Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the intersection of attachment style and perception of female college students on psychological violence in opposite-sex dating couples. The attribution of responsibility to the perpetrator, attribution of blame to the victim, having an understandable excuse, potential for reoccurrence, perceived future duration of the relationship, need for intervention, and identification of intimate partner psychological violence (IPPV) as abuse were examined. A total of 281 female college students were recruited from the University of La Verne for participation. Participants completed an assessment of adult attachment style and were presented with a vignette depicting a scenario of IPPV between a male perpetrator and a female victim. Participants answered questions pertaining to possible consequences of IPPV and if the event was classified as abuse. Results indicated no significant differences between adult attachment patterns on attribution of responsibility, attributions of blame, having an understandable excuse, potential for reoccurrence, or perceived future duration of the relationship. Majority of participants (94.3%) indicated a perceived need for more active interventions. Exploratory analyses showed those who attributed responsibility to the perpetrator tended to endorse the need for disciplinary action, but were mixed in their responses about the repetition of the incident or the duration of the relationship. Moreover, those who tended to hold the victim responsible also tended to see the perpetrator having an understandable excuse. Implications for effective prevention and future intimate partner violence are further discussed.