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From Victim to Offender: The Effects of Male Initiated Violence on Women Arrested for Using Intimate Partner Violence

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Abstract

A number of theorists posit that most women who are arrested for using violence against their intimate partners are in-fact victims of IPV themselves and should be treated as such. However, in this population of women IPV arrestees empirical investigation has yet to explore how physical and emotional victimization experiences are associated with arrest related factors, propensity to be abusive or attitude toward using relationship violence. The current study explores these factors finding no difference in arrest factors between women who (a) deny abuse, (b) report rare/occasional abuse and (c) report frequent/very frequent abuse. However, mixed results were found with regard to participants’ responses on scales measuring propensity to be abusive and attitudes about using violence in marriage. Theoretical and practical related issues are addressed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, 711 Jefferson Ave, Room 605, Memphis, TN, 38163, USA

    Catherine A. Simmons

  2. School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA

    Peter Lehmann

  3. School of Social Work, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Shannon Collier-Tenison

Authors
  1. Catherine A. Simmons
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  2. Peter Lehmann
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  3. Shannon Collier-Tenison
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Correspondence to Catherine A. Simmons.

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Simmons, C.A., Lehmann, P. & Collier-Tenison, S. From Victim to Offender: The Effects of Male Initiated Violence on Women Arrested for Using Intimate Partner Violence. J Fam Viol 23, 463–472 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9173-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9173-8

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