Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of two instruments that assess attitudes justifying use of
aggression in adolescents’ dating relationships: the Attitudes About Aggression in Dating Situations (AADS) and the Justification
of Verbal/Coercive Tactics Scale (JVCT). The sample was made up of 2,856 adolescents from different high schools of Madrid.
Results supported the three-factor structure for the AADS and the six-factor structure for the JVCT, which was consistent
with the theory and with previous research. As expected, the relation between attitudes and aggressive behavior was between
small and moderate but significant in most cases. Furthermore, attitudes differed depending on the type of violence, the respondent’s
sex, and on whether aggression is carried out by a man or a woman. Finally, the potential applications of these two scales
are discussed, and it is concluded that both constitute useful tools to assess justification of aggression in dating relationships
in young couples.
aggression in adolescents’ dating relationships: the Attitudes About Aggression in Dating Situations (AADS) and the Justification
of Verbal/Coercive Tactics Scale (JVCT). The sample was made up of 2,856 adolescents from different high schools of Madrid.
Results supported the three-factor structure for the AADS and the six-factor structure for the JVCT, which was consistent
with the theory and with previous research. As expected, the relation between attitudes and aggressive behavior was between
small and moderate but significant in most cases. Furthermore, attitudes differed depending on the type of violence, the respondent’s
sex, and on whether aggression is carried out by a man or a woman. Finally, the potential applications of these two scales
are discussed, and it is concluded that both constitute useful tools to assess justification of aggression in dating relationships
in young couples.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Article
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s10896-011-9391-3
- Authors
- Marina Julia Muñoz-Rivas, Department of Biological Psychology and Health Psychology, Psychology Faculty, Autonomous University of Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Manuel Gámez-Guadix, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
- Liria Fernández-González, Department of Biological Psychology and Health Psychology, Psychology Faculty, Autonomous University of Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- María Pilar González Lozano, Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychology Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Journal Journal of Family Violence
- Online ISSN 1573-2851
- Print ISSN 0885-7482