Skip to main content
Log in

Injuries of women and men in a treatment program for domestic violence

  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Both conflict tactics and injuries resulting from marital violence were assessed for both members of the dyad in a sample of 180 couples referred to a treatment program for domestic violence in three military bases. Though both men and women reported engaging in topographically 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 use of more severe aggressive behaviors as assessed by the Conflict Tactics Scale. These results provide support for conceptualizations of spouse abuse which stress the importance of addressing impact dimensions of aggression in addition to topographic dimensions in comparing this phenomenon across genders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cascardi, M., Langhinrichsen, J., and Vivian, D. (1992). Marital aggression: Impact injury, and health correlates for husbands and wives.Arch. Int. Med. 152: 1178–1184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelles, R. J., and Conte, J. R. (1990). Domestic violence and sexual abuse of children: A review of research in the eighties.J. Marr. Fam. 52: 1045–1058.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jouriles, E. N., and O'Leary, K. D. (1985). Interpersonal reliability of reports of marital violence.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 53: 419–421.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koss, M. P. (1990). The women's mental health research agenda: Violence against women.Am. Psychologist 45: 374–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNeely, R. L., and Robinson-Simpson, G. (1987). The truth about domestic violence: A falsely framed issue.Social Work 32: 485–490.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, M. E. (1990). The new heretics: Men.Am. Psychologist 45: 675–676.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mould, D. E. (1990). Data base or data bias?Am. Psychologist 45: 676.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neidig, P. H. (1984). Spouse abuse: A causal model with assessment procedures. (Available from Behavioral Science Associates, P.O. Box 87, Stony Brook, New York, 11790)

  • O'Leary, K. D., and Arias, I. (1988). Assessing agreement of reports of spouse abuse. In Hotaling, G., Finkelhor, D., Kilpatrick, J. T., and Straus, M. A. (eds.),Family Abuse and Its Consequences: New Directions in Research, Sage, Newbury Park, CA, pp. 218–227.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Leary, K. D., Barling, J., Arias, I., Rosenbaum, A., Malone, J., and Tyree, A. (1989). Prevalence and stability of physical aggression between spouses.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 57: 263–268.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O'Leary, K. D., Vivian, D., and Malone, J. (1992). Assessment of physical aggression against women in marriage: The need for a multimodal method.Behav. Assess. 14, 5–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Leary, K. D., and Curley, A. D. (1986). Assertion and family violence: Correlates of spouse abuse.J. Marit. Fam. Ther. 12: 281–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan, H., Neidig, P. N., and O'Leary, K. D. (in press). Male-female and aggressor-victim differences in the factor structure of the modified conflict tactics scale.J. Interpersonal Violence.

  • Saunders, D. G. (1986). When battered women use violence: Husband abuse or defense.Viol. Vict. 1: 47–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stets, J. E., and Straus, M. A. (1990). Gender differences in reporting marital violence and its medical and psychological consequences. In Straus, M., and Gelles, R. (eds.),Physical Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations in 8145 Families, Transaction Books, New Brunswick, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The conflict tactics scale.J. Marr. Fam. 41: 75–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J., and Steinmetz, S. K. (1980).Behind Closed Doors: Violence in the American Family, Anchor Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A. (1990). The conflict tactics scale and its critics: An evaluation and new data on validity and reliability. In Straus, M., and Gelles, R. J. (eds.),Physical Violence in American Families: Risk Factors and Adaptations in 8145 Families, Transaction Books, New Brunswick, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker L. E. A. (1989). Psychology and violence against women.Am. Psychologist 44: 695–702.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cantos, A.L., Neidig, P.H. & O'Leary, K.D. Injuries of women and men in a treatment program for domestic violence. J Fam Viol 9, 113–124 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531958

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531958

Key words

Navigation