Mediators of Attachment Style, Social Support, and Sense of Belonging in Predicting Woman Abuse by African American Men

Recent studies have focused on attachment and related variables to explain partner abuse. These studies have not included significant numbers of African American men. Path analysis was used to examine the relationship between interpersonal relatedness (i.e., attachment, social support, and sense of belonging) as mediated by affect (hopelessness and depression) to explain abusive behaviors in African American men arrested for partner abuse. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from a convenience sample of 69 African American men 18 to 69 years of age. The strongest effect was from sense of belonging in predicting severity-weighted frequency of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Preoccupation with closeness had a negative direct effect on severity-weighted frequency of sexual abuse. Hopelessness and depression did not act as mediators. Implications for further research are discussed.