Individual and Family Factors Which Predict Police Response to Spouse Abuse

• NCJ Number: 112432
• Author(s): S M Stith
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 27 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper presented to the Third National Family Violence Research Conference, Durham, New Hampshire, July 6-9, 1987

Annotation

This study constructed and tested a path-analytic model of factors predicting male police officers' responses to domestic violence.

Abstract

It was hypothesized that responses would be related to officers' method of handling personal conflict, marital and life stresses, egalitarianism, attitude toward marital violence, age, and education. Analysis was based on questionnare responses from 97 officers in Kansas. Results indicate that use of violence in the officer's family was related to decreased use of arrest. Approval of marital violence and decreased egalitarianism were related to antivictim responses. Stress, marital stress, egalitarianism, age, education, and approval of marital violence explained 45 percent of officers' own use of violence, and marital stress and approval of marital violence interacted in their effect on officers' actual use of marital violence. This suggests that while officers' attitudes toward marital violence may affect their behavior, the behavior-attitude relationship is mediated by the amount of stress in their marriages. Sex-role egalitarianism accounted for the greatest proportion of variance in approval of marital violence. Results suggest that efforts to change police response to domestic violence may require efforts to change officers' attitudes and provide support for officers and their families, in addition to training and legislation. 3 tables, 3 figures, and 46 references.