Conflict Resolution Strategies and Marital Distress as Mediating Factors in the Link Between Witnessing Interparental Violence and Wife Battering

This study investigated the mediating effects of men’s ineffective conflict resolution strategies and marital distress on the intergenerational transmission of wife battering. Subjects were 1836 men who participated in the Second National Family Violence Survey. Results indicated that men who witnessed interparental violence were more likely to use ineffective conflict resolution strategies. The use of ineffective conflict resolution strategies increased men’s likelihood of encountering marital distress and engaging in wife battering. Contrary to the expectations of the study, results also revealed a direct link between witnessing interparental violence and wife battering.