Gender differences in anger/anxiety reactions to witnessing dyadic family conflict.

Investigated whether gender influences affective and cognitive reactions to witnessing dyadic family conflicts. Ss were 30 male and 30 female undergraduates. Ss' affective reactions to audiotaped family conflicts were obtained by having Ss complete affect self-ratings before and after listening to audiotapes. A consistent affective reaction was observed across tapes. This was characterized by a strong and significant pre–post increase on anger scores by the women (163%) and men (70%) that was disproportionately greater than any other affect increase. Further, when the men's increases in anger-anxiety are considered as a ratio of their overall affect increase (a Specific Affect Ratio), they are actually greater than increases in the women's anger-anxiety. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)