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Girls at Risk of Chronic Partner Abuse: Assertive Tendency, Warning Signs, Risk Sensitivity, and Self-Confidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2012

Kylie A. Murphy*
Affiliation:
Discipline of Psychology, RMIT University, Australia. safe-relationships@rmit.edu.au
*
*ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Kylie A. Murphy, Safe in Romantic Relationships Project, Discipline of Psychology, School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora VIC 3083, Australia.
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Abstract

Factors associated with chronic exposure to warning-sign behaviour (WSB) in girls' romantic relationships need to be understood in order to develop responsive prevention programs. Data was provided by 152 Australian adolescent girls (M = 14.7 years, range = 13 to 17), 66 of whom reported recent relationship experience and exposure to at least one WSB. Guided by the dyadic slippery-slope model of chronic partner abuse, relationships were tested between frequency of WSB exposure, perceived WSB risk, confidence in self-agency, and assertive tendency in romantic relationships. Girls who reported more assertive responses to WSBs reported less frequent exposure to WSBs in the past 3 months. Risk sensitivity, while weakly related to assertiveness in non-WSB-exposed girls, was unrelated to assertive tendency in WSB-exposed girls. Girls with greater WSB exposure had lower perceived self-agency, and lower perceived self-agency was associated with less assertiveness in response to Dominance and Possessiveness WSBs. These results are discussed in relation to dyadic slippery-slope theory, and point to the potential importance of strategically timed, empowerment-oriented programming in partner abuse prevention.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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