NCJ Number
185713
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 6 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2000 Pages: 1190-1203
Date Published
November 2000
Length
14 pages
Annotation
A preliminary study of risk factors for continued abuse among batterers who had been arrested for domestic assault in Washington, D.C., focused on the predictive power of the level of psychological abuse in the relationship.
Abstract
Assessing dangerousness in cases of domestic assault is crucial due to the increased numbers of court cases coupled with resource limitations. The jurisdiction in which the study took place required police to make an arrest in every domestic violence case where probable cause exists to believe that a crime has been committed. Ninety-two battered women completed questionnaires in writing or verbally. The researchers were able to contact and reinterview 49 of the women about 12 weeks after the initial intake. The research instruments included the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales, a revised version of the original Conflict Tactics Scale, and the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory-Short Form. Results suggested that psychological abuse, particularly dominance and isolation, may be a useful variable in assessing dangerousness. Findings suggested that predictions of repeat violence should consider a broader conception of abuse to include psychological dominance and isolation. Findings also supported the notion that psychological abuse is part of the overall pattern of power and control and that discrete physical assaults do not adequately describe the abuse experience. Table, notes, and 34 references