Psychological Aggression in Couples Seeking Relationship Therapy: A Dyadic Analysis of Individual and Relational Risk Factors

Abstract

Several studies have investigated the risk factors for the perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) over the years. However, most research on IPV has focused on physical violence, limiting our understanding of psychological aggression. This study addressed this limitation by examining the relative contribution of several individual and relational risk factors (i.e., alcohol and cannabis use, relationship satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and attachment insecurities) with regard to the use of psychological aggression in both partners of couples reporting high relationship distress. The sample included 392 couples seeking relationship therapy. Couples were recruited by their therapist during the first therapy session and the partners completed the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale, the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test, the abbreviated Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the abbreviated Experiences in Close Relationships, and the Psychological Symptoms Index. We conducted path analyses based on the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model. When accounting for all factors in a single model, lower relationship satisfaction and higher attachment-related avoidance were associated with both partners’ higher use of psychological aggression. Cannabis use and harmful alcohol use were not associated with the individual’s own use of psychological aggression, but they were associated with their partner’s higher use of psychological aggression. Depressive symptoms and attachment anxiety were not significant predictors of psychological aggression. There were no gender differences in these associations. The findings of the present study suggest that several intrapersonal and interpersonal risk factors explain the use of psychological aggression in couples.