Intimate partner violence, interpersonal trust and hope: a study among portuguese adults.
According to results presented in several reports from the World Health Organization, violence in intimate relationships is a phenomenon whose incidence covers the most diverse populations on a universal scale. Allowing for recent information included on a report from a Portuguese association that gives support to victims (APAV, 2014), this is a very serious problem with severe consequences, including death. Being a complex problem, so interconnected with several variables that have an impact on developmental trajectories, there is an increased need for research and intervention. Objectives: Considering previous research on interpersonal trust, hope and intimate partner violence, this exploratory study aims to examine the relationship between intimate partner violence, interpersonal trust in the intimate partner and hope for the future. Also, prevalence of violence in intimate relationships will be addressed. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the sample includes 302 subjects (202 women and 100 men), aged 18 to 63 years (M = 29, SD =10.78). Data collection was performed through a protocol that includes a Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Portuguese adaptation of the Rotenberg s Specific Trust Scale-Adults, the Scale of Beliefs about Marital Violence, the Inventory of Marital Violence and the Scale of the Future. Results: A worrying prevalence of violence in intimate relationships was found, whether in present or in past relationships. Results also show the existence of weak, but statistically significant negative associations between interpersonal trust and violence, considering both victimization and perpetration. Although modest, some significant positive relationships between certain aspects of hope and interpersonal trust were found. In addition, results show some significant differences in legitimating beliefs of intimate partner violence by age, sex and socioeconomic status. Discussion: Interpretation of these findings, study limitations and suggestions for future investigations are presented and discussed.