title: Partner aggression severity as a risk marker for male and female violence recidivism.
abstract: Pretreatment aggression severity was examined as a risk marker for recidivism in the treatment of partner aggression. Intact married couples experiencing husband-to-wife partner aggression were recruited from the community and participated in either conjoint group treatment or gender-specific group treatment. Elevated levels of husband and wife physical aggression and wife psychological aggression before treatment predicted the continuation and severity of physical aggression by both spouses during treatment and in the following year, with no significant differences across treatment formats. These results indicate that high levels of psychological and physical aggression signify a poor prognosis for both conjoint and gender-specific group treatment programs, suggesting the need for interventions of greater intensity, duration, and/or focus for individuals highest in psychological and physical aggression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-2500, USA. erica.woodin@stonybrook.edu
authors.forename: Erica M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Woodin
authors.forename: K Daniel
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: O'Leary
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D019546:Couples Therapy; D017579:Domestic Violence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018454:Spouses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States