Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare perceived life stressors, alcohol usage, and perceived quality of the intimate relationship of a group of males who have abused their female intimate with a group who have no history of abuse toward their partner. Interviews were conducted with 42 men who were defined as violent and 50 men who were defined as nonviolent. Interviews consisted of various demographic and health questions as well as standardized instrumentation (Michigan Alcoholism Screen Test, Autonomy/Relatedness Scale, Life Experiences Survey, and Conflict-Tactics Scale). Student's t tests indicated that the two groups differed as a function of perceived life Stressors, perceived quality of the intimate relationship, race, and depression. Stepwise logistic regression indicated that higher perceived quality of the intimate relationship, black race, and greater depression were significant predictors of male violence toward female intimates.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, C., and Straus, M. (1980). Resources, power, and husband-wife violence. (In M. Straus & G. Hotaling (eds.),The Social Causes of Husband-Wife Violence, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
Badawy, A. (1986). Alcohol as a psychopharmacological agent. In Brain, P. (ed.),Alcohol and Aggression, Croom Helm, Dover, NH.
Ball, R. E., and Robbins, L. (1986). Marital status and life satisfaction among Black Americans.J. Marr. Fam. 48, 389–394.
Bandura, A. (1973).Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Barlin, J., and Rosenbaum, A. (1986). Work Stressors and wife abuse.J. Appl. Psychol. 71: 346–348.
Belsky, J. (1980). Child maltreatment: An ecological integration.Am. Psychologist 35: 320–335.
Belsky, J. (1984). The determinants of parenting: A process model.Child Devel. 55: 83–96.
Bolton, F., Laner, R., Gai, D., and Kaner, S. (1981). The ‘study’ of child maltreatment: When is research ... research?J. Fam. Issues 2: 531–539.
Brain, P. F. (1986).Alcohol and Aggression, Croom Helm, Dover, NH.
Brownmiller, S. (1975).Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, Bantam Books, New York.
Buss, A. (1971). Aggression pays. In Singer, J. (ed.),The Control of Aggression and Violence, Academic Press, New York.
Check, J. (1988). Hostility toward women: Some theoretical considerations. In Russell, G. (ed.),Violence in Intimate Relationships, PMA Publishing Corp., New York.
Check, J., and Malamuth, N. (1986). Pornography and sexual aggression: A social learning theory analysis.Commun. Yearbook 6: 181–213.
Collins, J., and Schlenger, W. (1988). Acute and chronic effects of alcohol use and violence.J. Studies Alcohol 49: 516–521.
Doering, C., Brodie, H., Kraemer, H., Becker, H., and Hamburg, D. A. (1974). Plasma testosterone levels and psychologic measures in men over a two month period. In Friedman, R., Richart, R. M., and Vande Wiele, R. L. (eds.),Sex Differences in Behavior, Wiley, New York.
Dollard, J., Doob, L., Miller, N., Mowrer, O., and Sears, R. (1939).Frustration and Aggression, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.
Dutton, D., and Browning, J. (1988). Power struggles and intimacy anxieties as causative factors of wife assault. In Russell, G. (ed.),Violence in Intimate Relationships, PMA Publishing Corp., New York.
Evans, C. (1986). Alcohol and violence: Problems relating to methodology, statistics and causation. In Brain, P. F. (ed.),Alcohol and Aggression, Croom Helm, London.
Fagan, R., Barnett, O., and Dutton, J. (1988). Reasons for alcohol use in marital violent men.Am. J. Drug Alcohol Abuse, 14: 371–392.
Farrington, K. (1986). The application of stress theory to the study of family violence: Principles, problems, and prospects.J. Fam. Viol. 1; 131–147.
Franklin, C. W. (1984). Black male-female conflict: Individually caused and culturally nurtured.J. Black Studies 15: 139–154.
Garbarino, J. (1977). The human ecology of child maltreatment.J. Marri. Fam. 39: 721–735.
