It is estimated that over 3 million couples yearly experience acts of domestic violence that may cause serious injury to a spouse, usually the female partner. Very little is known, however, about the etiology of domestic violence, particularly across ethnic groups and individual, couple, and cultural factors. Funding is sought for 2 years to conduct a study of domestic violence in Latino and Anglo couples. A repeated measures ANOVA design, using gender as a within-subjects factor, will be used, with couples falling into one of three groups: non- distressed/nonviolent; distressed/non-violent, and distressed/violent, with 30 Latino and 30 Anglo couples in each group. In this study, the hypothesized etiological factors for domestic violence are the following: imbalances in relationship power and dissatisfaction with those imbalances; family of origin violence, high alcohol use, permissive attitudes toward violence, high levels of perceived stress, and psychopathology. It is expected that in Anglo couples, both power imbalance and dissatisfaction with that imbalance will be significantly related to domestic violence. It is anticipated that Latinos will have higher imbalances in power but only dissatisfaction with those imbalances will be significantly related to violence. Further, it is expected that within the Latino group, Latino-identified couples will exhibit the highest levels of power imbalances; couples in which partners are differentially acculturated will have the highest levels of distress; and culturally-related stress will moderate the relationship between dissatisfaction with power imbalances and violence. For both groups, family of origin violence is expected to moderate power variables and violence. Self-report, partner-report, and observational methods will be employed.
Specific aims and long-term goals of the study are the following. First, this study will assess how the balance of power and other variables, are related to relationship satisfaction and domestic violence. Second,we will explore how patterns of power are related to the occurrence of violence across ethnicities. Third, the proposed study seeks to improve upon existing methodology in the research on power by assessing the construct through a multidimensional, multiple method analysis. Fourth, this study is intended to serve as a springboard for later studies longitudinally assessing the roles of power and cultural factors in the development of domestic violence, with the long-term goal of developing and evaluating culturally sensitive prevention and intervention programs.
| Lindahl, Kristin M; Bregman, Hallie R; Malik, Neena M (2012) Family boundary structures and child adjustment: the indirect role of emotional reactivity. J Fam Psychol 26:839-47 |
| Malik, Neena M (2008) Exposure to domestic and community violence in a nonrisk sample: associations with child functioning. J Interpers Violence 23:490-504 |
| Lindahl, Kristin M; Malik, Neena M; Kaczynski, Karen et al. (2004) Couple power dynamics, systemic family functioning, and child adjustment: a test of a mediational model in a multiethnic sample. Dev Psychopathol 16:609-30 |
| Marcus, N E; Lindahl, K M; Malik, N M (2001) Interparental conflict, children's social cognitions, and child aggression: a test of a mediational model. J Fam Psychol 15:315-33 |
