NCJ Number
149919
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1994) Pages: 113-124
Date Published
1994
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Data from 180 couples referred to a domestic assault treatment program at three military bases formed the basis of an analysis of conflict tactics and injuries resulting from spouse abuse.
Abstract
The husbands and wives took part in conjoint structured interviews regarding physical aggression and injuries. In 82 percent of the couples, both husband and wife reported engaging in physical aggression. Based on reports of the wife, in 9 percent of the couples, only the husband was physically aggressive. Based on reports of both husband and wife, in 4 percent of the couples, the wife was the only physically aggressive partner. Although both men and women reported engaging in similar aggressive acts, the percentage of women reporting injuries, especially severe injuries, was much higher than the corresponding percentage of men. Injuries were also related to the use of more severe aggressive behaviors as assessed by the Conflict Tactics Scale. Findings provide support for conceptualizations of spouse abuse that emphasize the importance of addressing impact dimensions of aggression in addition to topographic dimensions in comparing this phenomenon between males and females. Tables, footnotes, and 19 references (Author abstract modified)