The Roles of Dominance, Jealousy, and Violent Socialization in Chinese Dating Abuse

Relationship Dynamics and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Among Female Chinese College Students

In China, most intimate partner violence (IPV) research focuses on male perpetration and female victimization, whereas studies on dating violence and female IPV perpetration are less common. Although research on female IPV perpetration in China has surfaced recently, there have been limited studies examining factors related to female perpetration in dating relationships in China. In the current research, we sought to examine how relationship factors, including anger management, communication problems, relationship conflict, and relationship distress, are linked with female physical and psychological IPV perpetration. We included 857 female college students in three regions in China from the International Dating Violence database. We found that Chinese women's anger management skills and communication problems were both significantly associated with physical and psychological IPV perpetration on both minor and severe levels. Furthermore, we found that relationship conflict was significantly associated with minor and severe physical abuse perpetration and severe psychological abuse perpetration. Anger management skills moderated the negative effects of relationship conflict on minor physical IPV perpetration as well as minor and severe psychological IPV perpetration. Anger management skills also moderated the negative effects of relationship distress on minor and severe physical IPV perpetration among Chinese women. Our findings suggest that it may be important to explore the role of college women's anger management skills, communication problems, and conflict resolution skills in their dating relationships, as well as to develop female-based intervention programs to increase Chinese college women's relationship skills to reduce their levels of IPV perpetration.

Gender and Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization: A Comparison of American and Chinese College Students

Previous research has shown that violence in romantic relationships is a serious social and public health problem throughout the world among young adults. College students, as a vulnerable group, experience high rates of dating violence, irrespective of gender and nation. Yet, we still know relatively little about whether dating violence shows gender similarities or differences in different cultural settings. United States and China are both patriarchal societies but have diverse cultural background. There may be different gendered patterns of dating violence across these two countries. This study examined the gender differences in physical assault victimization and perpetration among college students in the United States and China, while controlling for dominance, jealousy, violence approval, and a number of demographic factors. Logistic regression analyses were conducted for a total of 5,631 individuals from the United States and China who participated in the International Dating Violence Study from 2001 to 2006. Results demonstrated that male and female college students in China were significantly less likely to be victims of minor physical assault compared with students in the United States. In addition, female students, both in the United States and China, were more likely to perpetrate minor and severe physical assault against their partners than male students in this sample. But Chinese females had a higher percentage of assault against their dating partners than females in the United States. This study contributes to the research on dating violence by exploring cross-cultural gender differences in both victimization and perpetration of physical violence among college students. The implications of findings and future research direction were discussed.

Relationship Dynamics and Intimate Partner Violence Among Israeli College Students: The Moderating Effect of Communication Problems

The present study, based on data from the International Dating Violence Study obtained in 2004 (N = 465) and on data obtained in 2015 (N = 392), estimated the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and perpetration among Israeli college students. The main purpose of the study was to investigate whether communication problems (i.e., avoidant communication and disrespectful communication) intensify the effects of relationship dynamics (dominance, partner's controlling behavior, and jealousy) on physical IPV. A series of χ² analyses, independent t tests, and logistic regressions was conducted separately for each sample. Results revealed that in 2015, approximately 20% of the participants reported being a victim of at least one act of physical violence and more than 10% of the participants reported severely attacking a partner. Although there was a significant decline in the prevalence of the severe type of sexual violence victimization, most of the differences between the samples were not significant. The findings further showed that regardless of gender or age, dominance significantly increased the odds of physical violence perpetration, and partner's controlling behavior significantly increased the odds of physical violence victimization. Finally, the interaction effects that were found suggest that when relationships are characterized by an imbalance of power, communication problems may increase the risk of physical violence. The current study provides initial support for the idea that communication difficulties may contribute to conflict escalation and exacerbate the effects of relationship risk factors on physical IPV.

Empirical Research on Domestic Violence in Contemporary China: Continuity and Advances

Domestic violence is not uncommon in China. Myths and misconceptions about it do exist, especially in the context of rapid social changes. Compared with its Western counterparts, the study on domestic violence in China is considered rudimentary and of low priority. Empirical studies, especially those measuring the correlates and/or risk factors related to domestic violence, are still lacking. This special issue aims to advance understanding on domestic violence through much-needed empirical research. It also demonstrates joint efforts by local Chinese scholars and their Western counterparts to strengthen collaboration in this important research area. Based on relatively large sample surveys, the articles incorporated in this special issue provide relatively accurate estimates of factors related to domestic violence and responses to it in mainland China and Taiwan. Future studies should give priority to developing indigenous theories and practices in addition to adapting and testing theories and models developed in the West.