Intimate Violence and Social Desirability

Using meta-analytic procedures, the relationship between self-reporting of involvement in marital and courtship violence, and level of socially desirable responding was investigated. Eighteen effect-size estimates were located and, overall, displayed a low to moderate effect on reporting involvement in partner violence (mean r = -.179). No significant differences emerged with respect to the sex of the respondent; however, reports of perpetrating intimate violence were more strongly correlated with social desirability scores than were reports of being victimized. Implications of these findings are reviewed.