Men's and Women's Use of Intimate Partner Violence in Clinical Samples

Experiences and impact of intimate partner violence on men and women court ordered to attend abuse abatement counseling and women in a shelter were examined. Whereas court-ordered men and women appeared similar in expressed violent acts, violence frequency, and injurious outcome, court-ordered women initiated significantly fewer violent episodes than did men and were less likely to start the overall pattern of relationship violence. Court-ordered women were less likely than were shelter women to call police, try to escape, or acquiesce to their partners' violence. The two groups of women reported more fear, anger, and insult and less amusement when their partners were violent than did men. Court-ordered men were significantly more likely than were women to laugh at partner-initiated violence and exhibit dominating and controlling behaviors.