Heather C. Melton

He Hits, She Hits Assessing Gender Differences and Similarities in Officially Reported Intimate Partner Violence

Within the study of intimate partner violence (IPV), controversy exists over whether perpetration and victimization of domestic violence is gender specific (gendered). Some researchers maintain no or few gender differences in IPV offending and victimization, particularly at less severe levels. Others argue that IPV is highly gendered and perpetrated largely by men against their female partners and expartners. Using officially collected data (through pretrial services and police reports) in a large Midwestern city, this study examined 2,670 IPV cases of which 14% had female defendants. This study was an effort to further clarify the debate regarding gender differences and similarities in reports of perpetration, victimization, context, and consequences of IPV. The two political and research perspectives that guide this debate, the family violence and feminist perspectives, are also discussed.

Predicting the Occurrence of Stalking in Relationships Characterized by Domestic Violence

A high correlation has been found between domestic violence and stalking. However, very few studies have examined what factors predict the occurrence of stalking in relationships characterized by domestic violence. Using in-depth interviews with victims of domestic violence whose cases have gone through the criminal justice system, this article explores this issue. It was found that experiences of stalking by their abusers were very prevalent in this group of domestic violence victims. In terms of predicting stalking, domestic violence victims who were not in a relationship with their abuser, whose abusers had an alcohol or drug problem, who experienced more controlling behaviors by their abusers, and who had experienced prior stalking by their abusers were at the greatest risk of experiencing more severe stalking. Implications for intervention are discussed.

The Role of Gender in Officially Reported Intimate Partner Abuse

The role of gender in intimate partner abuse (IPA) perpetration and victimization has been debated for the last several decades. Two perspectives have emerged regarding this debate. Researchers from the family violence perspective argue that men and women are violent at near equal rates and call for a reframing of the issue from one of woman battering to one of family violence. In contrast, feminist researchers maintain that men make up the majority of perpetrators and women the majority of victims in cases of intimate partner abuse. While some have put forth arguments explaining these differences, this debate is far from over. Using official reported cases of IPA, this study examines 815 IPA cases of which 13% were female perpetrated in an attempt to clarify gender differences and similarities among male and female offenders beyond prevalence rates. Special attention is paid to contextual differences and similarities and implications this research has for future research and policy.

The Levels and Roles of Social and Institutional Support Reported by Survivors of Intimate Partner Abuse

This article explores the roles of social (informal) and institutional (formal) support in the lives of 158 women whose intimate partner abuse (IPA) cases reached the courts in three jurisdictions in the United States.Women were asked who knew about the IPA and their levels of supportiveness. Data analysis includes comparisons across the women in terms of social support and institutional support, and how these were related to the women’s demographic characteristics, whether they were still in a relationship with their abusers, the severity of the violence, and the women’s mental health.

Stalking in the Context of Intimate Partner Abuse: In the Victims' Words

This article explores stalking in the context of intimate partner abuse (IPA) using qualitative data. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 women who experienced stalking and violence from male partners. Findings include an exploration of the relationships between the motivations for stalking, the behaviors utilized, and the impacts of the behaviors for the victims.

Stalking: A Review of the Literature and Direction for the Future:

Stalking is a phenomenon increasingly targeted as a problem in need of social and legal control. Although, to date, the focus on stalking has been on incidents between strangers, recent research has shown that the majority of stalking incidents involve individuals who are acquainted or who are or have been intimates, with a high correlation between stalking and domestic violence. The following essay is a review of the research on stalking. Emphasis is placed on providing a new direction for future policy and research on stalking, and on the conclusion that research needs to focus on the link between domestic violence and stalking and the impact of criminal justice intervention.

Stalking, Intimate Partner Abuse, and the Police

Stalking and intimate partner abuse (IPA) are two criminal problems that often come to the attention of the po- lice. While there are many similarities between intimate partner stalking and IPA and many refer to intimate partner stalk- ing as a variant of IPA (Logan, Leukefeld, and Walker, 2000), there may be differences in these cases, particularly at the point that they come to the attention of the police. These differences may have important implications for how the police respond and/or are able to respond. Using a sample of 1440 domestic disturbance reports from a large police department in the western United States, this study explores the differences and similarities between these two populations including a discussion of how these problems impact arrest with an end goal of aiding police in the appropriate response to these two criminal problems and adding to the literature on stalking in the context of intimate partner abuse and intimate partner abuse. Ultimately, both differences and similarities were found. Implications are discussed.

Intimate Partner Abuse: Cases Involving Protective Order Violations versus Those That Do Not

This study explores police response to protective order violations and cases that do not involve protective violations within the context of intimate partner abuse. Major objectives of the study are to: 1) understand in what way protective order violations differ from other domestic violence cases that come to the attention of the police and; 2) to understand what factors lead to arrest in cases involving protective order violations and those that do not. Data from a large metropolitan area in the United States is analyzed to understand how the police are responding to these cases. Domestic disturbance calls from 2003 are examined for comparison between all domestic disturbance calls (n=1187) and protective order violation calls (n=252). Findings include differences between these two types of calls (with protective order cases less likely to be between parties currently in a relationship, for the offender less likely to be present when police arrive, and more likely to end up in arrest) and differences and similarities in the predictors of arrest in these two types of calls. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

The Impact of Children on Intimate Partner Abuse Victims’ Service-Seeking

Intimate partner abuse is a major problem. This is especially true when there are children present. In attempt to stop the cycle of abuse, it is of critical importance to understand the impact children have on the relationships and the decision-making process of those involved. This research is part of a larger project examining the help-seeking behaviors of victims of intimate partner abuse. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 26 victims of intimate partner abuse who eventually sought services. This paper reports on how children affect the decision of their parent to either seek services while in an abusive situation or to postpone seeking services. This study focuses on 19 of those respondents with children. Both quantitative and qualitative data analyses were conducted. This paper utilizes part of the qualitative data relating to the import of children in the decision-making process. Analysis reveals that for all respondents, children were important to their decision-making process. Several themes related to children were identified, including those who identified leaving the situation and seeking services because of their children and those who postponed seeking services because of their children. Implications for prevention and intervention in cases of intimate partner abuse will be discussed.