Motivations and Justifications for Partner Aggression in a Sample of African American College Women

Abstract

Little is known about African American college women's use, experience, and conceptualizations of intimate partner violence (IPV). The current study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating a sample of African American college women's motivations for perpetration of psychological and physical IPV and justifications for hypothetical aggressive behavior. Using factors derived from a factor analysis of the Motivations and Effects Questionnaire (Follingstad, Wright, Lloyd, & Sebastian, 1991), results revealed that African American women in the current sample were using IPV primarily as a destructive method of communication. Furthermore, justifications for aggression, in general, were significantly related to the perpetration of minor physical aggression. Implications of the study for the prevention of dating violence among college women are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• intimate partner violence (IPV)
• cognitions
• reasons for IPV
• minority population