The Influence of Childhood Maltreatment and Self-Control on Dating Violence: A Comparison of College Students in the United States and South Korea

• Published in: Violence and victims Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 296 - 318
• Main Authors: Gover, Angela R., Jennings, Wesley G., Tomsich, Elizabeth A., Park, MiRang, Rennison, Callie Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Springer Publishing Company 01.01.2011
• Subjects: Adult; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Sciences; Child; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse - psychology; Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Childhood; College Students; Control theory; Counseling; Courtship - psychology; Crime Victims - psychology; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Criminology; Domestic violence; Emotional abuse; Family Violence; Female; Females; Humans; Internal-External Control; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Marriage and Family Counselling; Partner Abuse; Policy, Social Justice, and Human Rights; Prediction; Psychology; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Risk Factors; Self Concept; Self Control; Sexual behavior; Social and Personality Psychology; Social Environment; Social Work; South Korea; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; United States - epidemiology; United States of America; Young Adult; United States; Republic of Korea; exposure to violence; domestic violence; cultural contexts; dating violence
• ISSN: 0886-6708; 1945-7073
• DOI: 10.1891/0886-6708.26.3.296

Various aspects of social learning and self-control theories have been applied to partner violence among multiple samples in the United States, but these theoretical approaches have been less commonly studied cross-culturally. Consequently, childhood maltreatment and low self-control have been identified as risk factors for various outcomes in primarily American samples. This study examined the relationships between childhood maltreatment, low self-control, and dating violence among college students in South Korea and the United States. Findings indicated that experiencing childhood maltreatment and having low self-control were key predictors of perpetration and victimization for both psychological and physical relationship violence. Witnessing interparental violence during childhood was less consistently predictive of one's involvement in a violent dating relationship. Implications for theory and policy are discussed.