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The Association Between Affective and Problem-Solving Communication and Intimate Partner Violence Among Caucasian and Mexican American Couples: a Dyadic Approach

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Abstract

The present study examined individuals’ subjective evaluation of their effectiveness with regard to affective communication and problem-solving communication, and their relation to intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. Data from 100 Caucasian American and Mexican American couples were collected during the first and during the third year of marriage. For affective communication, a significant partner effect emerged, indicating that husbands’ higher dissatisfaction with affective communication was related to wives’ higher IPV victimization. For problem-solving communication, a significant actor effect emerged, indicating that husbands’ higher dissatisfaction with problem-solving communication was related to husbands’ higher IPV victimization. While these findings largely generalized to Caucasian Americans, they did not generalize to Mexican Americans.

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Notes

  1. Further analyses comparing ethnic differences between drop-out couples were not conducted due to the even smaller sample sizes in these sub-groups.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Minority Research Infrastructure Support Program subcontract grant to Donna Castañeda-National Institute of Mental Health, Grant # 5R24 MH55515.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-4611, USA

    Julia F. Hammett, Donna M. Castañeda & Emilio C. Ulloa

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  1. Julia F. Hammett
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  2. Donna M. Castañeda
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  3. Emilio C. Ulloa
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Correspondence to Julia F. Hammett.

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Hammett, J.F., Castañeda, D.M. & Ulloa, E.C. The Association Between Affective and Problem-Solving Communication and Intimate Partner Violence Among Caucasian and Mexican American Couples: a Dyadic Approach. J Fam Viol 31, 167–178 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-015-9762-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-015-9762-2

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