Love Attitudes and Violence: Consequences of Burden of Care on Women

Abstract

Intimate partner violence against women is considered one of the most widespread forms of violence. Women staying<br/ >in violent relationships is associated with feelings of love and caregiving. The objectives of this study were to investigate<br/ >potential associations between violence (received and perpetrated), love styles, and perceived caregiver burden; to<br/ >assess differences in the type of violence as a function of perceived caregiver burden; to analyse the predictive role of<br/ >violence received and perpetrated and love styles in caregivers’ burden; and to determine whether love styles mediate<br/ >in the relation between violence and perceived caregivers’ burden. Two hundred fifty women from the Basque Country<br/ >(Spain), aged between 30 and 84 years (M = 58.66, SD = 10.46) participated in the study. It is a transversal study design.<br/ >Results show a positive correlation between low burden and psychological aggression perpetrated. Further, the Agape<br/ >love style and severe and minor psychological aggression perpetrated, and minor injury perpetrated were predictors of<br/ >perceived caregiving burden. Finally, the findings indicate that love styles mediate the relationship between violence and<br/ >care burden. The study concludes that love styles and perpetrated and received violence influence women’s perceived<br/ >caregiver burden. This should be taken into account when evaluating relationships.