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Perceptual, affective, and coping responses of dating violence perpetrators to abandonment scenarios

Colleen Dostal Stormberg, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

The present study had two purposes. First, it tested whether attachment style is associated with physical aggression among dating males. Second, it investigated whether a model of perceptual, affective, and coping variables would be useful in explaining the hypothesized relationship between attachment style and physically aggressive behavior. Participants responded to relationship vignettes by completing questionnaires regarding their perceptions, emotions, and potential coping options they might use if confronted with the situation portrayed in the vignettes. The results indicated that attachment anxiety was associated with affective responses differentially according to vignette content. This finding supports the notion that anxiously attached individuals are more emotionally reactive in situations involving abandonment themes. This study found very little association between physical aggression and attachment style variables in this dating sample. As well, there was not clear support for the explanatory model that was hypothesized to explain the expected link between physical aggression and attachment style. Finally, measurement issues that may be impacting these results are discussed.

Subject Area

Psychotherapy|Criminology

Recommended Citation

Stormberg, Colleen Dostal, "Perceptual, affective, and coping responses of dating violence perpetrators to abandonment scenarios" (1999). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9942156.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9942156

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