Prevalence of aggression inflicted and sustained in dating relationships was investigated for 171 low income African American youth. More women were victims of choking, attempted forced intercourse, and hurt feelings. As perpetrators, more women reported making threats, throwing objects, and hitting their partner. However, men perpetrated more serious sexual and psychological aggression, including forced breast fondling, attempted forced intercourse, and making a partner feel inferior and degrading her. Women victims of sexual aggression, when compared to nonvictims, expressed more agreement with adversarial sexual beliefs regarding male-female relationships. More than one third of the participants endorsed antagonistic beliefs concerning Black male-female relationships. Suggestions for intervention are presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aizenman, M. , & Kelley, G. (1988). The incidence of violence and acquaintance rape in dating relationships among college men and women. Journal of College Student Development, 29, 305-311.
2.
Ammons, L. L. (1995). Mules, madonnas, babies, bathwater, racial imagery and stereotypes: The African-American woman and the battered woman syndrome. Wisconsin Law Review, 5, 1003-1080.
3.
Asbury, J. (1987). African-American women in violent relationships: An exploration of cultural differences. In R. L. Hampton (Ed.), Violence in the Black family: Correlates and consequences (pp. 89-106). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
4.
Bart, P. B. , & O'Brien, P. H. (1985). Stopping rape: Successful survival strategies. New York: Pergamon Press.
5.
Benjamin, L. (1983). “The dog theory”: Black male/female conflict. Western Journal of Black Studies, 7(1), 49-55.
6.
Bennett, L. , & Fineran, S. (1998). Sexual and severe physical violence among high school students: Power beliefs, gender, and relationship. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68(4), 645-652.
7.
Brice-Baker, J. R. (1994). Domestic violence in African American and African-Caribbean families. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, 3(1), 23-38.
8.
Burt, M. (1980). Cultural myths and support for rape. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 217-230.
9.
Cazenave, N. A. (1983). Black male-Black female relationships: The perceptions of 155 middle-class Black men. Family Relations, 32, 341-350.
10.
Clark, M. L. , Beckett, J., Wells, M., & Dungee-Anderson, D. (1994). Courtship violence among African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 20(3), 264-281.
11.
Currie, D. H. (1998). Violent men or violent women? Whose definition counts? In R. K. Bergen (Ed.), Issues in intimate violence (pp. 97-111). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
12.
DeMaris, A. (1990). The dynamics of generational transfer in courtship violence: A biracial exploration. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 219-231.
13.
Edmonds, E. M. , & Cahoon, D. D. (1993). The “new” sexism: Females' negativism toward males. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 8(3), 481-487.
14.
Fairchild, H. H. (1985). Black singles: Gender differences in mate preferences and heterosexual attitudes. Western Journal of Black Studies, 9(2), 69-73.
15.
Follingstad, D. , Wright, S., Lloyd, S., & Sebastian, J. (1991). Sex differences in motivations and effects in dating violence. Family Relations, 40, 51-57.
16.
Franklin, C. W. (1984). Black male-Black female conflict: Individually caused and culturally nurtured. Journal of Black Studies, 15(2), 139-154.
17.
Hampton, R. L. , Gelles, R. J., & Harrop, J. W. (1989). Is violence in Black families increasing? A comparison of 1975 and 1985 National survey rates. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 969-980.
18.
Harrison, L. A. , & Esqueda, C. W. (1999). Myths and stereotypes of actors involved in domestic violence: Implications for domestic violence culpability attributions. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 4(2), 129-138.
19.
Jackson, S. M. (1999). Issues in the dating violence research: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 4(2), 233-247.
20.
Jewell, K. S. (1983). Black male/female conflict: Internalization of negative attitudes transmitted through imagery. Western Journal of Black Studies, 7(1), 43-48.
21.
Joseph, G. I. (1981). Black mothers and daughters: Their roles and functions in American society. In G. I. Joseph & J. Lewis (Eds.), Common differences: Conflicts in Black and White feminist perspectives (pp. 75-126). Boston: South End Press.
22.
Kasian, M. , & Painter, S. L. (1992). Frequency and severity of psychological abuse in a dating population. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 7(3), 350-364.
23.
Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. , & Neidig, P. (1995). Violent backgrounds of economically disadvantaged youth: Risk factors for perpetrating violence. Journal of Family Violence, 10(4), 379-397.
24.
Makepeace, J. (1986). Gender differences in courtship violence victimization. Family Relations, 35, 383-388.
25.
Malamuth, N. M. (1988). A multidimensional approach to sexual aggression: Combining measures of past behavior and present likelihood. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 528, 123-132.
26.
Malik, S. , Sorenson, S. B., & Aneshensel, C. S. (1997). Community and dating violence among adolescents: Perpetration and victimization. Journal of Adolescent Health, 21, 291-302.
27.
Marshall, L. L. (1999). Effects of men's subtle and overt psychological abuse on low-income women. Violence and Victims, 14(1), 69-88.
28.
McLaughlin, I. G. , Leonard, K. E., & Senchak, M. (1992). Prevalence and distribution of premarital aggression among couples applying for a marriage license. Journal of Family Violence, 7(4), 309-319.
29.
Moss, V. A. , Pitula, C. R., Campbell, J. C., & Halstead, L. (1997). The experience of terminating an abusive relationship from an Anglo and African American perspective: A qualitative descriptive study. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 18, 433-454.
30.
National Center for Health Statistics . (1997). Vital statistics mortality data, underlying causes of death, 1979-1995. Hyattsville, MD: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
31.
O'Keefe, M. (1997). Predictors of dating violence among high school students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(4), 546-568.
