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Unique Risk and Protective Factors for Partner Aggression in a Large Scale Air Force Survey

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine risk factors of physical aggression against a partner in a large representative Active Duty Air Force sample. A stratified sample of 128,950 United States Active Duty members were invited to participate in an Air Force-wide anonymous online survey across 82 bases. The final sample (N = 52,780) was weighted to be representative of the United States Air Force. Backward stepwise regression analyses were conducted to identify unique predictors of partner physical aggression perpetration within and across different ecological levels (individual, family, organization, and community levels). Relationship satisfaction, alcohol problems, financial stress, and number of years in the military were identified as unique predictors of men’s and women’s perpetration of violence against their partner across ecological levels. Parental status, support from neighbors, personal coping, and support from formal agencies also uniquely predicted men’s but not women’s perpetration of violence across ecological levels. This study identified specific risk factors of partner violence that may be targeted by prevention and intervention efforts aimed at different levels of impact (e.g., family interventions, community-wide programs).

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by U.S. Department of Defense grant W81XWH0710328. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Air Force. We wish to acknowledge Maj. David Linkh his assistance and support, which made this project viable. We would also like the thank the personnel at the local Air Force site who were responsible for promoting the survey, to Caliber Associates (especially Dr. Chris Spera) for administering the web survey and to the active duty members and their spouses who took time to complete it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Family Translational Research Group, Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-2500, USA

    Amy M. Smith Slep, Heather M. Foran, Richard E. Heyman & Jeffery D. Snarr

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  1. Amy M. Smith Slep
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  2. Heather M. Foran
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  3. Richard E. Heyman
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  4. Jeffery D. Snarr
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Correspondence to Amy M. Smith Slep.

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Slep, A.M.S., Foran, H.M., Heyman, R.E. et al. Unique Risk and Protective Factors for Partner Aggression in a Large Scale Air Force Survey. J Community Health 35, 375–383 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9264-3

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