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…

Interviews with runaways reveals the following stages of a runaway episode: (1) problematic relationships at home, characterized by violence, power struggles, sibling favoritism, and a lack of love; (2) the fight, which includes a transgression and a parental threat; and (3) running away, where the youth must manage fear and handle logistical…

Hypothesizes that marital conflict contributes unique variance of child functioning only when it occurs in front of children. Subjects were 146 mother/adolescent pairs. Results indicated that general family conflict was more predictive of child adjustment problems than marital satisfaction, and marital conflict occurring in front of children was…

This document offers families the tools for handling conflict. Conflict is a normal and unavoidable part of life. We cannot avoid conflict, but we can learn to "fight fair," attacking the problem and not the person. Weapons that attack people and not problems are listed as fouls, destructive habits that can be changed. Fighting fair…

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…

The long-term consequences for children of marital violence were investigated using data from parents and their adult offspring over time. Marital violence was distinguished from other marital conflict. Outcome effects on young adults' lives of these and other predictor variables were investigated. Implications for counseling are discussed. (EMK)

In order to identify causes of spousal abuse, current research efforts have attempted to reconstruct the communicative components of physically aggressive encounters within the family. An interactionist model of intrafamily violence, proposed by D. A. Infante, suggests that the interaction of personal, situational, and societal conditions may lead…

A community sample of 617 adult women completed a questionnaire about witnessing interparental physical conflicts before the age of 16. Twenty percent of respondents reported witnessing some type of physical conflict between parents. Mean age when physical conflict was first observed was eight. Women who witnessed parental physical conflict…