NCJ Number
109330
Journal
Social Casework Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1987) Pages: 16-23
Date Published
1987
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Violence in unmarried couples who are romantically involved is common and shows both similarities and differences with spouse abuse.
Abstract
Courtship violence or dating violence has been measured using a version of the Conflict Tactics Scales as developed by Murray Straus. This instrument measures the use of physical force ranging from slapping to beating up or using a gun or a knife. The less violent acts are most common, involving from 13 percent to 61 percent of high school and college students surveyed. However, the most serious types of violence have prevalence rates ranging from 1 percent to 4 percent. Women are more likely than men to experience severe violence. Jealousy, denial of sex, and drinking behavior appear to be the most likely issues underlying the violence. Dating violence is similar to spouse abuse in that it appears to reflect sex-role issues and involves people with high levels of emotional investment and involvement. Violent family background, general societal approval of violence, and presence of alcohol appear also to relate to both types of violence. However, dating violence differs from spousal violence in that stress is not a good predictor of dating violence, the sources of conflicts are different among dates and spouses, and termination of the relationship is easier. Educational institutions should openly acknowledge that a problem exists, educate the school community about the problem, teach nonviolent conflict resolution skills, and provide intervention programs for people involved in violence. 39 footnotes.