Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2001 The Impact of Marital Aggression on Women’s Psychological and Marital Functioning in a Newlywed Sample Maria Testa 1,2 and Kenneth E. Leonard 1 The impact of husband-to-wife physical aggression on changes in wives’ per- sonal and marital well-being was examined in a representative sample of new- lywed couples. The sample consisted of couples who completed baseline (time of marriage) and first anniversary assessments as part of the Buffalo Newly- wed Study (n = 543). After controlling for sociodemographic variables, initial relationship satisfaction, and verbal aggression, wives who experienced phys- ical aggression from their husbands during the first year of marriage reported increased stress and lower marital satisfaction at the first anniversary. Fur- ther, they were more likely to report separation from husbands due to marital problems during the first year of marriage. Experiences of partner physical ag- gression during the premarital period were associated with greater frequency of heavy drinking episodes among wives, although they were not associated with changes in average daily volume of ethanol consumed. Results suggest that among a community sample, experiences of husband-to-wife physical aggression have negative consequences for both women’s psychological well- being and marital functioning. KEY WORDS: marital violence; marital satisfaction; marital stability; alcohol use. Physical aggression in marriage is not uncommon in North America. In a telephone survey of married couples, conducted in 1985, 11.6% of hus- bands and 12.4% of wives reported physical aggression against their spouses (Straus and Gelles, 1990). Rates are even higher among younger, newly- wed couples. For example, 26.6% of husbands 18–29 years of age reported 1 Research Institute on Addictions Buffalo, New York. 2 To whom correspondence should be addressed at Maria Testa, Research Institute on Addic- tions, 1021 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 14203; e-mail: testa@ria.org. 115 0885-7482/01/0600-115$19.50/0 c  2001 Plenum Publishing Corporation