The participants were recruited by means of radio announcements and other means and provided data through interviews and tests, couple communication exercises that were videotaped, questionnaires, and home visits. The analysis compared four types of couples: physically abusive verbally abusive, withdrawn but nonabusive, and nondistressed and nonabusive. Analysis of variance showed that the physically abusive and withdrawn couples have similar interactional patterns, although the withdrawn couples refrained from escalating to physically abusive conflict strategies. In addition, verbally aggressive couples were not particularly dissatisfied with their relationships. Interpersonal rather than intrapersonal factors differentiated physically abusive from nonabusive couples. Findings suggest that couple-oriented therapy has a role in treating spouse abuse. Note and 33 references.