Intimate partner violence among dual-earner blue-collar couples: Role of job stress, drinking, & normative beliefs about aggression

Elevated risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked with work-related stress factors (e.g., unemployment; job strain), but few studies account for each partner's job stress, drinking, normative beliefs about aggression, and personal background characteristics (e.g., impulsivity; childhood maltreatment) in relation to likelihood of IPV among the couple. The objective of this study is to analyze the interrelationship of these factors to risk for male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence among a sample of dual-earner, blue-collar couples. In cooperation with a large construction union in Northern California, confidential data were obtained via telephone interview from 1,088 workers (53% response rate) and 927 of their spouses/cohabiting partners who voluntarily participated in a cross-sectional health behavior survey. The current sample (n=502 dual-earner couples) consists of male construction workers and their employed female partners. IPV was measured with the physical assault subscale of the CTS2. Path models with binary dependent variables and continuous mediating and moderating variables were specified. Based on both partner's reports, prevalence of male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence was 20% and 25%, respectively. For both partners, impulsivity and normative beliefs about aggression were positively related to IPV. For males, job strain and frequency of intoxication also mediated the association between impulsivity and male-to female partner violence. For females, childhood maltreatment was directly associated with male-to female partner violence. The results suggest that interventions that address the role of each partner's impulsivity and normative beliefs about aggression, and the male's job strain and drinking, may help prevent IPV among dual-earner blue-collar couples.