Characteristics of Perpetrators of Family and Nonfamily Assaults

Abstract

Persons involved in family and nonfamily violence may be distinguished both demographically and behavionally. There appear, in fact, to be grounds to consider them as two different groups. Those involved in family violence appear to be the most stable in that they are more likely to live with others and have some employment and are less likely to report suicide or alcohol abuse. Also, the groups appear to be rather specialized in their violence, and those involved in both kinds of assaults are generally more frequently violent. These group differences corroborate the research done on violent men drawn from a human service population. Shields and associates (10) found three distinct patterns of violence—family only, nonfamily only, and general violence—to be associated with distinct life-styles, social networks, and values, which in turn seem to reinforce the violence pattern. The findings, therefore, suggest that those who assault their families may at least require separate consideration as a research gr...