NCJ Number
115059
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 3 Issue: 5 Dated: (December 1988) Pages: 414-429
Date Published
1988
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Data from 130 married college students and 130 college students in dating relationships were compared in terms of the reported incidence of dominance and possessiveness, sexual pressure, and the use of physical force by the partner in a male-female relationship.
Abstract
Participants were undergraduates in a southwestern urban university. They completed three-page questionnaires that focused on the duration of the current relationship, the partner's behavior toward the respondent, and, for dating students, the degree of sexual involvement with the partner. Sexual pressure was reported by more married students, with dating students who were sexually involved to the extent of having intercourse more like married students. The dating students reported more use of moderate physical force than did the married students. Force include pushing, slapping, or hitting with an object. Males were as likely as females to report the partners engaging in these behaviors. Dating and married students reported similar results regarding the use of force. About 11 percent of both married and dating students reported consequences such as requiring medical attention or calling the police, which suggested more severe physical abuse. Discussions of theoretical and research implications, table, note, and 16 references. (Author abstract modified)