32.
O'Keeffe, N. K. , Brockopp, K., & Chew, E. (1986). Teen dating violence. Social Work, 31(6), 465-468.
33.
O'Leary, K. D. (1999). Psychological abuse: A variable deserving critical attention in domestic violence. Violence and Victims, 14(1), 3-23.
34.
Oliver, W. (1989). Sexual conquest and patterns of Black-on-Black violence: A structural-cultural perspective. Violence and Victims, 4, 257-274.
35.
Peterson-Lewis, S. , Turner, C. W., & Adams, A. M. (1988). Attributional processes in repeatedly abused women. In G. W. Russell (Ed.), Violence in intimate relationships (pp. 107-130). New York: PMA Publishing.
36.
Pierce-Baker, C. (1998). Surviving the silence: Black women's stories of rape. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
37.
Plass, M. S. , & Gessner, J. C. (1983). Violence in courtship relations: A Southern sample. Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, 11(2), 198-202.
38.
Ransby, B. (1995). A righteous rage and a grassroots mobilization. In G. Smitherman (Ed.), African American women speak out on Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas (pp. 44-52). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
39.
Richie, B. E. (1996). Compelled to crime: The gender entrapment of battered Black women. New York: Routledge.
40.
Riggs, D. S. (1993). Relationship problems and dating aggression: A potential treatment target. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(1), 18-35.
41.
Rouse, L. P. (1988). Abuse in dating relationships: A comparison of Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics. Journal of College Student Development, 29, 312-319.
42.
Russo, N. F. , Denious, J. E., Keita, G. P., & Koss, M. P. (1997). Intimate violence and Black women's health. Women's Health: Research on Gender, Behavior, and Policy, 3(3 & 4), 315-348.
43.
Sanchez-Hucles, J. V. (1997). Jeopardy not bonus status for African American women in the work force: Why does the myth of advantage persist?American Journal of Community Psychology, 25, 565-580.
44.
Smith, M. D. (1994). Enhancing the quality of survey data on violence against women: A feminist approach. Gender & Society, 8(1), 109-127.
45.
Smith, P. H. , Smith, J. B., & Earp, J. L. (1999). Beyond the measurement trap: A reconstructed conceptualization and measurement of woman battering. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23, 177-193.
46.
Spence, J. T. , Losoff, M., & Robbins, A. S. (1991). Sexually aggressive tactics in dating relationships: Personality and attitudinal correlates. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 10(3), 289-304.
47.
Stets, J. E. (1991). Psychological aggression in dating relationships: The role of interpersonal control. Journal of Family Violence, 6(1), 97-114.
48.
Stets, J. E. , & Pirog-Good, M. A. (1989a). Patterns of physical and sexual abuse for men and women in dating relationships: A descriptive analysis. Journal of Family Violence, 4(1), 63-76.
49.
Stets, J. E. , & Pirog-Good, M. A. (1989b). Sexual aggression and control in dating relationships. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 19(16), 1392-1412.
50.
Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intra-family conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75-88.
51.
Sugarman, D. B. , & Frankel, S. L. (1996). Patriarchal ideology and wife-assault: A metaanalytic review. Journal of Family Violence, 11(1), 13-40.
52.
Sugarman, D. B. , & Hotaling, G. T. (1989). Dating violence: Prevalence, context and risk markers. In M. A. Pirog-Good & J. E. Stets (Eds.), Violence in dating relationships: Emerging social issues (pp. 3-32). New York: Praeger.
53.
Symons, P. Y. , Groer, M. W., Kepler-Youngblood, P., & Slater, V. (1994). Prevalence and predictors of adolescent dating violence. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 7(3), 14-23.
54.
Ucko, L. G. (1994). Culture and violence: The interaction of Africa and America. Sex Roles, 31 (3 & 4), 185-204.
55.
Waldner-Haugrud, L. K. , & Magruder, B. (1995). Male and female sexual victimization in dating relationships: Gender differences in coercion techniques and outcomes. Violence and Victims, 10, 203-215.
56.
Warshaw, R. (1994). I never called it rape. New York: Harper & Row.
57.
West, C. M. (1998). Lifting the “political gag order”: Breaking the silence around partner violence in ethnic minority families. In J. L. Jasinski & L. M. Williams (Eds.), Partner violence: A comprehensive review of 20 years of research (pp. 184-209). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
58.
West, C. M. (2000). Developing an “oppositional gaze” toward the images of Black women. In J. C. Chrisler, C. Golden, & P. D. Rozee (Eds.), Lectures on the psychology of women (pp. 220-233). Boston: McGraw Hill.
59.
White, A. M. (1999). Talking feminist, talking Black-micromobilization processes in a collective protest against rape. Gender & Society, 13(1), 77-100.
60.
White, A. M. , Potgieter, C. A., Strube, M. J., Fisher, S., & Umana, E. (1997). An African centered, Black feminist approach to understanding attitudes that counter social dominance. Journal of Black Psychology, 23(4), 398-420.
61.
White, J. W. , & Koss, M. P. (1991). Courtship violence: Incidence in a national sample of higher education students. Violence and Victims, 6(4), 247-256.
62.
White, R. T. (1997). In the name of love and survival: Interpretations of sexual violence among young Black American women. In T. D. Sharpley-Whiting & R. T. White (Eds.), Spoils of war: Women of color, culture, and revolutions (pp. 27-45). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
63.
Williams, O. J. (1998). Healing and confronting the African American male who batters. In R. Carrillo & J. Tello (Eds.), Family violence and men of color: Healing the wounded male spirit (pp. 74-94). New York: Springer Publisher Company.
