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Attachment, problem solving, and their role in relationship conflicts for female perpetrators
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Attachment, problem solving, and their role in relationship conflicts for female perpetrators

Patrick Bennett
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Dec 2015
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-6691
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Abstract

Family Violence Spouse Abuse Women Psychology
Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been associated with both physical and psychological trauma in both men and women. Women appear particularly vulnerable to these negative effects, whether they are the victims of IPV or the assailants. However, existing interventions to reduce IPV have been tested primarily in men, and appear to be less effective for women perpetrators. Two potential intervention targets for IPV that may be particularly salient for women are problem solving strategies and relationship attachment. Ineffective social problem solving and insecure attachment have been found to be significantly correlated with each other, and have each been associated with an increased likelihood of IPV. The present study examines the relationships among social problem solving, attachment style, and IPV perpetration in a sample of female undergraduate students. It is hypothesized that social problem solving will mediate the relationship between a person's attachment style and severity of IPV in a romantic relationship. 126 female Drexel undergraduate student volunteers age 18-25 were administered three questionnaires measuring social problem solving (the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised), IPV (the Conflict Tactics Scale 2), and attachment (the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised). The questionnaires were completed on Drexel's SONA system. A bootstrap confidence interval from SPSS's PROCESS regression analysis, showed that social problem solving partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and IPV but not attachment avoidance.

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