NCJ Number
151377
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1994) Pages: 265-283
Date Published
1994
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study of marital aggression supports the conclusion that spousal disagreement about violence of husband against wife has a more negative impact than does disagreement about wives' level of aggression.
Abstract
Husbands' and wives' reports of engaging in or experiencing marital aggression were compared to determine congruence, defined as spousal agreement on whether either spouse had been nonviolent, mildly violent, or severely maritally violent within the past year. Whereas approximately equal numbers of clinic couples were incongruent for husband and for wife violence, only incongruence for husband violence was found to correlate with reports of affective and relationship functioning. Incongruent wives were more likely to be depressed and angry; they were also more negative about the interspousal communication and rated the relationship as more unsatisfactory for them than did congruent wives. Incongruent husbands also perceived the relationship more negatively, but their levels of depression and anger did not differ from congruent husbands. These findings were not replicated for spouses who were incongruent for wife violence. Tables, references