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Men's Use of Controlling Behaviors: A Comparison of Reports by Women in a Domestic Violence Shelter and Women in a Domestic Violence Offender Program

NCJ Number
223747
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 6 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 387-394
Author(s)
Catherine A. Simmons; Peter Lehmann; Shannon Collier-Tenison
Date Published
August 2008
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study compared the controlling behaviors of male partners of women in a domestic-violence offender’s program (n=77) with those of the male partners of women residing in a domestic-violence shelter (n=77).
Abstract
Both samples of women (offenders and victims of domestic violence) reported their male partners used a multitude of behaviors to control them; however, the majority of the women in the offenders program reported that their partners used these controlling behaviors “rarely.” In addition, partners of women charged with intimate partner violence (IPV) were significantly less controlling than the partners of women seeking refuge in the shelter. These findings may reveal a population of women IPV offenders who support Johnson’s (1995) perspective of “common couple violence,” in which women and men are equally likely to offend. In this case, services designed to improve interpersonal coping skills, conflict management, and ability to regulate emotions/behaviors may serve to improve treatment of the women IPV offender population. Comparable samples of women in an offender program and shelter program for domestic violence victims in a north Texas city were recruited for this study. Partner use of controlling behaviors was measured with the Checklist of Controlling Behaviors (Lehmann, 1998). The controlling behaviors measured were physical abuse, sexual abuse, male privilege, isolation, minimizing and denying, blaming, intimidation, threats, emotional abuse, and economic abuse. 2 tables and 55 references