NCJ Number
212064
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 20 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2005 Pages: 549-559
Date Published
October 2005
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined intimate partner violence (IPV) and perceived family functioning among a sample of 298 male Vietnam veterans and their female partners.
Abstract
Data used in the current study were derived from the National Survey of the Vietnam Generation and the Family Interview components of the congressionally mandated National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS; Kulka et al., 1990). For the national survey component, interviews were conducted in the homes of Vietnam veterans who served in and around Vietnam sometime between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975. Among the 1,200 male veterans who participated in the national survey, 376 were selected to participate in the family component, which involved interviews with their relationship partners to obtain corroborative information regarding the veteran and to obtain details on family-related information. Eligible couples included those who reported IPV within the past year, as indicated by a report of at least one physical assault on the Conflict Tactics Scale. Of the 298 couples included in the final sample, 24 were male violent only, 25 were female violent only, 44 were mutually violent, and 205 were nonviolent. Partner violent men were higher than partner violent women on measures of the severity of IPV, although differences did not reach statistical significance. Among couples with unidirectional violence, female victims of IPV reported significantly poorer family functioning than male victims of partner violence. Data suggest that the effects of male-perpetrated IPV on perceived family functioning may be larger than for that of female-perpetrated IPV. 2 tables and 34 references