Arrest, Incarceration and Relationship Satisfaction, and IPV in Young Adulthood

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

To examine the relationship between arrest, incarceration and the quality of intimate relationships, the current study draws upon social learning theory, and norms of homogamy in partnering behavior. Despite the growing body of literature regarding the impact of parental incarceration on child outcomes, there is a paucity of literature on the impact that this may have on intimate relationships. Some studies however, have examined the impact of incarceration on intimate relationships, although the majority of these focus solely on marriage and divorce. Evidence shows the average age of first marriages is increasingly delayed past the average age of initial arrest or incarceration, so the question remains how incarceration and arrest impact intimate relationships for individuals not participating in marriage. Data from the fifth wave of the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) will be used to examine associations between respondents’ self-reported arrests and incarcerations, and self-reports of intimate partner violence and relationship satisfaction among 22 to 29 year old adults. This study will examine the association of respondents who have experienced an arrest or incarceration and their reports’ of violence in their intimate relationships and overall relationship satisfaction, while controlling for known correlates of intimate partner violence and relationship quality.

Author

• Mallory Minter, Bowling Green State University