PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PERPETRATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE VICTIMS

doi:10.1016/S0193-953X(05)70316-6

Psychiatric Clinics of North America

Volume 20, Issue 2, 1 June 1997, Pages 337-352

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-953X(05)70316-6 Get rights and content

Domestic violence is a widespread and devastating societal problem. More than 1.5 million women are beaten by their partners each year in the United States,88, 89 and estimates are that as many as one third of all women will be physically assaulted by a partner during their adulthood.¹¹ Most disturbingly, women are more likely to be killed by their male partners than any other category of perpetrator.¹² Beyond the direct and dire physical trauma to women, spousal abuse also has serious psychological and emotional consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and low self-esteem.⁴⁵ In addition, when there are children involved, battering appears to be related to serious behavioral problems, as well as emotional and cognitive developmental difficulties.20, 80

Historically, domestic violence has been ignored and minimized, despite its seriousness and widespread prevalence in our culture.9, 10, 23 Psychologists and medical professionals continue to evade careful evaluations or screenings for domestic violence, even though there are high rates of partner violence among women seeking psychological or marital counseling.¹¹ Although there has been a dramatic increase of empirical output in the past 15 years, the area of domestic violence continues to suffer from a lack of quality research. We still know very little about direct causes of battering and even less about treatment and prevention. Perhaps part of the reluctance of some clinicians to tackle this research is due to the complex political, ethical, and methodologic issues that arise when working with battering men.33, 49, 69

Fortunately, in the last 15 years there has been an increase in both empirical and clinical attention to domestic violence issues. Although a preliminary knowledge base is forming, many important questions remain unanswered. This article seeks to review some of the more consistent findings in the domestic violence literature. Rather than provide a comprehensive review, we specifically focus on psychological variables that have been associated empirically with male batterers and that may reliably distinguish violent from nonviolent men. We also focus on a growing body of research that concentrates on how violent couples may be different from nonviolent couples. For a more comprehensive review of the entirety of domestic violence research, we recommend a three-part series by Holtzworth-Munroe and colleagues44, 45, 46 (see also references 47, 50, and 81). Where appropriate, we also integrate some of our own recent research that has looked at differences among violent couples.

Section snippets

A METHODOLOGIC NOTE

As we briefly review the domestic violence literature, we must be careful not to convey a false sense of consistency of findings. This is an area with many discrepancies from study to study. Two important problems likely relate to this variability in findings across studies. First, the vast majority of research on domestic violence is plagued by a series of methodologic limitations, including sample selection biases, retrospective biases, and inadequate control groups.⁵⁹ Much of the research is

HOW BATTERERS DIFFER FROM NONVIOLENT MEN: PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES

Violence toward women occurs in a specific cultural context of patriarchy where control and subjugation of women, even through physical means, traditionally have been tolerated, if not legitimized.10, 23 Although patriarchy is an important societal variable that frames male battering, it is not a comprehensive or sufficient explanatory variable: Not all men raised in this culture are violent toward their partners. In addition, a growing body of research suggests that physical aggression occurs

HOW VIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS DIFFER FROM NONVIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS

Researchers are increasingly studying battering relationships in addition to battering men. There is good reason for this: Battering occurs within the context of an intimate relationship. Empirical work (and consumers of such work) in this area must be careful not to misinterpret this research as implicating women as co-conspirators toward their victimization.⁵³ Men who batter are responsible for their violence and must be held accountable. Battering men, however, do not engage in violent

SUMMARY

Domestic violence is a serious public health concern in the United States. Despite the serious and often tragically fatal consequences of spousal abuse, we have very little understanding about the root causes of domestic violence. We know even less about providing effective treatments and prevention. In this article, we have discussed some of the more promising individual difference variables that discriminate between violent and nonviolent men. We also have addressed some of the growing

