Exploratory Study of Women as Dominant Aggressors of Physical Violence in Their Intimate Relationships

• NCJ Number: 229491
• Journal: Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma Volume: 18 Issue: 7 Dated: October-November 2009 Pages: 718-738
• Author(s): Lisa Conradi; Robert Geffner; L. Kevin Hamberger; Gary Lawson
• Date Published: November 2009
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special issue on Female Offenders of Intimate Partner Violence, Part II, for additional information see NCJ-229488-490 and NCJ-229492-494.

Annotation

This study examined factors that lead to a woman's aggression and violence in their intimate relationships.

Abstract

From the study, seven major themes emerged, which included a history of victimization and trauma, substance abuse, and a history of violence across relationships and situations. These results suggest that the violence committed by dominantly aggressive women may be explained by an integrated conceptual framework of domestic violence. In the last 20 years, research has emerged that suggests that women may be violent in intimate relationships. This article describes a qualitative study focusing on women who were classified as dominant aggressors of violence in their intimate relationships. Ten subjects participated in a detailed clinical interview and completed five written measures to examine the factors that led to their later aggression, including sociocultural factors, history of trauma, gender role identification, and intergenerational transmission of violence. Tables and references (Published Abstract)