Abstract
Intimate partner violence continues to be prevalent, resulting in negative consequences for the individuals involved and for society as a whole. Perceptions of safety in relationships where intimate partner violence is present is an understudied topic in the literature. The Safety Assessment of Future Events Scale (SAFE) was developed to assess respondents’ perceptions of safety in their intimate relationship. The purpose of this study was to examine whether group differences existed on respondents’ SAFE scores. 428 participants from community and clinic samples completed the SAFE and other measures contained in a southwest university’s marriage and family therapy clinic intake packet. ANCOVA was used to control for gender and setting in determining if group differences existed on the SAFE based on measures assessing interpersonal violence, relational adjustment, intrapersonal symptoms, and PTSD symptoms. Results indicated group differences based on gender, interpersonal violence victimization, and relational adjustment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington: Author.
Anderson, K. L. (1997). Gender, status, and domestic violence: an integration of feminist and family violence approaches. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59(3), 655–669.
Archer, J. (1999). Assessment of the reliability of the conflict tactics scales: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14(12), 1263–1289.
Astin, M. C. (1993). Posttraumatic stress disorder among battered women: risk and resiliency factors. Violence and Victims, 8, 17–28.
Bacchus, L., Mezey, G., & Bewley, S. (2003). Experiences of seeking help from health Professionals in a sample of women who experienced domestic violence. Health & Social Care in the Community, 11, 10–18.
Black, M. C., & Breiding, M. J. (2008).Adverse health conditions and health risk behaviors associated with intimate partner violence—United States, 2005. Retrieved March 26th, 2010: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5705a1.htm.
Bradley, R., Schwartz, A. C., & Kaslow, N. J. (2005). Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among low-income, African American women with a history of intimate partner violence and suicidal behaviors: Self-esteem, social support, and religious coping. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18(6), 685–696.
Busby, D. M., Christensen, C., & Crane, D. R. (1995). A revision of the Dyadic Adjustemnt Scale for use with distressed and nondistressed couples: Construct Hierarchy and multidimensional scales. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21, 289–308.
Campbell, J. C. (2005). Assessing dangerousness in domestic violence cases: history, challenges, and opportunities. Vollmer Award Address, 4, 653–672.
Campbell, J. C., & Lewandowski, L. A. (1997). Mental and physical health effects of intimate partner violence on women and children. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 20, 353–374.
Cascardi, M., Riggs, D. S., Hearst-Ikeda, D., & Foa, E. B. (1996). Objective ratings of assault safety as predictors of PTSD. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 11(1), 65–78.
Coker, A. L., Smith, P. H., McKeown, R. E., & King, M. J. (2000). Frequency and correlates of intimate partner violence by type: physical, sexual, and psychological battering. American Journal of Public Health, 90, 553–559.
Cordova, J. V., Warren, L. Z., Gee, C. B., & McDonald, R. P. (2002). Intimate safety: Measuring the private experience of intimacy in men and women. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Cordova, J. V., Gee, C. B., & Warren, L. Z. (2005). Emotional skillfulness in marriage: intimacy as a mediator of the relationship between emotional skillfulness and marital satisfaction. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24(2), 218–235.
Derogatis, L. R. (1983). SCL-90-R; Administration, scoring and procedures: Manual II. Towson: Clinical Psychometric Research.
Derogatis, L. R. (1993). Brief symptom inventory: Administration scoring and procedures manual (3rd ed.). Minneapolis: National Computer Systems.
DeVet, K. A. (1997). Parent-adolescent relationships, physical disciplinary history, and adjustment in adolescents. Family Process, 36, 311–322.
Dutton, M. A., Goodman, L. A., & Bennett, L. (2001). Court-involved battered women’s responses to violence: The role of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. In K. O’Leary & R. D. Maiuro (Eds.), Psychological abuse in violent domestic relations. New York: Springer.
Dutton, M. A., Green, B. L., Kaltman, S. I., Roesch, D. M., Zeffiro, T. A., & Krause, E. D. (2006). Intimate partner violence, PTSD, and adverse health outcomes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21(7), 955–968.
Ehrensaft, M. K., & Vivian, D. (1999). Is partner aggression related to appraisals of coercive control by a partner? Journal of Family Violence, 14(3), 251–266.
Falsetti, S. A. (1997). A review of the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale. Paper presented at the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Falsetti, S. A., Resnick, H. S., Resick, P. A., & Kilpatrick, D. (1993). The Modified PTSD Symptom Scale: a brief self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder. The Behavioral Therapist, 16, 161–162.
Golding, J. M. (1999). Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: a meta-analysis. Journal of Family violence, 14(2), 99–132.
Gottman, J. M. (1999). Marriage clinic: A scientifically based marriage therapy. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Harding, H. G., & Helweg-Larsen, M. (2009). Perceived risk for future intimate partner violence among women in a domestic violence shelter. Journal of Family Violence, 24, 75–85.
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., & Stuart, G. L. (1994). Typologies of male batterers: three subtypes and the differences among them. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 476–497.
Houskamp, B. M., & Foy, D. W. (1991). The assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder in battered women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6, 367–375.
