Pilot Study of the Contributions of Achievement-Striving and Dutifulness on Intimate Partner Violence in Intimate Dyads

The purpose of this pilot study was to further our knowledge about the interaction of trait conscientiousness of one’s self and one’s partner with the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) as we prepare for a larger study that will utilize this pilot study’s protocol. Conscientiousness has been demonstrated to be positively correlated with increased satisfaction in couples (Malouff, Thorsteinsson, Schutte, Bhullar, & Rooke, 2010), while different facets of conscientiousness have been demonstrated to have differential effects on relational behavior, like achievement-striving and duty’s opposing effects on commitment dilemmas (Moon, 2001). Furthermore, the negative correlation between conscientiousness and deviance (Rao, 2012) suggests that lower levels of conscientiousness in a couple would unilaterally accompany worse relationship health. In this study, individuals in intimate relationships completed a battery of tests, including the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory (CADRI), to assess the IPV perpetration and victimization of each participant. In addition, conscientiousness was assessed by the International Personality Items Pool Representation of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness (IPIP NEO) facets. Participants responded to the IPIP NEO survey in terms of their own personality traits, as well as their partner’s personality traits. The results of this pilot study were non-significant, likely due to a small sample size. However, the direction of correlations were in line with our hypotheses, further compelling us to continue investigating this question with a larger data collection