NCJ Number
177037
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: February 1999 Pages: 125-137
Date Published
1999
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study of the incidence and prevalence of dating partner abuse, both physical and psychological, and its relationship to dating practices.
Abstract
Although physical violence between couples has been widely researched, few estimates of the extent of psychological abuse between intimates have been published. A sample of 623 college-age women completed the Abusive Behavior Inventory with reference to the previous 6-month period (incidence) and their entire dating history (prevalence). The 6-month incidence rate of physical abuse (26.8 percent) was comparable to previously reported rates. More than 77 percent reported experiencing some form of psychological abuse during the same 6-month period. Lifetime prevalence was 43.1 percent for physical abuse and 91.2 percent for any psychologically abusive incident. Participant responses estimating the number of previous sexual and emotional partners, the amount of perceived male partner control in the typical relationship, and the length of the typical relationship accounted for a small but significant proportion of the variance in levels of both physical and psychological abuse. Tables, references