Multiple Correlates of Physical Aggression in Dating Couples

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Abstract
Participants in a study of the correlates of courtship aggression included 408 college students (125 males, 283 females) who were involved in a dating relationship of two months or longer. Subjects completed self-report measures of courtship aggression, family aggression, personality, dating problems, problem solving, life change, and personal history of aggression. The pattern of significant correlations differed for men and women. The variables significantly discriminated between aggressive and nonaggressive individuals, for both men and women. The contribution of the individual variables to the discriminant function was also determined. The variables measuring relationship problems, problem-solving ability, and a history of fighting contributed to the discrimination of aggressive and nonaggressive men. For the women, the number of relationship problems and an aggressive personality made significant individual contributions.