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Differential profile in partner aggressors: Prison vs. mandatory community intervention programs
2014, European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context
In Spain, there are two types of sentence for partner aggressors: prison sentence and the alternative measure, specifically psychosocial intervention programs. The goal of this study was to determine differences in the delinquent and psychopathological profile of these aggressors as a function of the prison sentence received, for which the models proposed by Dutton (1995) and Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) were followed. The sample was made up of 50 incarcerated aggressors and 40 men sentenced to mandatory community orders. The variables were obtained through a mixed method, with supervision of penitentiary case files, clinical interview for personality disorder (SCID-II), and self-reports for the personality profile (NEO-PI-R). Binary logistic regression was used to identify the final model, which best reveals the differences between both groups. The results describe the incarcerated aggressors’ profile as having more altered risk factors at the socioeconomic, delinquent, and psychopathological levels. The three variables that increase the probability of belonging to the prison inmate group, according to the final model obtained were: use of weapons, drug consumption, and personality disorder. In contrast to other investigations, the high incidence in the outcomes of the target variables, mainly drug use and personality disorder, makes us wonder whether the diagnostic method used influenced the results in contrast to the exclusive use of self-reports, a goal to be confirmed in future studies.
En España, existen dos tipos de condenas para los agresores contra la pareja: la pena de prisión y la medida alternativa a esta, en concreto los programas de intervención psicosocial. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer las diferencias en perfil delictivo y psicopatológico de estos agresores según la condena recibida, para lo cual se han seguido los modelos propuestos por Dutton (1995) y Holtzworth-Munroe y Stuart (1994). La muestra está formada por 50 agresores en prison y 40 condenados a medidas alternativas (programa/intervención). Las variables se han obtenido a través de un método mixto con supervisión de expedientes penitenciarios, entrevista clínica para el trastorno de personalidad (SCID-II) y autoinforme para el perfil de personalidad (NEO-PIR). Se ha utilizado la regresión logística binaria para identificar el modelo final que mejor señala las diferencias de ambos grupos. Los resultados describen el perfil de los agresores en prisión con mayor número de factores de riesgo alterados, tanto a nivel socioeconómico, como delictivo y psicopatológico. Las tres variables que aumentan las probabilidades de pertenencia al grupo de prisión según el modelo final obtenido son: uso de armas, consumo de drogas y trastorno de personalidad. La elevada incidencia en los resultados de las variables a estudio, a diferencia de otras investigaciones principalmente en consumo de drogas y trastorno de personalidad, nos hace plantearnos si ha influido el método diagnóstico utilizado, contrario al uso exclusivo de autoinformes, objetivo a confirmar en próximos estudios.
Intimate partner violence perpetration among men and emergency department use
2011, Journal of Emergency Medicine
Citation Excerpt :
Several risk factors have been implicated in IPV perpetration that may lead to increased utilization of ED services in particular. Most notable are acute and chronic alcohol use and related problems, acute illicit drug use and drug-related diagnoses, and mental health problems, including mood and anxiety disorders, hostility, borderline personality, antisocial personality disorder, and impulsive behaviors, including impulsive violence (9–13). Certain batterer typologies (e.g., dysphoric/borderline and generally violent/antisocial batterers) have been identified, which suggests that some men who perpetrate IPV are also likely to commit non-familial violence, potentially leading to increased ED utilization for injury and mental health problems (14).
>Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and emergency department (ED) use share common risk factors, such as risk-taking behaviors, but little is known about the relationship between IPV perpetration and ED use or the effect of risk-taking on this relationship. Study Objectives: This study examined the relationship between IPV perpetration, risk-taking, and ED utilization among men in the general U.S. population. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, focusing on non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic male respondents 18–49 years of age cohabiting with a spouse or partner. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Approximately 38% of IPV perpetrators reported ED use in the previous year, compared to 24% of non-perpetrators. Several risk-taking factors (e.g., perception of risk-taking, transportation-related risk-taking, and aggression-related arrest), alcohol and illicit drug use and abuse or dependence, and serious mental illness were positively associated with IPV perpetration. Men reporting IPV were 1.5 times (AOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.01–2.13) more likely than non-perpetrators to utilize the ED, after taking all factors into account. Drug abuse or dependence, transportation-related risk behaviors, and serious mental illness also were independently associated with ED use. Conclusions: The results indicate that men who perpetrate IPV are more likely than non-perpetrators to use ED services. These findings suggest that screening for IPV, as well as risk-taking and mental illness among men accessing ED services may increase opportunities for intervention and referral.
Risk factors of marital violence of married men and women in different levels of severity
2011, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
The aim of the present study was exploring and comparing most important risk factors of marital violence perpetration in different levels of severity. An analytic and comparative design with 306 married men and women as sample of the study 156 (men and 150 women) who had been lived with each other for at least 6 months was conducted. They were selected from courts and entertainment centers in oriented sampling way. Data was collected through Personal and Relationship Profile, Dyadic Adjust Scale, Conflict Tactics Scale-revised, Demographic Inventory. Results showed significant differences between risk factors of severe and minor marital violence. Anger management and Dominance were most important predictors of minor marital violence and Negative Attribution, Criminal History, Anger management and Age were most important predictors of severe marital violence. There was no significant difference between men and women perpetrators of severe marital violence. The findings of this study indicated differences between risk factors of minor and severe violence. Furthermore, individual risk factors had more important role in perpetration of severe marital violence but relationship-contextual risk factors did not have more important role in perpetration of minor marital violence and men did not perpetrate severe marital violence more than women.
Sexual abuse experienced by married Egyptian women
2007, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Citation Excerpt :
Hsueh [17] mentioned that aging, hypertension, cigarette smoking and hypercholesterolemia were associated with erectile dysfunction in men. Studies identifying the characteristics of abusive men include emotional problems such as depression, aggression, and hostility [18]; antisocial and borderline personality disorders [19]; a history of witnessing or being a victim of violence [20]; and alcohol use [21]. Financial stress has also been identified as a common marital stressor and has been linked to marital aggression [22].
To assess the prevalence of sexual abuse (SA) and associated factors among married women in Lower Egypt.
A cross-sectional clinic- and hospital-based survey was designed for married women aged between 16 and 49 years. The study was conducted with 936 women from the Dakahlia Governorate, which is considered representative of Lower Egypt. Data were collected by personal interview using a questionnaire.
The response rate was 93.6%. The most commonly reported frequency of sexual intercourse was 2 to 4 times per week. More than one-third of the women (36.2%) thought this was too frequent, and 11.5% reported being sexually abused in addition to other sexual problems. The educational level of the women; the presence of genital mutilation; parity, especially for those who had more than 5 deliveries; number of gynecologic visits; and history of gynecologic interventions were significantly or highly significantly associated with SA. The husbands' educational level and age were highly significantly correlated with their wives reporting SA, particularly when the men were illiterate or were smokers or drug users.
The study's findings demonstrate an immediate need for the prevention of SA in Lower Egypt.
Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence: Review and Implications for Evidence-Based Practice
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2024, Gender Issues

