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…

Examined verbal/symbolic aggression between partners in 5,232 U.S. couples. Found that men and women engaged in about equal amounts of verbal/symbolic aggression against their partners. Probability of frequent verbal/symbolic aggression against partner tended to decrease with age and number of children in family and to increase with occurrence of…

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)

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…

Data from a sample of 2,143 adult men and women were used to explore the relationship between wives' dependency on marriage, and wife abuse. Results indicated that it is economic and not psychological dependency which keeps women in severely abusive marriages. (Author)

Data from a national sample found that cohabitors are more violent than marrieds. However, cohabitors over 30, divorced women, those with high incomes, and those who were together for over ten years, had very low rates of violence. Suggests cohabitation should not be seen as a unitary phenomenon. (Author)

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…

Describes revision and expansion of the Conflict Tactics Scales, widely used to measure psychological and physical attacks on a partner in a marital, cohabitating, or dating relationship. The revised scales, with increased specificity, a new format, and measurements of sexual coercion and physical injury, show preliminary evidence of enhanced…