Citation

Morrison RL, Hasselt VB, Bellack AS. J. Fam. Violence 1987; 2(3): 227-238.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Pennsylvania at EPPI, 19129 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine Medical Center, 92664 Irvine, California, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF00976541

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The present study provided an assessment of assertion and problem solving skills in couples characterized by wife abuse. A role play test and problem solving interaction task were administered to couples who were (a) physically abusive, (b) maritally discordant but nonviolent, and (c) satisfactorily married. Results indicated that members of abusive dyads exhibited deficits on selected behavioral components of assertion. However, few differences were observed between these dyads and the maritally discordant, nonviolent condition. Findings are discussed in terms of (1) the need for further evaluation of interpersonal skill variables in physically abusive males, (2) issues in selection of measures and subjects, and (3) the need to consider the possible interactive effects of multiple factors in family violence research.