Premarital Violence: The Impact of Family of Origin Violence, Stress, and Reciprocity

Abstract

Four hundred and fifty-four premarital undergraduates reported their stress and observation and experience of violence in their families of origin. They also reported the violence they have expressed and received in adult love relationships. Among females 53% to 71% of the variance in their expression and receipt of violence was accounted for by their own receipt and expression of violence (respectively) and by their having been abused as a child. This suggests that what they do is closely related to what is done to them. In contrast, among males less than 1% to 10% of the variance in their expression and receipt of violence was accounted for by the same variables. Neither negative stress ratings or the observation of violence were important explanatory variables. Surprisingly, positive stress contributed to males expressing violence.