Exploring the Mechanisms of Partner Maltreatment from a Diathesis-Stress Perspective

This dissertation made a significant contribution in understanding how partner maltreatment can emerge through the interactive effect of insecure adult attachment orientations and stress. Proposing a novel conceptualisation of partner maltreatment, and testing the application of the diathesis-stress model of partner maltreatment, the findings suggest that stress moderates the association between attachment avoidance and the perpetration of partner maltreatment.