1. Trajectories of physical and emotional marital aggression in midlife couples
- Author
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Vickerman, Katrina A. and Margolin, Gayla
- Subjects
Conjugal violence -- Evaluation ,Wife abuse -- Evaluation ,Husband and wife -- Analysis ,Aggressiveness (Psychology) -- Evaluation ,Couples -- Behavior ,Couples -- Social aspects ,Couples -- Psychological aspects ,Psychology and mental health ,Sociology and social work - Abstract
This study used three-level generalized hierarchical linear modeling to examine trajectories of husbands' and wives' physical and emotional aggression over three assessments and the effects of years since marriage. In this community sample of 118 couples, physical aggression significantly decreased over time (43% per year). Emotional aggression did not significantly change over time, but trajectories significantly differed for husbands (3% increase) versus wives (10% decrease). Longer-duration marriages had lower physical aggression and, for wives only, lower emotional aggression. Aggression trajectories showed considerable variability: 44%-55% of physically aggressive spouses desisted from one assessment to the next; 5%-12% reported start-ups in physical aggression. Discussion addresses the role of gender and type of aggression in aggression trajectories. Keywords: intimate partner violence; psychological aggression; spousal abuse; growth curve analysis; longitudinal change
- Published
- 2008