Anger Management and the Process Mediating the Link Between Witnessing Violence Between Parents and Partner Violence

In this study, the author investigated the extent to which the relationship between witnessing interparental violence and the perpetration of violence is mediated by limited anger management ability, and if so, whether anger management is a mediator for women as well as men. The sample consisted of 14,252 college students who participated in the International Dating Violence Study; only students who were or had been in a relationship of a month or more were included in the analyses. Results showed that both males and females who had witnessed interparental violence were at increased risk for subsequent perpetration of violence on a dating partner. Witnessing interparental violence was also associated with limited anger management ability, which in turn, was associated with an increased probability of perpetrating partner violence. These findings add to existing research supporting the need for anger management as an important component of treatment programs for persons convicted of violence against a partner.