Using Couple Data to Determine Domestic Violence Rates: An Attempt to Replicate Previous Work

Abstract

Research methodology using only one spouse to report for the couple has been questioned. Szinovacz (1983) reported higher rates of violence when both spouses responded to six items on Straus’s Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). The purpose of this study was to replicate her methodology by using all items measuring severe violence in the latest CTS scale with 94 military couples, to see if couple reports of violence indicated higher rates of violence compared to individual spouses’ reports. Results were similar to Szinovacz’s findings, and support the advisability of using both spouses to report violence in marriages.