NCJ Number
54910
Date Published
1978
Length
22 pages
Annotation
FINDINGS FROM INTERVIEWS WITH 2,143 AMERICAN COUPLES, OF WHOM 1,146 HAD ONE OR MORE CHILDREN AT HOME, ARE GIVEN. DATA COVER VIOLENCE BETWEEN SPOUSES, BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD, AND CHILD-TO-PARENT VIOLENCE.
Abstract
EACH RESPONDENT WAS ASKED ABOUT 18 BEHAVIORS, OF WHICH 8 WERE VIOLENT. ABOUT 16 PERCENT HAD ENGAGED IN SPOUSE-TO-SPOUSE VIOLENCE DURING THE PREVIOUS YEAR; BETWEEN A FOURTH AND A THIRD HAD ENGAGED IN VIOLENCE DURING THE COURSE OF THE MARRIAGE. SINCE UNDERREPORTING HAS BEEN FOUND IN OTHER STUDIES, IT IS LIKELY THE TRUE RATE IS CLOSER TO 50 OR 60 PERCENT. ABOUT 13 PERCENT HAD PUSHED, SHOVED, OR GRABBED A SPOUSE, 7 PERCENT HAD THROWN SOMETHING, AND 7 PERCENT HAD SLAPPED A SPOUSE DURING THE PAST YEAR. DURING THE PREVIOUS YEAR 1.5 PERCENT HAD EXPERIENCED SEVERE BEATING WITH 5 PERCENT REPORTING THIS DURING THE MARRIAGE. RATES FOR BEING THREATENED WITH A GUN OR KNIFE WERE 1 OF 200 DURING THE YEAR AND 1 OF 27 DURING THE MARRIAGE. ABOUT 58 PERCENT OF CHILDREN HAD BEEN SPANKED DURING THE YEAR, 71 PERCENT DURING THEIR LIFETIME; 13 PERCENT WERE HIT WITH AN OBJECT WITHIN THE YEAR, 20 PERCENT DURING THEIR LIFETIME; AND PATTERNS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN WERE APPARENT. PARENTS REPORTING MORE SPANKINGS ALSO REPORTED A LARGER NUMBER OF OTHER VIOLENT INCIDENTS. DURING THE YEAR 1 CHILD IN 1,000 IS THREATENED WITH A GUN OR KNIFE; ABOUT 3 PERCENT ARE SO THREATENED DURING THEIR LIFETIME. ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF CHILDREN ARE HIT, BEATEN, OR PUNCHED BY SIBLINGS, AND 4.7 PERCENT ARE THREATENED WITH A GUN OR KNIFE BY SIBLINGS. INCIDENCE OF VIOLENCE BY CHILD AGAINST PARENT RANGED FROM 7 TO 10 PERCENT FOR SUCH BEHAVIORS AS SLAPPING, THROWING, AND SHOVING, WHILE 0.2 PERCENT THREATENED WITH A GUN OR KNIFE AND 0.4 USED A GUN OR KNIFE. TABLES PRESENTING STUDY DATA ARE INCLUDED, AS ARE DISCUSSIONS OF THE FINDINGS AND EXTENSIVE FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES. (GLR)