The proposed research is designed to add to existing knowledge on violence and the longitudinal course of newlywed marriage. Newlywed couples (N= 172) were assessed six months postmarriage for violence and variables found to covary with marital violence, both intrapersonalIy (i.e., alcohol and drug abuse, stressful life events, depression, psychiatric disorders) and interpersonally (i.e., psychological abuse, negative and positive affect and withdrawal during conflict, and marital distress). Violence is hypothesized to covary with significantly more of these variables than nonviolence. Further, severe or unidirectional violence is hypothesized to covary with more of these variables than mild or bidirectional violence. Such findings would suggest that prevention programs target the cessation of violence these covariates. Marital quality and stability will be examined eight times, every six months over four years to examine their developmental course. Violent couples are hypothesized to experience greater decline than nonviolent couples. Further, the covariates described Me expected to moderate the association between violence and marital decline, such that when violence covaries with several of these variables, compared to few or no covariation, marital decline is expected to be greater. Such findings would suggest targeting those factors that affect marital outcomes. Finally, violence will be assessed eight times; it is hypothesized that stably aggressive couples will experience the greatest marital decline, followed by unstably aggressive and stably nonaggressive couples, respectively. In sum, the proposed research is designed to enhance basic research relevant to the prevention of intimate violence and marital deterioration.
| Lawrence, Erika; Rothman, Alexia D; Cobb, Rebecca J et al. (2008) Marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood. J Fam Psychol 22:41-50 |
| Lawrence, Erika; Bradbury, Thomas N (2007) Trajectories of change in physical aggression and marital satisfaction. J Fam Psychol 21:236-47 |
| Lawrence, E; Bradbury, T N (2001) Physical aggression and marital dysfunction: a longitudinal analysis. J Fam Psychol 15:135-54 |
