Couples were surveyed again at six-month intervals for a total of six assessments, and were offered a small stipend for their participation.
Measures included marital satisfaction, which was controlled for in the current research. To measure marital satisfaction, the Semantic Differential was used. The Semantic Differential uses a 7-point scale to rate perceptions of the marriage. Physical aggression was measured with the Violence subscale of Form N. Of the Conflict Tactics Survey (CTS), which offers an 8-item subscale of specific behaviors ranging from pushing and shoving to using a knife or gun. Psychological aggression was measured using the Verbal subscale of Form N. Of the CTS, which includes six items including insulting, swearing, sulking, and threatening. Both acute and chronic stress were measured as well. The Life Experiences Survey measured acute stress by soliciting information about specific external stressors that occurred within the past six months. The researcher used a 9-point scale to measure chronic stress in several life areas including work or school.
Results
The most prevalently reported behaviors include throwing something at spouse or pushing or shoving. At the six times of assessment, 24% of husbands and 40% of wives reported having engaged in at least one physically aggressive behavior (p. 7). However, nearly all (98% of husbands and 96% of wives) reported at least one psychological form of aggression across the study. Analyses of variance did not reveal any significant differences in these reported behaviors over time, and nor were there any significant differences between...
An equation was used to determine whether spouses are more likely to engage in physically aggressive behavior at the times they are also engaged in psychological aggression. Similar equations were used to correlate acute and chronic stress with physical aggression.
Discussion
Data indicates that as predicted, physical aggression is correlated with psychological aggression. This suggests that physical aggression is not necessarily a distinct issue from psychological aggression. As predicted, acute stress outside the marriage is correlated with expressions of psychological aggression in the marriage. When coupled with chronic stress, acute stress was significantly correlated with expressions of physical violence.
Limitations
Individual-level differences are not taken into account in the current research. The sample was relatively homogenous, calling into question its internal validity. Most couples reported high levels of marital satisfaction. Although controlled for, the research cannot be applied to couples with low levels of satisfaction.
Conclusion
Nurses in all areas of specialization will encounter issues related to psychological or physical aggression in married and cohabiting couples. Knowing how to recognize warning signs and understanding how to council couples or individuals experiencing stress may help reduce incidences of domestic violence.
Reference
Frye, N.E. (2006). The context of aggressive behavior in marriage: A longitudinal study of newlyweds. Journal of Family Psychology 20(1):…
