Precursors and maintenance of violence in couples in youth population

The objective of this Symposium is to describe and analyse the effect of different factors that predispose and maintain violent behaviours within dating relationships. Specifically, different variables are analysed that the scientific literature identifies as risk variables in 4 areas: (a) behaviours: consumption of substances and antisocial behaviours, (b) family of origin: witnessing gender violence in childhood and/or having been mistreated by parents, (c) emotions involved in violent behaviours: anger and hostility and (d) distorted thoughts: justification of aggression, favourable attitudes towards violence and sexist beliefs. To this end, we used a sample of 2307 young people and adolescents between 13 and 18 years of age, with an average age of 15.19 years, 49.8% are females and 50.2% are males. The results indicate that substance use and antisocial behaviour are related to the perpetration and victimization of physical and psychological violence in dating relationships, although males commit more antisocial behaviour than females. As for the family of origin, the results indicate that a key variable for predicting dating violence, both physical and psychological, is having been physically abused by parents. Regarding emotions, anger and hostility predict dating violence in women, while anger seems to have a greater influence in men. Finally, within the cognitive variables, it should be noted that males present more sexist stereotypes, more favourable attitudes towards the use of violence and more justification of dominant tactics, whereas no differences are found between males and females in justification of jealous tactics.

Marina Muñoz is professor of the Department of Biological and Health Psychology of the Faculty of Psychology of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). Currently, she is delegate of the Dean for the Coordination of the Master’s Degree in General Health Psychology and coordinator of the UAM research group: Abuse and violence in interpersonal relations. In the last 15 years, her line of research has focused on the study of violence in dating relationships in young people and adolescents. Director of R&D research projects funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Science, her interest has initially focused on the analysis of the prevalence and characteristics of the phenomenon in large samples of adolescents and youth of the Autonomous Community of Madrid (CAM) and the development of a specific prevention program (PREVIO Program) published in Pyramid in 2016. She has also produced various preventive action guides for social agents (family, school, society, health professionals) based on the studies carried out on associated risk and protection factors. The results of her research have been published in various scientific works and dissemination manuals.