Parent and peer predictors of physical aggression, verbal aggression, and conflict management in romantic relationships in late adolescence and young adulthood: A prospective developmental study

Prospective, longitudinal data from 139 participants in an ongoing 26-year study were used to test a developmental model of parent and peer predictors of physical aggression, verbal aggression, and conflict management in romantic relationships in late adolescence and young adulthood. Selection of predictor variables was guided by both existing research on partner violence and developmental theories of competence in romantic relationships and included childhood physical abuse, witnessing of partner violence, parent-child interaction quality at age 13, and friendship quality at age 16. Outcomes were physical and verbal aggression in romantic relationships at ages 19, 21, and 23, and observer ratings of conflict management in romantic relationships at age 21. Regression analyses revealed that parent-child boundary violations at age 13 were a consistent predictor of physical aggression perpetration and victimization at ages 21 and 23, even after controlling for early family violence. At age 21, friendship quality at age 16 predicted physical perpetration, physical victimization, and observed conflict resolution above and beyond parent-child interaction variables, suggesting the importance of peers in the development of romantic aggression and conflict management skills. A comparison of predictors at different ages revealed developmental differences in predictors of physical aggression. In addition, the results provided evidence that experiences with verbal aggression and physical victimization in earlier romantic relationships may lead to the use of physical aggression in later romantic relationships.