Media depictions of physical and relational aggression: connections with aggression in young adults' romantic relationships

Abstract

Various studies have found that viewing physical or relational aggression in the media can impact subsequent engagement in aggressive behavior. However, this has rarely been examined in the context of relationships. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to examine the connection between viewing various types of aggression in the media and perpetration of aggression against a romantic partner. A total of 369 young adults completed a variety of questionnaires asking for their perpetration of various forms of relationship aggression. Participants' exposure to both physical and relational aggression in the media was also assessed. As a whole, we found a relationship between viewing aggression in the media and perpetration of aggression; however, this depended on the sex of the participant and the type of aggression measured. Specifically, exposure to physical violence in the media was related to engagement in physical aggression against their partner only for men. However, exposure to relational aggression in the media was related to romantic relational aggression for both men and women.

The Abuse Litmus Test: A Classroom Tool to Assess Power and Control in On‐Screen Relationships

“…Recent empirical work has found that engaging with popular culture depicting violence against women is associated with attitudes toward and experiences of sexual violence and intimate partner violence (Bonomi et al, ; Coyne et al, ; Hernandez, Weinstein, & Munoz‐Labay, ). For example, emerging adult women who read the Fifty Shades of Grey novels (James, ) are more likely than nonreaders to experience verbal abuse and stalking by a romantic partner (Bonomi et al, ).…”

“…For example, emerging adult women who read the Fifty Shades of Grey novels (James, ) are more likely than nonreaders to experience verbal abuse and stalking by a romantic partner (Bonomi et al, ). Likewise, emerging adults exposed to relational aggression in the media are prone to experience romantic relational aggression (Coyne et al, ), and those exposed to violence against women in hip‐hop culture tend to minimize interpersonal violence (Hernandez et al, ). Kahlor and Eastin () similarly showed that soap‐opera viewing is positively correlated with rape myth acceptance.…”

Windows of Opportunity: Family Systems Theory and Developmental Considerations for Supporting Youth, Parents and Clinicians in the Digital Age

“…Individuals may find this level of engagement through discussion combined with limits on time and content, to be intrusive or coercive and families may be resistant. It is reasonable to suspect that communications and media exposure will be a factor in developing attitudes toward aggression in relationships, emerging attitudes toward sexual behavior, as well as stimulate consumer cravings that may shape a child's career choice and life satisfaction (Brown, Keller, & Stern, 2009;Coyne, et al, 2011;Shrum, Lee, Burroughs, & Rindfleisch, 2011).…”

Fiction or Not?Fifty Shadesis Associated with Health Risks in Adolescent and Young Adult Females

“…Normalization of violence against women in popular fiction D espite known associations between consumption of media containing violence and related risk factors, including television and print media, and aggression tendencies, [1][2][3][4][5] along with theories suggesting that consumption of fictional communication can alter beliefs and attitudes, [6][7][8][9][10][11] no prior study has empirically characterized the association between health risks and reading popular fiction depicting violence against women. Fifty Shades-one of the world's fastest selling fiction series comprising Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed 12-14 depicts problematic violence against women 15,16 cloaked within the romantic and erotic bondage-discipline-sadism-masochism [17][18][19] relationship involving Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.…”