Assault and Injury of Dating Partners by University Students in 19 Countries and its Relation to Corporal Punishment Experienced as a Child

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that the more prevalent the use of corporal punishment by parents in a social setting, the higher is the prevalence of assault and injury of a dating partner. The sample is from 36 universities in 19 nations (N = 9549). The median percent of students who experienced corporal punishment was 56 percent (range 13-73 percent). The median rate of assaulting a dating partner was 30 percent (range 15-47 percent), and of injuring a dating partner 7 percent (range = 1-20 percent). The results indicate that settings in which the rate of corporal punishment experienced by university students is high, tend to be settings in which the rate of students assaulting and injuring a dating partner is also high. These findings are discussed in the context of theories to explain partner violence and for primary prevention of violence.