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EV= Emotional/verbal
R= relational
P= physical
S=Sexual
TB= threatening behavior

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Among individuals with lower rates of dispositional gratitude, higher levels of affective need were associated with lower frequency of dating violence victimization.

However, among individuals with higher rates of dispositional gratitude, there was no evidence to suggest an association between affective need and frequency of victimization.

These preliminary findings compel further investigation of how positive processes impact the perceived qualities of negative romantic relationships.

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Measures:

Dispositional gratitude--The Gratitude Questionnaire
Dating violence victimization and perpetration frequency--Conflict

in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory
Affective need--The Affective Relationships Scale

Used electronic informed consent, each participant was directed to an online survey administered via research electronic data capture tools

The survey required approximately 60 minutes to complete.

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed using Mplus

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Participants (N = 480) were recruited from an online pool of undergraduates enrolled at a large Mid-Atlantic public university.

Researchers eliminated participants from the final sample if they were over the age of 29 (n = 14), or if they had never dated (n = 19). In addition, participants were excluded from the final sample (n = 26) if they incorrectly answered more than three of seven control questions embedded in the survey

The final sample consisted of 421 emerging adults (73% female), 18–29 years old (M = 20.24, SD = 2.15). Participants identified themselves as Caucasian

(52.2%), African-American (21.6%), multiracial (8.1%), or other racial background (18.1%). Additionally, 9.3% of the participants endorsed being of Hispanic descent.

While each participant in the final sample had previously dated, 54.2% of participants were partnered at the time that they completed the survey.

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Background Research and important notes:

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Background Research and important notes:

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Dispositional gratitude is associated with positive interactions in romantic relationships, including increased responsiveness to one’s partner’s needs and increased interpersonal communication

Gratitude may also increase awareness of one’s own affective needs as well as increase a sense of responsibility for meeting one’s partner’s needs

But we don't know enough about how gratitude may work in unhealthy relationships.

Dating violence victimization is high among males and females between the ages of 18-24

victimization is associated with an array of negative outcomes such as substance use, physical injury, and physical and mental illness

relationships during this developmental stage are formative and predictive of future relationship behaviors

This study adds to the current body of research by examining the moderating role of dispositional gratitude on the association between affective need and the frequency of dating violence victimization among emerging adults

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To explore the possible moderation effect of affective need and dispositional gratitude in unhealthy dating relationships.