Influences of social exchange and attachment style on women\u27s responses to the first instance of domestic violence

The present study investigated the simultaneous effects of social exchange factors and attachment theory in women\u27s decisions to stay in or leave a relationship following the first episode of violence. After responding to questionnaires that measured attachment style and attitudes towards marriage and divorce, participants were exposed to relationship vignettes that began with a couple\u27s first meeting, extended through their marriage, and ended in a first episode of violence taking place one month after the wedding. Vignettes differed in level of violence (mild, moderate, severe) and provoking event (jealousy versus spending money). Participants then gave a number of responses related to their response to the violent episode and how it would affect their commitment to the relationship. Results indicated that lower levels of relationship satisfaction predicted decreased relationship commitment, but also that social and attitudinal barriers to exit from the relationship and perceived availability of attractive alternatives to the relationship moderated this effect. Some support was found for the influence of attachment style on relationship commitment, but the effect size was generally small compared to those of the other variables. In addition, it was found that the degree of dissatisfaction with the relationship depended on both the provoking event and the amount of violence in the vignette. When violence was provoked by financial considerations, increased violence predicted decreased relationship satisfaction. However, when jealousy provoked the violence, moderate violence predicted the highest level of satisfaction. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed