Intimate Partner Violence Victim and Perpetrator Characteristics Among Couples in the United States

• NCJ Number: 223758
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 6 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 507-518
• Author(s): Raul Caetano; Patrice A. C. Vaeth; Suhasini Ramisetty-Mikler
• Date Published: August 2008
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): R37-AA10908
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using a multistage area probability sample representative of married and cohabiting couples from the 48 contiguous States, this study determined the characteristics (sociodemographic, alcohol consumption, and selected psychological attributes) of perpetrators and victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) among couples in the United States.

Abstract

The study found that those involved in violent relationships did not appear to be very different from those not involved in violent relationships. The most likely reason for this is the nature of IPV in general-population samples, which is moderate in most cases. The findings determined that age was the only consistent characteristic for IPV perpetrators and victims (both men and women) across violence-related statuses. Older individuals were less likely to be victims and perpetrators, as well as less likely to be involved in mutually violent relationships. Other variables--such as ethnicity, marital status, drinking, impulsivity, depression, and powerlessness--were either gender-related or status-specific (type of violence) in their ability to predict victimization, perpetration, or victimization/perpetration. Blacks and Hispanics had more IPV-related health problems compared to Whites. Hispanic men were more likely to be perpetrators of violence, and Black men were more likely to be involved in mutually violent relationships compared to White men. Hispanic women were more likely to be victims of violence and to be in mutually violent relationships, and Black women were more likely to be in mutually violent relationships than White women. Personality factors, such as impulsivity, were associated with perpetration of violence among men. Powerlessness, on the other hand, seems to have a wider and more varied effect among women, as it increases the likelihood of perpetration, victimization, and involvement in mutually violent relationships. Thus, both specific attributes of individuals--such as personality characteristics and psychological states, and sociodemographic characteristics, such as ethnicity--contribute to IPV. 6 tables and 69 references