Introductory sections provide a general history of violence against women and discuss the incidence and scope of spouse abuse in the United States. The following theories of marital violence along with supporting research are examined: the psychiatric model which emphasizes personality characteristics of wives and husbands; the structural model which focuses on family factors; and the societal model which implicates sex-role attitudes and cultural legitimization of violence. The paper surveys research regarding major factors associated with marital violence: characteristics of abused men, characteristics of abused women, and family and cultural variables. A vulnerability model is proposed which integrates the contributions of all three sets of factors. The discussion of control and prevention addresses tertiary programs such as safe houses, police intervention, legal solutions, psychological treatment, and other helping services. Because studies have revealed significant differences in personality styles among abused women and batterers, the paper recommends a prescriptive response in choosing interventions. Also explored are secondary prevention approaches, such as screening police and hospital records to identify batterers, and primary strategies including law reforms and changing the sexist structure of society. Approximately 90 references.