NCJ Number
138059
Journal
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry Volume: 15 Dated: (1992) Pages: 101-112
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The characteristics of wife abusers and incarcerated offenders appear to be similar from the research: abusive family backgrounds, traumatic separations, alcohol and drug abuse, and psychiatric and personality disorders. This study assessed the prevalence of these risk markers for wife assault among a sample of 70 Federal prison inmates and 29 of their female partners.
Abstract
In the file review component of the study, a preliminary data collection form was tested on the first 129 institutional files used, and then revised for use with the remaining 597 files. The study found evidence of extreme risk for wife assault in incarcerated populations. There was also a high prevalence of personality disorders and narcissism; and borderline personalities were overrepresented, especially among the family violent group. The presence of one or more of these disorders along with childhood victimization indicated at least a moderate risk for wife abuse. Future research should include a long-term postrelease of a sample of couples to examine personal characteristics of both male and female, couple communications skills, the man's work situation, and peer group affiliations. 6 tables and 23 references