PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE AMONG COLLEGE-WOMEN IN EXCLUSIVE HETEROSEXUAL DATING RELATIONSHIPS

This study was designed to identify possible predictors of psychologic al abuse in non-marital heterosexual romantic relationships. In attemp ting to predict who would self-identify as being psychologically abuse d, we investigated a number of variables including psychological abuse in past close relationships, psychological abuse within the family of origin, self-esteem, and characteristics of the current relationship, including seriousness and duration of the relationship. Of particular interest in the study was the providing of a definition of psychologi cal abuse with the opportunity for participants to agree that they wer e or were not in a psychologically abusive relationship. Descriptive s tatistics are reported that describe the frequency of psychological ab use in a dating population as well as a variety of perceptions of the abuse by victims. Participants were 175 female college students who we re either enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes, or were member s of a sorority. They were single and reported being currently involve d in an exclusive heterosexual dating relationship of at least two mon ths duration. When participants were provided with a definition of psy chological abuse, nineteen individuals identified themselves as psycho logically abused; 156 individuals identified themselves as non-abused. Psychologically abused participants, when compared with non-abused pa rticipants, reported more instances of partner behaviors characteristi c of psychological abuse and gave higher estimates of the percentage o f women in the study who were currently being psychologically abused ( False Consensus Effect). Using regression analysis, we also found that abused individuals were more likely to have lower self-esteem, to com e from homes in which their parents' relationship involved psychologic al abuse, and to report that they were psychologically abused by eithe r their mother or their father.