Garbarino, J., and Sherman, D. (1980). High-risk neighborhoods and high-risk families: The human ecology of child maltreatment.Child Devel. 51: 188–198.
Geffner, R., Rosenbaum, A., and Hughes, H. (1988). Research issues concerning family violence. In van Hasselt, V., Morrison, R., Bellack, A., and Hersen, M. (eds.),Handbook of Family Violence, Plenum Press, New York.
Gelles, R. (1974).The Violent Home: A Study of Physical Aggression Between Husbands and Wives, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
Gelles, R. (1975). Violence and pregnancy: A note on the extent of the problem and needed services.Fam. Coord. 24: 81–86.
Gelles, R. (1987).Family Viol, Sage, Newbury Park.
Gelles, R., and Cornell, C. P. (1990).Intimate Violence in Families, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
Gelles, R., and Straus, M. (1979). Determinants of violence in the family: Toward a theoretical integration. In Burr, W., Hill, R., Nye, F., and Riess, I. (eds.),Contemporary Theories About the Family, Free Press, New York.
Gibbs, L. (1983). Validity and reliability of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test: A review.Drug Alcohol Dep. 12: 279–285.
Giles-Sims, J. (1983).Wife Battering: A Systems Theory Approach, Guilford, New York.
Goldstein, D., and Rosenbaum, A. (1985). An evaluation of the self-esteem of maritally violent men.J. Fam. Relat. 34: 425–428.
Good, M. I. (1978). Primary affective disorder, aggression, and criminality.Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 35: 954–960.
Gunn, J. (1979). Drugs in the violence clinic. In M. Sandler (ed.),Psychopharmacology of Aggression, Raven Press, New York.
Guze, S., Goodwin, D., and Crane, J. (1969). Criminality and psychiatric disorders.Arch. Gen. Psychiatry, 20: 583–591.
Henslin, J. (1980).Marriage and Family in a Changing Society, The Free Press, New York.
Hoff, L. (1989).People in Crisis, Addison-Wesley, Redwood City, CA.
Howze, D., and Kotch, J. (1984). Disentangling life events, stress and social support: Implications for the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect.Child Abuse Negl. 8: 401–409.
Johnson, J. (1988).Life Events as Stressors in Childhood and Adolescence, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
Julian, T. (1987).Physiological and social-psychological bases of stress of men during the midlife transition, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University.
Julian, T., and McKenry, P. (1989). Relationship of testosterone to men's family functioning at mid-life: A research note.Aggr. Behav. 15: 281–289.
Kantor, G., and Straus, M. (1987). The drunken bum theory of wife abuse.J. Social Probl. 34: 213–230.
Lazarus, R., and Folkman, S. (1984).Stress, Appraisal, and Coping, Springer, New York.
MacEwen, K., and Barling, J. (1988). Multiple Stressors, violence in the family of origin, and marital aggression: A longitudinal investigation.J. Fam. Viol. 3: 73–86.
Margolin, G., Sibner, L., and Gleberman, L. (1988). Wife battering. In Van Hassett, V., Morrison, R., Bellack, A., and Herson, M. (eds.),Handbook of Family Violence, Plenum Press, New York.
McAuley, T., Longabaugh, R., and Gross, H. (1978). Comparative effectiveness of self and family forms of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test.J. Studies Alcohol 39: 1622–1627.
McKenry, P., and Price, S. J. (1988).Divorce: A Major Family Transition, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
Meyer-Bahlburg, H. (1981). Androgens and human aggression. In Brain, P. F., and Benton, D. (eds.),The Biology of Aggression, Sijthoff and Noordhoff, Rockville, MD.
Neidig, P., Friedman, D., and Collins, B. (1986). Attitudinal characteristics of males who have engaged in spouse abuse.J. Fam. Viol. 1: 223–233.
