Abstract
Little is known about how an individual’s commitment to their romantic partner evolves over the course of a relationship following involvement in dating aggression (DA). The present study explored longitudinal associations between both psychological and physical DA involvement and subsequent changes in commitment. We hypothesized that experiences of physical and psychological DA may be related to decreased feelings of commitment (including both dedication and constraint) in a relationship, and that gender may moderate the link between DA and changes in commitment. One-hundred and twenty (60 female) young adults (ages 18–25) in a romantic relationship completed electronic questionnaires each month for 6 months, (M age Wave 1 = 22.44, SD = 2.20). DA involvement and commitment were measured by the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale, and the Revised Commitment Inventory, respectively. Using multilevel modeling, the current study examined shifts in commitment (dedication and constraint) following DA involvement. As hypothesized, physical and psychological dating aggression involvement were both associated with declines in relationship commitment. Analyses also tested for potential gender interactions with physical and psychological dating aggression involvement for both constraint and dedication. No significant gender interactions emerged. These findings add to the accumulating evidence for the deleterious effects of dating aggression on relationships, including on relationship commitment, and illustrate important implications for interventions aimed at reducing dating aggression among young adults.
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Preparation of this manuscript was supported by Grant F31 AA023692 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (CC, P.I.), the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) SECC Dissertation Funding Award., and Grant K01 HD097218 from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (CC, P.I.). Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Charlene Collibee.
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Schneider, K., Collibee, C. & Rizzo, C. Associations between Dating Aggression Involvement and Subsequent Relationship Commitment. J Fam Viol 36, 837–847 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00250-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00250-z