Predicting Being Abused in Marital Relationships Based on Communicational Patterns and Fear of Intimacy in Married Women

The purpose of this study was to predict being abused in close relationship based on communicational patterns and fear of intimacy in married women. The method of this research is descriptive-correlational.

This study was a correlation study, in which 300 married women in Tehran were selected through convenience sampling and they completed the Communication Patterns Questionnaire – short form (CPQ- SF) (Christense & Heavy, 1990), Fear of intimacy scale (Descatner & Thelen, 1991), and the Spouse abuse questionnaire (Gahary, Atefvahid & Yoosefy, 2006). The data was analyzed using Pearson correlation and regression.

Study showed that there was a significant positive relation between female demands, male withdrawal, and being abused (r=%236; P≤000). Also there was a significant positive relation between male demanding, female withdraws (r=%324; P≤0/01), female demand, male withdraw (r=%131; P≤0/05), positive interaction pattern (r=%214; P≤0/01), withdraw with fear of intimacy. Positive interaction pattern (r=%194; P≤0/001) and female demand, male withdraw pattern (r=%236; P≤000) predicted being abused.

As a result, it can be said that the communication pattern of female demand, male withdraw and positive interaction pattern of a couple's relationship can create a challenge that causes spousal abuse.