NCJ Number
209518
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 19 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2004 Pages: 399-410
Date Published
December 2004
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Using data from the 1985 National Family Violence Survey (subsample, n=2,733), this study identified risk factors for the co-occurrence of wife and child abuse.
Abstract
The 1985 National Family Violence Survey used the Conflict Tactics Scale to measure domestic violence and child abuse. Physical child abuse was defined as any one of the following in the past year: throwing something at the child; kicking, biting, or hitting with a fist; beating up; burning or scalding; threatening with a knife or gun; and using a knife or gun. Wife abuse was defined by any of the following in the past year: threatening to hit or throw something; throwing something; pushing, grabbing, or shoving; slapping; kicking, biting, or hitting with a fist; hitting or trying to hit with an object; beating up; choking; threatening with a knife or gun; using a knife or firing a gun; and forced sex or attempted forced sex. Three subgroups of abusive households were compared: wife abuse and child abuse, child abuse alone, and wife abuse alone. All analyses were weighted to correct for oversampling in the original survey. One-way ANOVA and chi-square analyses were conducted to compare characteristics of parents, children, and households among the three subgroups. Significant differences in the subgroups were found. Notably, the subgroup of households with the co-occurrence of wife and child abuse was distinguished by both husbands and wives having less education than the spouses in the other two groups. The respondents in this subgroup were also more likely to have higher scores on the depression index and were less likely to report that they were in very good or excellent physical health. Also, husbands in the co-occurrence group reportedly used drugs most often (an average of 19 times in the past year). Study limitations and future research are discussed. 4 tables and 35 references