This study describes the initial development of a scale of measurement of psychological maltreatment of women by their male partners. The initial version of the scale was administered to 407 men and 207 women at intake into a domestic violence program. All 58 items of the scale were endorsed by a large enough number of subjects to warrant inclusion in the final instrument. Factor analysis revealed a similar factor structure for the men and women, with dominance-isolation and emotional-verbal abuse factors emerging from the analysis. Intracouple reliability for each item of the scale was examined for the subset of men and women who were cohabiting couples (n = 28). Unsurprisingly, the agreement of men’s and women’s reports was low, though the scores on the domination-isolation subscale were significantly correlated.

To evaluate the validity of the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (PMWI), 100 women were interviewed. Both PMWI subscales (dominance/isolation and emotional/verbal) successfully discriminated among three groups: physically abused women (BW) scored significantly higher than both relationship distressed/nonabused (RD) and relationship satisfied/nonabused women (RS). Both subscales of the PMWI were highly correlated with the nonphysical abuse subscale of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA). A 14-item short version of the PMWI also successfully discriminated between the BW and RD groups. When the battered women were divided into service seeking (SB) and nonservice seeking battered women (CB), a more complex picture emerged. The SB group scored significantly higher than the RD and RS group on all PMWI long and short subscales. However, the CB group differed from the RD group only on the short dominance/isolation subscale.

This study explored the occurrence of violence in adolescent dating relationships, the contexts in which violence occured, and the reactions of adolescents involved in the violence. Six hundred and thirty-five high school students were surveyed using a dating violence questionnaire that included items modified from the Conflict Tactics Scales. Analyses focused on comparing male and female reports of victimization in current and past dating relationships. Consistent with some previous studies, male and female adolescents did not differ in overall frequency of violence in dating relationships. However, adolescent girls experienced significantly higher levels of severe violence and reported more severe physical and emotional reactions to the violence.

In this article we review the growing body of research literature on domestic violence and welfare. We summarize and critique the existing research on domestic violence and welfare in several areas: prevalence of domestic violence among women receiving welfare; the relationship of domestic violence to their employment; and physical health and mental health, child support, and evaluations of policies and programs. We also raise some methodological concerns that can inform interpretation of existing data. We examine the relevance of the research for practice and policy, particularly for the implementation of the Family Violence Option. This review includes published research as well as unpublished studies presented at recent conferences.Changes in welfare laws in the form of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 have transformed welfare from an entitlement program that could provide ongoing cash assistance to a temporary program that restricts the time participants can obtain welfare benefits and emphasizes rapidly joining the labor force. PRWORA established a maximum 60-month time limit for total lifetime receipt of federal benefits under

Digital dating abuse (DDA) behaviors include the use of digital media to monitor, control, threaten, harass, pressure, or coerce a dating partner. In this study, 703 high school students reported on the frequency of DDA victimization, whether they were upset by these incidents, and how they responded. Results suggest that although both girls and boys experienced DDA at similar rates of frequency (with the exception of sexual coercion), girls reported that they were more upset by these behaviors. Girls also expressed more negative emotional responses to DDA victimization than boys. Although DDA is potentially harmful for all youth, gender matters. These findings suggest that the experience and consequences of DDA may be particularly detrimental for girls.

This study assesses the relationship between adolescents' dating violence victimization and their psychological well-being. The participants were 190 high school students, ages 13 to 19 years, with just over half being boys (53%) and the remainder being girls (47%). Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. For girls, increasing levels of dating violence (severity, frequency, injury) were related to higher levels of post-traumatic stress and dissociation, even after controlling for demographic, family violence , and social desirability variables. For boys, the levels of victimization were related to higher levels of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress, even after controlling for other variables. For both boys and girls, victimization was related to lower levels of life satisfaction, but not after controlling for the demographic, family violence, and social desirability variables. The research questions and findings are discussed in relation to the developmental challenges faced by adolescents.

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This study sought to extend our understanding of the mechanisms by which intimate partner violence (IPV) harms women economically. We examined the mediating role of job instability on the IPV-economic well-being relationship among 503 welfare recipients. IPV had significant negative effects on women's job stability and economic well-being. Job stability was at least partly responsible for the deleterious economic consequences of IPV, and the effects lasted up to three years after the IPV ended. This study demonstrates the need for services and policies that address barriers to employment as a means of improving the economic well-being of low-income women with abusive partners.