NCJ Number
83471
Date Published
1982
Length
177 pages
Annotation
Fifty women who had been physically abused by their spouses were compared with 50 women with nonviolent marriages to determine the personal and situational factors associated with wife abuse.
Abstract
Eleven hypotheses were tested, based on previous research suggesting that wifebeating is associated with violence in one or both spouses' families of origin, adherence to traditional sex role models, low levels of verbal communication between the spouses, and situational stresses such as financial problems. The subjects were all volunteers recruited through a local newspaper, a shelter for women, local women's organizations, and other sources. Each member of the comparison group was matched with a member of the experimental group in terms of educational level. Data were collected by means of personal interviews using an openended format and lasting about 90 minutes. Among findings were that the two groups were similar in terms of family size and religion. The frequency and severity of violence increased over time for most of the women. One-fifth of the women reported that their husbands were always drunk when violence occurred, while one-sixth of the men were never drunk when the beatings occurred. Over one-fourth of the women never discussed the violence with their husbands, and over half never told anyone else about the violence during the time it was taking place. Most of the women felt embarrassed and ashamed about being beaten. Other findings related to possible predisposing factors such as status inequality and family background, personality factors such as traditionalism and the man's level of hostility, possible factors which promoted violence, the couples' relationships with others, and contact with service agencies. It was concluded that many factors relate to domestic violence, although the women tended to have low self-esteem and the man's dominance level was related to the severity of his violence. Tables, a list of 56 references, 22 reference notes, 23 footnotes, an appendix presenting the interview schedule, and an historical analysis of wifebeating are provided.