Anticipated Partner Infidelity and Men’s Intimate Partner Violence

The Mediating Role of Anxiety

Arnocky, Steven
Sunderani, Shafik
Gomes, Wendy
Vaillancourt, Tracy

Department of Psychology, Nipissing University
Department of Applied Psychology & Human Development, University of Toronto OISE
Department of Psychology, Nipissing University
Faculty of Education and School of Psychology, University of Ottawa

Steven Arnocky, Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, North Bay, ON, P1B 8L7, Canada [email protected]

Received January 11, 2014

revised March 30, 2014

Accepted July 24, 2014

Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences 9(3):p 186-196, July 2015. | DOI: 10.1037/ebs0000021

Anxiety is believed to have evolved, in part, as a signal of threats to survival or reproductive fitness. In a sample of 66 heterosexual undergraduate men who were currently in exclusive romantic relationships, we explored whether symptoms of anxiety mediated links between anticipated partner infidelity and men’s intimate partner violence. Results indicated that symptoms of anxiety mediated relationships between anticipated partner infidelity and physical aggression, partner injury, psychological aggression, and sexual aggression toward a partner. Results are discussed in terms of the evolution of anxiety as an emotion that mediates reaction to adaptive threats.