| Abstract: | Gender differences in patterns of relationship violence were investigated in a sample of 356 men and 351 women. Respondents reported on their receipt and perpetration of violent acts in the year prior to the survey. Men and women, respectively, reported similar 1-yr prevalence rates of husband-to-wife violence and wife-to-husband violence. However, differential gender patterns of reporting were identified. On average, men reported that they and their female partners were equally likely to engage in violent acts and to initiate violent conflicts. In contrast, women reported lower levels of victimization than perpetration of violence, and they reported less male-only and male-initiated violence than did men. The majority of respondents in violent relationships reported a pattern of violence that was bidirectional, minor, infrequent, and not physically injurious. The discussion focuses upon the meaning of gender differences in reports of relationship violence, and the existence of distinct patterns of violence within intimate relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
