NCJ Number
223123
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 19 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2004 Pages: 484-498
Date Published
April 2004
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined the type of abuse perpetrated, the relationship between victim and perpetrator, and the sex of the perceiver on attributions about the victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.
Abstract
Results indicate that the type of relationship influenced observer perceptions. Specifically, participants rated the victim of marital violence as more psychologically damaged and disturbed by the abuse than the victim of acquaintance violence. Furthermore, interaction effects showed that men, more than women, rated the actions of the married perpetrator as more of a victim’s rights violation than the actions of the acquaintance perpetrator. Second, type of abuse was shown to influence perceptions of the perpetrator but not the victim. Sex-of-perceiver effects were also obtained. Women held the perpetrator more responsible and assigned less blame to the victim than did men. This analogue study (written vignettes and videotapes) examined the influence of victim-perpetrator relationship (spouse or acquaintance), sex of perceiver, and type of abuse (psychological vs. physical) on attributions about victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse. Legal and clinical implications were discussed, which included the implication that persons associated with the courts who hear reports of violence may make differing attributions about it; gender, situational, and contextual factors such as alcohol and racial status may influence abuse attributions. The authors recommend that future studies manipulate these and other contextual ingredients. Data were collected from 73 men and 108 women at a large midwestern university. Tables, references