Domestic Violence Among Couples Seeking Therapy

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Domestic violence is a serious and prevalent problem in our society today. Increasingly, however, there is a recognition that all violence is not the same. Johnson (1995) described two types of domestic violence, common couple violence, which is mild, mutual and does not increase over time, and patriarchal terrorism, which fits the common conceptualization of battering. His research, and that of other scientists examining violence among community samples, newlyweds, and couples seeking therapy, suggest that common couple violence is the more frequent of the two, and occurs primarily in the populations described above. Despite this, most research on the treatment of domestic violence are based upon theories of battering, which may not be appropriate for couples experiencing milder levels of violence. The current study will examine therapy outcomes among couples experiencing very mild levels of violence, or common couple violence, to determine if traditional couple treatments that do not address violence specifically can effectively treat such couples. It will also examine the outcomes of a group of couples who were excluded from a clinical trial because of moderate to severe violence and explore the progression of marital satisfaction, marital status, treatment seeking, and domestic violence among them.