This study addresses the intended escalatory tendency in eight hypothetical situations in which the provocator's identity (partner or stranger, male or female) and the provocation form (verbal or physical aggression) were manipulated. The research question is "how does the identity of the provocator and the form of his or her provocation…

A number of studies have found evidence suggesting that being a witness to violence puts a child at risk of developing social and psychological problems. However, most of these studies used populations of severely battered women and did not control for confounding with other family characteristics. This study analyzed male and female responses…

Compares the rate of physical abuse of children and spouses from a 1975 study with rates from a 1985 replication. The 1985 rates were substantially lower than in 1975. Possible reasons for the lower rates are examined and evaluated. (Author/ABB)

This study examined the link between alcohol use and domestic violence in the American Indian population. A total of 204 American Indian families and 2,007 non-American Indian Whites were analyzed using the 1985 National Family Violence Resurvey. The rates of family violence were first calculated by ethnicity, and then compared to a sample of…

This study examined assaults on wives by their husbands in an attempt to provide information on the intoxication-victimization theory, a theory that posits intoxication as a condition which increases the probability of victimization. Data were obtained by telephone interviews in 1985 with a national probability sample of 6,002 households. The wife…

Surveys of married and dating couples find that women assault their male partners at about the same rate as men assault female partners. When assaults serious enough to cause death were examined, it was found that in contrast to the extreme rarity of homicide by women outside the family, women kill their male partners at a rate that approaches the…

This study compared the rate of physical abuse of children from a 1975 study with the rates from a 1985 replication study. Both studies used nationally representative samples (2,143 families in 1975 and 3,520 families in 1985), and both found an extremely high incidence of physical assaults against children which were severe enough to constitute…

With the exception of intra-family murder and child abuse, there has been very little research on violence between family members. However, preliminary results of this study indicate that even at age 17 and 18, 62 percent of siblings had hit each other during the previous 12-month period. Also, physical fights between husband and wife have…

One of the reasons why so few parents question the wisdom of "spare the rod and spoil the child" and why so few researchers have investigated the potential adverse effects, is probably the culturally accepted assumption that, when done "in moderation," physical punishment is harmless and sometimes necessary. This study starts from assumptions that…

Application of the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) to the assessment of child abuse is described. The CTS is a brief instrument designed to measure three aspects of parent-to-child behavior: (1) reasoning; (2) psychological aggression; and (3) physical aggression. The psychological and physical aggression indexes are intended to measure the…

There are many studies of violence in marriage and in dating. Methodological differences between studies, however, make it difficult to determine differences in the nature and extent of physical assault between marital status groups. This study analyzed data from two surveys: a study of 526 dating couples at a large midwestern university, and a…

The last decade has provided considerable research on the causes and effects of physical aggression in the family, but much less has been accomplished on the causes and effects of verbal/symbolic aggression. This verbal/symbolic aggression is defined as a communication, either verbal or nonverbal, intended to cause psychological pain to another…

The Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) is the most widely used instrument for measuring the tactics used by members of a family in a conflict situation. It is intended to measure the extent to which family members use reasoning, verbal aggression, and physical aggression. Focus is on: (1) bringing together and evaluating criticisms of the CTS so that…

Studied large national sample of U.S. adults, finding that almost one-half recalled having been corporally punished during adolescence. Data analysis revealed that children who experienced corporal punishment in adolescence had increased risk later in life of depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts, alcohol abuse, physical abuse of children, and…

The Social Integration Scale (SIS) is intended to facilitate empirical research on the applicability of control theory to many types of adult crime, including "street crime," white collar crime, and physical assaults on spouses. There are five subscales: (1) belief (belief in law and social control); (2) commitment (psychological…