Johnson, M. P. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 283–294.
Johnson, M. P. (2006). Conflict and control: gender symmetry and asymmetry in domestic violence. Violence Against Women, 12, 1003–1018.
Johnson, M. P., & Ferraro, K. J. (2000). Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: making distinctions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 948–963.
Johnson, M. P., & Leone, J. M. (2005). The differential effects of intimate terrorism and situational couple violence. Journal of Family Issues, 26(3), 322–349.
Kaura, S. A., & Lohman, B. J. (2007). Dating violence victimization, relationship satisfaction, mental health problems, and acceptability of violence: a comparison of men and women. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 367–381.
Krause, E. D., Kaltman, S., Goodman, L., & Dutton, M. A. (2006). Role of distinct PTSD symptoms in intimate partner reabuse: a prospective study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 19(4), 507–516.
O’Campo, P., Kub, J., Woods, A., Garza, M., Jones, A. S., Gielen, A. C., et al. (2006). Depression, PTSD, and comorbidity related to intimate partner violence in civilian and military women. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 6(2), 99–110.
Pearlman, L. A., & Saakvitne, K. W. (1995). Constructivist self development theory and trauma therapy. In: Trauma and the therapist: Countertransference and vicarious traumatization in psychotherapy with incest survivors (pp. 55–74). New York: Norton.
Perez, S., & Johnson, D. M. (2008). PTSD compromises battered women’s future safety. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(5), 635–651.
Pico-Alfonso, M. A., Garcia-Linares, M., Celda-Navarro, N., Blasco-Ros, C., Echeburua, E., & Martinez, M. (2006). The Impact of physical, psychological, and sexual intimate male partner violence on women’s mental health: depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder, state anxiety, and suicide. Journal of Women’s Health, 15(5), 599–611.
Pressman, B. (1989). Wife abused couples: the need for comprehensive theoretical perspective and integrate treatment models. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 1, 23–43.
Sackett, L. A., & Saunders, D. G. (1999). The impact of different forms of psychological abuse on battered women. Violence and Victims, 14, 105–117.
Schacht, R. L., Dimidjian, S., George, W. H., & Berns, S. B. (2009). Domestic violence assessment procedures among couple therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 35(1), 47–59.
Schafer, J., Caetano, R., & Clark, C. L. (1998). Rates of intimate partner violence in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 88(11), 1702–1704.
Smith, D. B., Whiting, J. B., Servino, D., Oka, M., & Karakurt, G. (2010). The Safety Assesement of Future Events Scale (SAFE). Assessing perceptions of risk for future violence in intimate partner relationships. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Stith, S. M., Rosen, K. H., McCollum, E. E., & Thompson, C. J. (2004). Treating intimate partner violence within intact couple relationships: outcomes of multi-couple versus individual couple therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30(3), 305–318.
Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: the conflict tactics scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75–88.
Straus, M. A. (1990). Manual for the conflict tactics scales. Durham: Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire.
Straus, M. A., & Douglas, E. M. (2004). A short form of the revised conflict tactics scales, and typologies for severity and mutuality. Violence and Victims, 19(5), 507–520.
Straus, M. A., & Ramirez, I. L. (2007). Gender symmetry in prevalence, severity, and chronicity of physical aggression against dating partners by university students in Mexico and USA. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 281–290.
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2): development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283–316.
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., & Warren, W. L. (2003). The conflict tactics scales handbook. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Street, A. E., & Arias, I. (2001). Psychological abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder in battered women: examining the roles of shame and guilt. Violence and Victims, 16(1), 65–78.
Taft, C. T., Vogt, D. S., Mechanic, M. B., & Resick, P. A. (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder and physical health symptoms among women seeking help for relationship Aggression. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(3), 354–362.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Full report of the prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the national violence against women survey. Washington: National Institute of Justice.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2002). Extent, nature and consequences of intimate partner violence. Available at www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/181867.pdf.
Tyson, S. Y., Herting, J. R., & Randell, B. P. (2007). Beyond violence: threat reappraisal in women recently separated from intimate-partner violent relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24(5), 693–706.
Vitanza, S., Vogel, L. C., & Marshall, L. L. (1995). Distress and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in abused women. Violence and Victims, 10, 23–34.
Whalen, M. (2005). Battery, control, and power in intimate relationships: Designing crisis interventions. In B. G. Collins & T. M. Collins (Eds.), Crisis and trauma: Developmental-ecological intervention. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Williams, S. L., & Frieze, I. H. (2005). Patterns of violent relationships, psychological distress, and marital satisfaction in a national sample of men and women. Sex Roles, 52(11–12), 771–784.
Woods, S. J. (2000). Prevalence and patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder in abused and postabused women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 21, 309–324.
Woods, S. J. (2005). Intimate partner violence and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in women: what we know and need to know. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(4), 394–402.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Servino, D., Smith, D.B., Porter, R.D. et al. Perceptions of Safety in Intimate Relationships: Group Differences Based on Gender and Setting. J Fam Viol 26, 431–438 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-011-9377-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-011-9377-1