Distal and Proximal Factors in Domestic Violence: A Test of an Integrated Model

TLDR

The study distinguishes nonviolent couples from those with physical aggression or intense male violence and links couple background characteristics to relationship stressors that increase violence risk through verbal conflict. The authors tested a violence model using data from 4,095 couples across two waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. The model was strongly supported, showing that younger couples, short unions, first unions, single employment, nontraditional gender roles, substance abuse, more children, frequent and hostile disagreements, and low‑income neighborhoods all increased risk of violence, with disagreement frequency and style mediating the effects of children and employment disparities.

Abstract

We employed 4,095 couples from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) to test a model of couple violence drawn from several theoretical perspectives. The outcome distinguishes among nonviolent couples and those experiencing either physical aggression or intense male violence. According to the model, background characteristics of couples are related to relationship stressors, which affect the risk of violence via their tendency to promote verbal conflict. Considerable support for the model was found. Couples were at higher risk for one or both forms of violence if they were younger at union inception, had been together for less time, were both in their first union, had only one partner who was employed, had a nontraditional woman paired with a traditional man, had at least one partner who abused substances, had more children, had more frequent disagreements, exhibited a more hostile disagreement style, or lived in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood. Moreover, the effects of stressors such as the number of children and couples' employment status disparities appear to be mediated by disagreement frequency and disagreement style.