For this study, "verbal/symbolic aggression" is defined as "a communication, either verbal or nonverbal, intended to cause psychological pain to another person, or perceived as having that intent." Examples include name calling or derogatory remarks (active, verbal), slamming a door or smashing something (active, nonverbal), and silence or sulking. Verbal/symbolic aggression was measured by the Conflict Tactics Scales. The statistical analysis controlled for confounding with several other variables that could have produced spurious findings. Regardless of whether male or female respondents were the source of the data, results showed that husbands and wives engaged in equal amounts of verbal aggression. The probability of frequent verbal/symbolic aggression against a spouse tended to decrease with age and the number of children in the family, and to increase with the incidence of alcohol abuse and other drug use. Socioeconomic status and race were not related to verbal aggression. Verbal aggression is part of a syndrome of abusive and problematic interpersonal relationships within the family. 45 references, 5 footnotes, 3 figures, 2 tables. (Author abstract modified)