title: Intimate Relationships and Personal Distress: The Invisible Harm of Psychological Aggression.
abstract: Aggression in intimate relationships is pervasive, has been implicated in personal distress, and yet may not be perceived as harmful. Two studies (cross-sectional, longitudinal) examined whether being the target of psychologically aggressive behavior by a partner is uniquely associated with personal distress, beyond the effects of general couple functioning, perpetrating aggression, or experiencing physical aggression. New instances of psychological aggression by a partner predicted increases in personal distress. Study 2 also examined participants' perceptions of what causes them stress. Although psychological aggression by a partner predicted personal distress, participants did not perceive their relationship as a source of stress. This suggests a pattern of "invisible harm" in which individuals victimized by psychological aggression may not recognize the harm they are experiencing.
authors.affiliation: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA arriaga@purdue.edu.
authors.forename: Ximena B
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Arriaga
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts-Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Emily L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Schkeryantz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: intimate relationships; partner aggression; personal distress