Emotional Experiences and Frequency of Domestic Abuse Among Female and Male College Students

Unfortunately, several women and men will experience abuse at the hand of one's partner over the course of their lifetimes. Although many people will experience domestic abuse, they may not experience it in quite the same way. Therefore, this study examines two factors that may affect perceptions of both the frequency and the emotional experiences of various types of victimization in romantic relationships. These factors include whether or not the individual is still currently with the abusive partner as well as the individual's gender. Overall, it appears that individuals are more likely to report feeling emotionally upset by abuse in past relationships compared with current ones when participants were asked to report on their worst romantic relationship. Additionally, although there were no significant gender differences in amounts of abuse experienced, women were more likely to report feeling upset by the abuse than were men. It is likely that socialization processes may explain these different perceptions in response to similar levels of abuse.