Test of family of origin structural models of male verbal and physical aggression

Using a convenience sample of 152 married or cohabiting couples, this study tested different theoretical models of male aggression toward a female int imate that addressed the relation between physical and verbal aggression va riables and family of origin violence, psychological symptoms, and marital satisfaction. Results of covariance structural analysis procedures provided general support for the proposed models. Results indicated that physical v iolence witnessed in one's family of origin was predictive of greater psych ological distress in adulthood for men and women. Husbands' reports of psyc hological symptomatology were an important path to their own display of phy sical and verbal aggression; this relation was not true for women's symptom atology reports and their partners' aggression displays. Marital satisfacti on was found to have a significant negative relation with both wives' repor ts of their husbands' verbal aggression toward them and husbands' reports o f verbal aggression toward their wives. The findings for the physical aggre ssion model closely paralleled those found for the verbal models.