Faculty Bibliography

This study compared prevalence rates from reasonably representative U.S. Army (N = 33,762) and civilian (N = 3,044) samples. Age and race were controlled by weighting each sample to 1990 U.S. Census characteristics for married, full-time employed persons. Men's reports of moderate husband-to-wife spousal aggression were not significantly higher, but reports of severe aggression were significantly higher in the standardized Army sample than in the comparable civilian sample (adjusted rates of 2.5% vs. 0.7%, respectively). Thus, controlling for age and race results in reasonably similar prevalence rates. Future studies that more carefully control for any background differences in military and civilian respondents could discern whether military service adds any increased risk for partner violence.

Spouses in maritally happy nonaggressive (H; n = 21), distressed nonaggressive (DNA; n = 16), and distressed aggressive (DA; n = 20) marriages were interviewed about their perceptions of their spouse as controlling. Four areas of spousal control were assesed: involvement in decision making, relationships with family and friends, freedom to plan activities independently, and sense of competence and self-respect. Overall, as expected, spouses in happy marriages reported feeling less controlled than spouses in the 2 distressed groups. Few gender differences were obtained, with the exception that wives in aggressive marriages were more likely to report that their husbands controlled their sense of competence and self-respect. Differences between the DA and DNA groups depended on the specific area of control. Wives in the aggressive couples were significantly more likely than their husbands to state that their spouse's aggression was an attempt to control them.

Sixty couples entering a treatment program for husband-to-wife physical aggression were videotaped during a marital conflict task. Positive treatment response was significantly predicted by low levels of husbands' reciprocity of wives' hostility, accounting for approximately one-quarter of the variance. Poor treatment response, but increased treatment completion, was significantly predicted by (a) high frequency of husbands' distress- maintaining attributions and (b) low likelihood of husbands' hostility following wives' self-disclosures. Husbands' communication variables correctly predicted completion in about three-fourths of cases. Communication variables predicted dropout and treatment response over and above the effects of marital adjustment and husbands' psychological abuse. Wives' communication behaviors predicted dropout but not husbands' continued aggression. These results imply that preexisting marital processes may give important clues as to who will be responsive to treatment for partner abuse.

Seventy-five intact, volunteer couples were assigned to either a gender- specific or a conjoint 14-week group treatment for psychological and physical aggression. Participants from both treatments significantly reduced their psychological and physical aggression, at both posttreatment and 1-year follow-up. During treatment, husbands reduced their psychological aggression by 47%, their moderate physical aggression by 55%, and their severe physical aggression by 51%. Although two-thirds of the husbands maintained cessation of severe aggression during the year following treatment, only one-fourth of the husbands were violence-free. Very similar cessation and maintenance rates were obtained for wives. Significant improvements at posttreatment and follow-up were also found for both spouses' marital adjustment, husbands' taking responsibility for aggression, and wives' depression. No differential effect of treatment type was found, except that, as predicted, husbands in conjoint treatment improved more on marital adjustment. Neither form of treatment was superior to the other in terms of safety and effectiveness for volunteer, intact, and physically aggressive couples.

Husbands' and wives' perceptions of positive relationship behaviors and interactions (e.g., caring gestures, reasons for staying married, frequency of positive communication) were assessed in a sample of maritally happy (H), maritally distressed but non-aggressive (D/NA), and maritally distressed and husband-to-wife physically aggressive (D/H-to-W) couples. As expected, the relationship positivity reports of the two groups of maritally distressed couples differed from the happily married couples. In addition, D/H-to- W spouses gave different reasons for staying married than did D/NA spouses (i.e., love versus family roles and commitments). Spouses in D/H-to-W aggressive marriages were also less likely to report using intimate language with their partner than were spouses in either of the other two groups. Few gender differences were found. Results underscore the importance of considering the role of love and intimacy in husband-to-wife aggressive and distressed marriages.

Eighty four abused women seeking therapy with their husbands were accepted into a group treatment program for spouse abuse. In the current study, we evaluated the treatment outcome of those women (n = 27) diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD diagnosis, itself, did not differentiate those women who dropped out of treatment. Results indicated, however, that across all women, avoidance symptomatology significantly differentiated treatment completers from dropouts. Although women with PTSD began treatment in worse condition (lower marital satisfaction higher depressive symptomatology, greater fear of spouse), post-assessment revealed they achieved positive treatment gains parallel to those of women without PTSD. Women with PTSD improved on each outcome variable measured, including a reduction in fear of spouse. Women with PTSD also did not differentially drop out of either treatment condition (men's/women's versus conjoint groups) which lends support to the appropriateness of conjoint treatment for spouse abuse.

This study investigated the association between a husband's depressive symptomatology and the frequency of physical aggression toward his wife, as well as a husband's Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and the frequency of physical aggression toward his wife. We assessed physically aggressive men who volunteered for treatment with their wives (N = 89). Almost one third had moderate levels of depressive symptomatology (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI > or = 14]), but only 11% met criteria for MDD (based on a structured interview [SCID]). Although the rate of MDD was not absolutely high, it was higher than that reported in a community sample (i.e., 3%). A significant relationship between increased depressive symptomatology and frequency of physical aggression was found, but the association was most likely accounted for by self-reported anger. Related contextual factors including marital discord and psychological aggression are addressed. Theoretical and treatment implications are discussed, including the severity of the treatment population (volunteer vs. court mandated), and severity of the depression (symptomatology vs. clinical diagnosis).

Studies of spousal aggression, such as the national studies typically cited for prevalence rates (M. A. Straus & R. J. Gelles, 1986; M. A. Straus, R. J. Gelles, & S. K. Steinmetz, 1980), frequently use reports from only one spouse to calculate yearly prevalence. To date, no correction factor exists to help one estimate what the rates would have been had reports from both spouses been available. In this study, the authors calculate the epidemiological sensitivity of the Conflict Tactics Scale (M. A. Straus, 1979) in clinical and newly married samples and use the sensitivity figures to provide a correction equation. Correction factors are also provided for three previously published studies of interspousal agreement. The equations provided can be used to make rough estimates of the rate of male-to-female aggression when data from only one spouse are available.

Positive and negative cognitions about parenthood were assessed in a sample of recently married childless spouses who were in nondistressed, distressed, and husband-to-wife (H-to-W) aggressive marriages (328 husbands and 331 wives). As predicted, maritally distressed spouses held more negative cognitions about parenthood than did nondistressed spouses. Results indicated that spouses in H-to-W aggressive marriages expected parenthood to be a more unpredictable and difficult job than spouses in marriages not involving H-to-W aggression. Wives also reported more fears that having a child would result in a loss of freedom than did husbands. No distress, H-to-W aggression level, or gender differences were obtained for positive preparenthood cognitions. Finally, wives' but not husbands' positive and negative preparenthood cognitions at 6 months of marriage were able to predict parenthood status at 30 months of marriage.