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Gender Differences in Partner Violence in Context: Deconstructing Johnson's (2001) Control-Based Typology of Violent Couples

NCJ Number
229391
Journal
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma Volume: 18 Issue: 6 Dated: September 2009 Pages: 604-622
Date Published
September 2009
Length
19 pages
Annotation

This article examines the variables comprising Johnson's (2001) typology of violent couples dimensionally and in the context of the relationship as they relate to injury and observed behavior.

Abstract

Although it was predicted that women would experience more injuries in relationships predominated by male-perpetrated violence and that men would sustain more injuries in relationships predominated by female-perpetrated violence, these hypotheses were only partially supported. Results show that intimate partner violence (IPV) predicted both men's and women's injuries. However, while it was predicted that asymmetry of violence would put the less violent partner at risk for more injuries, this held true only for women's injuries. Women's injuries did increase as asymmetry was skewed toward the man being the more violent partner, although the relation was weaker when analyses were based exclusively on men's reports. In contrast, men's injuries were related to the cumulative severity of violence within a relationship and not to the gendered asymmetry of IPV. Men and women agreed that regardless of which partner was more violent, men were increasingly injured as total violence within the relationship increased. Data were collected from 281 couples. Tables and references

Date Published: September 1, 2009