O'Leary, R. (1988). Physical aggressors between spousal abuse: A social learning perspective. In van Hasselt, V., Morrison, R., Bellack, A., and Hersen, M. (eds.),Handbook of Family Violence, Plenum Press, New York.
Pagelow, M. (1981).Women Battering: Victims and Their Experiences, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
Pernamen, K. (1981). Theoretical aspects of the relationship between alcohol use and crime. In Collins, J. (ed.),Drinking and Crime: Perspectives on the Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption and Criminal Behavior, Guilford Press, New York.
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self report depression scale for research in the general population.Appl. Psychological Measure. 1: 385–401.
Rosenbaum, A., and O'Leary, K. (1981). Marital violence: Characteristics of abusive couples.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 49: 63–71.
Rounsaville, B. (1978). Theories of marital violence: Evidence from a study of battered women.Victimology, 3: 11–31.
Sarason, I., Johnson, J., and Siegel, J. (1978). Assessing the impact of life changes: Development of the life experiences survey.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 64: 932–946.
Schaefer, E. S., and Edgerton, M. (1982).Autonomy and relatedness inventory (ARI), Unpublished manuscript, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Schlesselman, J. J. (1982).Case Control Studies: Design, Conduct, Analysis, Oxford University, New York.
Schuerger, J., and Reigle, N. (1988). Personality and biographic data that characterize men who abuse their wives.J. Clin. Psychol. 44: 75–81.
Selzer, M. (1971). The Michigan alcoholism screening test: The quest for a new diagnostic instrument.Am. J. Psychiatry 127: 1653–1658.
Selzer, M., Vinokur, A., and van Rooijen, L. (1975). A self-administered Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test.J. Studies Alcohol 36: 117–126.
Skinner, H., and Sheu, W. (1982). Reliability of alcohol use indices: The lifetime drinking history and the MAST.J. Studies Alcohol 43: 1157–1170.
Staples, R. (1988). The Black American Family. In C. H. Mindel, R. W. Habenstein, and R. Wright (eds.),Ethnic Families in America, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Star, B. (1980). Patterns of family violence.Social Casework 61: 261–263.
Stark, R., and McEvoy, I. (1970). Middle-class violence.Psychology Today 4: 52–54.
Steinmetz, S. K. (1987). Family violence: Past, present, and future. In Sussman, M. B., and Steinmetz, S. K. (eds.),Handbook of Marriage and the Family, Plenum Press, New York.
Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The conflict tactics (CT) scale.J. Marr. Family 41: 75–88.
Straus, M. A. (1980). Social stress and marital violence in a national sample of American families. Symposium on Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry, New York Academy of Sciences.Ann. NY Acad. Sci.
Straus, M., and Gelles, R. (1986). Societal change and change in family violence from 1975 to 1985 as revealed by two national surveys.J. Marr. Fam. 48: 785–793.
Tollefson, G. (1989). Serotonin and alcohol: Interrelationship.Psychopathology 22: 37–48.
U.S. Bureau of the Census (1991).Statistical Abstract of the United Slates: 1991, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C..
Valzelli, L. (1981).Psychobiology of Aggression and Violence, Raven Press, New York.
Vold, G. B. (1986).Theoretical Criminology, Oxford University, New York.
Walker, L. (1979).The Battered Women, Harper & Row, New York.
Winslow, J., Ellingboe, J., and Miczek, K. (1988). Effects of alcohol on aggressive behavior in squirrel monkeys: Influence of testosterone on social context.Psychopharmacology, 95: 356–363.
Wodarski, J. (1987). An examination of spouse abuse: practice issues for the profession.Clin. Social Work J. 68: 172–187.
Zung, B., and Charalampous, K. (1975). Item analysis of the Michigan alcoholism screening test.J. Studies Alcohol 36: 127–132.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Julian, T.W., McKenry, P.C. Mediators of male violence toward female intimates. J Fam Viol 8, 39–56 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986992
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986992