Battered Wives: A Controlled Study of Predisposition

Abstract

The possibility that women who are battered by their husbands are predisposed to this treatment is examined in a controlled study of 30 such women and 30 control subjects. A number of father-related items distinguished between the two groups: in the battered group fathers had more mental illness, were more violent and tended to be more strict. Battered women more often witnessed violence by their husband to others prior to marriage. All participants were rated for hostility using the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ). Both groups emerged as significantly and globally more hostile than a group of normal subjects.