View all citing articles on Scopus

: Address reprint requests to Eric Gortner, MS, Center for Clinical Research, 1107 45th Avenue East, Suite 310, Seattle, WA 98195

^*: From the Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

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PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PERPETRATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE VICTIMS

Section snippets

A METHODOLOGIC NOTE

HOW BATTERERS DIFFER FROM NONVIOLENT MEN: PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES

HOW VIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS DIFFER FROM NONVIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS

SUMMARY

Clinical Psychology Review

Clinical Psychology Review

Addict Behav

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Cognitive behavioral treatment of physical aggression in marriage

Alcohol use in male spouse abusers and their female partners

Journal of Family Violence

The assessment of maritally violent men on the California Psychological Inventory

Violence and Victims

Hostility and stress as mediators of aggression in violent men

Journal of Family Violence

Relationships among marital investment, marital satisfaction, and marital commitment in domestically victimized and nonvictimized wives

Violence and Victims

An inventory for measuring depression

Arch Gen Psychiatry

Domestic abuse by male alcohol and drug addicts

Violence and Victims

How battered women and abusive men account for domestic violence: Excuses, justifications, or explanations?

Violence against women by male partners: Prevalences, outcomes, and policy implications

Am Psychol

Gender, intimacy, and lethal violence: Trends from 1976–1987

Gender and Society

America's angriest home videos: Behavioral contingencies observed in home reenactments of marital conflict

J Consult Clin Psychol

An inventory for assessing different kinds of hostility

J Consult Psychology

Prevention of wife battering: Insights from cultural analysis

Response to the Victimization of Women and Children

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

Journal of Family Violence

Lesbian battering: The relationship between personality and the perpetration of violence

Violence and Victims

Negative reciprocity and communication in couples with a violent husband

J Abnorm Psychol

Sex role egalitarianism and marital violence

Sex Roles

Marital conflict and child adjustment: An emotional security hypothesis

Psychol Bull

Effects of alcohol, gender, and role of spouses on attributions and evaluations of marital violence scenarios

Violence and Victims

Some social structure determinants of inconsistency between attitudes and behavior: The case of family violence

Journal of Marriage and the Family

Violence Against Wives: A Case Against Patriarchy

Patriarchy and wife assault: The ecological fallacy

Violence and Victims

Wife assaulter's explanations for assault: The neutralization of self-punishment

Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science

Concern for power, fear of intimacy, and aversive stimuli for wife assault

Evidence for long-term, specific effects of childhood abuse and neglect on criminal behavior in men

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Psychological differences between court-referred and self-referred wife assaults

Criminal Justice and Behavior

Reasons for alcohol use in maritally violent men

Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse

The role of emotional abuse in physically abusive relationships

Journal of Family Violence

Research and advocacy: Can one wear two hats?

Family Process

Domestic violence and chemical dependency: Dual problems, dual interventions

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

The relationship between heart rate reactivity, emotionally aggressive behavior, and general violence in batterers

Journal of Family Psychology

Manual for the California Psychological Inventory

Borderline Personality Disorder

Personality correlates of men who batter and nonviolent men: Some continuities and discontinuities

Journal of Family Violence

Personality characteristics of spouse abusers: A controlled comparison

Violence and Victims

Alcohol and aggressive personality styles: Potentiators of serious physical aggression against wives?

Journal of Family Psychology

Attributing negative intent to wife behavior: The attributions of maritally violent versus nonviolent men

J Abnorm Psychol

Typologies of male batterers: Three subtypes and the differences among them

Psychol Bull