A conflict escalation comparison: Couples from the general population and couples engaged in high‐intensity conflict

• Published date: 01 April 2024
• Author: Wafaa Sowan
• Date: 01 April 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12939

RESEARCH

A conflict escalation comparison: Couples

from the general population and couples engaged

in high-intensity conflict

Wafaa Sowan

Center for the Study of Society, University of

Haifa, Haifa, Israel

Correspondence

Wafaa Sowan, School of Social Work,

University of Haifa, Mount Carmel 31905,

Haifa, Israel.

Email: wsowan999@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to test a

model that examines the characteristics of the escalation

process among heterosexual couples. It also examined how

women’s use of verbal and physical violence is associated

with a sense of danger in men.

Background: The prevalence of intimate partner violence

(IPV) is a critical concern for public health. IPV has seri-

ous physical and mental health consequences on the

victim.

Methods: Participants were 165 women. The first subsam-

ple (n=70, 42.42%) comprised women from the general

population, and the second (n=95, 57.57%) was com-

posed of women living in relationships characterized by

high-intensity conflict (research population). Structural

equation modeling was performed to assess the hypothe-

sized model and to test the research hypotheses.

Results: Analysis indicates that the use of violence (verbal

and/or physical) by one partner was positively correlated

to the use of violence by the other partner. The analysis

also shows that the woman’s use of violence positively

affects the man’s sense of danger only for couples from the

general population. Finally, the man’s sense of danger is

related to his violence toward the woman.

Conclusion: In a high-conflict relationship, violence is less

reciprocal but escalates more easily, whereas in the general

Author note: Approval was obtained from University of Haifa Committee for Ethical Research with Humans (permit no. 1882).

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study prior to enrollment. In addition, all methods were

performed in accordance with University of Haifa Committee for Ethical Research with Humans guidelines and regu lations. The data

that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to

privacy and ethical restrictions. The author states no conflict of interests.

Received: 25 February 2023 Revised: 21 April 2023 Accepted: 4 July 2023

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12939

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits

use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or

adaptations are made.

© 2023 The Author. Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations.

858 Family Relations. 2024;73:858–873.

wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

population, violence is more reciprocal but more moder-

ate. In addition, emotions are an essential component of

marital conflict and influence the development and man-

agement of conflict. Emotional components, such as a

sense of danger, may be a risk factor in the escalation of

conflict to violence.

KEYWORDS

conflict escalation, intimate partner violence, physical violence, sense of

danger, verbal violence

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), which is defined as physical, emotional, or

sexual abuse by a romantic partner (Holden, 2003), is a critical concern for public health

(Breiding et al., 2014; S. Smith, 2019; S. G. Smith et al., 2017). IPV has serious physical and

mental health consequences on the victim, and it is also correlated with higher rates of morbid-

ity and mortality (Diop-Sidibé et al., 2006).

Research continues to examine the processes that lead to partner violence. One of the main

processes for better understanding partner violence is the escalation process (Winstok, 2008,

2012; Winstok & Straus, 2011). It’s simply the area where such circumstances may arise and

start negatively functioning on partners’mental and physical health conditions. Despite its cen-

trality to IPV, the escalation process has not received sufficient attention in the study of IPV

(Winstok, 2012; S. Smith. 2019).

The main purpose of the present study was to test a model that examines the characteristics

of the escalation process among couples from the general population compared to couples

engaged in high-intensity conflict. It also examined the relationships between the use of verbal

violence among men and women, and the effect of their use on the man’s sense of danger.

One of the important issues to be examined in this study was how the intensity of the con-

flict influenced the escalation process. High-intensity conflict couples included couples who

were having conflicts that had escalated beyond confines of the home and involved external

parties such as the Welfare Service, courts, and so forth. This was the research group in this

study. My attempt was to better understand what affects men’s use of violence.

It can be argued that violence between intimate partners does not occur in a vacuum, but is

interactional in nature (Winstok, 2012). Therefore, to understand this phenomenon better, it must

be studied in an interpersonal context that sheds light on both parties’behaviors. I suggest that

understanding the different escalation processes of conflict by practitioners in the field may facilitate

conducting adequate interventions and programs to each type of violent relationship accordingly.

Living in a conflictual relationship

Conflicts are an inevitable part of intimate relationships. Intimate-partner conflict may arise in

the context of disagreement, when one partner in a relationship experiences a gap between what

is perceived as desirable and what exists, and places the responsibility for this disparity on the

conduct of the other (Winstok, 2012). Conflict is not negative or unproductive in itself, but its

consequences depend on how it is handled (Markman et al., 1993; Winstok, 2012). When con-

flict is well managed, it has the potential to lead to more rewarding and satisfactory relation-

ships (Canary & Messman, 2000). However, despite a conflict’s constructive potential, it is

CONFLICTESCALATION TO VIOLENCE IN INTIMATERELATIONSHIP 859