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.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
1F31MH063616-01A2
Application #
6551683
Study Section
Risk, Prevention and Health Behavior Integrated Review Group (RPHB)
Program Officer
Light, Enid
Project Start
2002-09-01
Project End
2003-08-31
Budget Start
2002-09-01
Budget End
2003-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$23,657
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
119132785
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Simpson, Lorelei E; Atkins, David C; Gattis, Krista S et al. (2008) Low-level relationship aggression and couple therapy outcomes. J Fam Psychol 22:102-11
Simpson, Lorelei E; Doss, Brian D; Wheeler, Jennifer et al. (2007) Relationship violence among couples seeking therapy: common couple violence or battering? J Marital Fam Ther 33:270-83