mediating role in participants' intergenerational patterns of intimate-relationship aggression; however, methodological limitations likely compromised the statistical power for examining this mediational model. Results are discussed in light of research regarding intergenerational patterns of violence within families.
Duggan
S
S
Department of Psychology, New York University, USA.
O'Brien
M
M
Kennedy
J K
JK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*