The participants were 26 men who had physically and verbally abused their female partners and who completed a 6-month weekly outpatient treatment program at the St. Cloud, Minn., VA Medical Center. Ten other men dropped out of the program. Ratings on the Abusive Behavior Inventory obtained before and immediately after treatment demonstrated a significant decrease in physical and psychological abuse as rated by both the abusers and their female partners. This decrease in male abusiveness was maintained 6 months and 2 years after completion of treatment for the couples who cooperated in followup. However, no decrease in male abusiveness was observed during treatment for the couples who did not cooperate in the followup. Findings suggest that the noncooperative female partners may have been afraid to rate their partners because of continued abuse. Therefore, the selective attrition of participants who did not improve is a major problem in evaluating the apparent long-term success of treatment. Tables and 5 reference (Author abstract modified)