Study findings on domestic violent present ‘challenging picture’

Stuff co.nz 16 June 2016
Family First Comment: ‘Challenging picture’? No, it’s simply about facing the facts on domestic violence.
“The data did not fit the male-dominance model, which attributes aggression mostly to men, the researchers concluded. “[It] would suggest the need for policy that encourages development and evaluation of programmes to reduce physical abuse by women,” the authors stated.
The findings of an in-depth domestic violence study, which showed violent conduct almost evenly split between the genders, are potentially cause for concern, a senior police officer says.
South Canterbury Family Violence Co-ordinator Senior Constable Steve Wills was reacting to the findings of an analysis forming part of the world-renowned Dunedin Study, which has focused closely on the lives of more than 1000 people born in Dunedin in the year ending March 1973.
“It presents a challenging picture. If the findings were a true reflection of our community, we should be concerned,” he said.
Wills said recent ‘mainstream’ studies on the subject had shown about 80 per cent of the perpetrators of domestic violence were men.
However, in their paper “A couples analysis of partner abuse with implications for abuse-prevention policy”, authors Terrie Moffitt, Richard Robins and Avshalom Caspi found a more even split between the genders when it came to violence in the home.
They found that 40 per cent of male couple members in the study had perpetrated at least one of a list of 13 physically abusive acts, ranging from slapping and kicking to forcing sex and use of a weapon, while 50 per cent of women had.
The data did not fit the male-dominance model, which attributes aggression mostly to men, the researchers concluded.
“[It] would suggest the need for policy that encourages development and evaluation of programmes to reduce physical abuse by women,” the authors stated.
Wills said because the Dunedin Study participants had no concerns over privacy and their confidentiality was guaranteed, he believed the information they shared was likely to be less confused than that provided by respondents in mainstream studies. They also did not have to be concerned with outcomes.
READ MORE: http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/81025573/domestic-violence-study-presents-challenging-picture
Bob McCoskrie: Family violence is still not just a male problem
NZ Herald 13 May 2016
https://www.familyfirst.org.nz/2016/05/bob-mccoskrie-family-violence-is-still-not-just-a-male-problem/