The relation between physical assault and psychological functioning in a sample of university women, and the relative effects of physical and sexual assault

✍ Scribed by Kathleen Wayland; John E. Lochman; Susan Roth

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1009 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0894-9867
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.2490040405

✦ Synopsis

The pupose of this study was threefold: to determine the prevalence and descriptive characterivtics of physically abusive relationships in a sample of university women, to identifj, the psychological correlates of physical abuse and the relative effects of physical and serUal assault on psychological functioning, and to determine the relationship between psychosocial functioning and various abuse characteristics. Fijteen percent of respondents had been physically assaulted in the come of their lifetime, with 4% of women assaulted in the last year. The risk of physical assault increased with closer relationship intimaq, and with a history of prior assault. Results indicate that physical assault constitutes a mild concurrent rirk factor for psychological dy$nction among nonclinical women. Social cognitive variables appeared to moderate victimr' response to physical assault, as the subjective perception of threat was related to poor social adjustment in several areas. Implications of these findings are discussed