NCJ Number
186374
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 12 Issue: 2/3 Dated: 2000 Pages: 95-120
Editor(s)
Donna C. Hale
Date Published
2000
Length
26 pages
Annotation
An analysis was conducted of women’s accounts of domestic violence to assess both structure and content revealing a better understanding of women’s responses to violence.
Abstract
The field of domestic violence has been pressured to incorporate women’s accounts of violent incidents into research and practice. Women’s accounts have important additional information and a more complex structure than a focus on the types of abuse allows. A quantitative thematic analysis of women’s accounts was conducted. The data source was a multi-site evaluation of batterer programs in four cities; Pittsburgh, Dallas, Houston, and Denver. The primary data used were the incident accounts contained in the women’s background questionnaires and administered via phone interview within two weeks of their partner’s intake into the batterer program. Three types of account structures were identified; complete story, near story, and no story. Results showed that men were less likely to present complete stories, had far briefer narratives, and never discussed relationship issues. Nearly all the women presented their account of domestic violence in the form of a story or a near story. Knowledge of the structure and content of women’s accounts of violence may help professionals to address the most urgent needs of women. Study limitations are identified. Note and references