Husband To Wife Violence
Critical Analysis of Journal Article
Article: Feldbau-Khon, S., Heyman, R., and
O`Leary, K. (1998). Major
depressive disorder and depressive symptomatology as
predictors of husband to
wife physical abuse. Violence and Victims, 13, 347-359.
Introduction The
work of Feldbau-Khon, S., Heyman, R., and O`Leary, K. is
described in the
article, (Major Depressive Disorder and Depressive
Symptomatology as
Predictors of Husband to Wife Physical Aggression. The authors
tested the
link between a husband`s depressive symptomatology and the frequency
of
physical aggression toward his wife. Also tested was the husband`s
Major
Depressive Disorder and the frequency of physical aggression
towards his wife.
The authors had four hypotheses. 1: Clinically
depressed men are more physically
aggressive. 2: Depressive symptomatology is
associated with frequency of
physical aggression. 3: Depressive
symptomatology effects on physical aggression
are accounted for by other
variables. 4: Depressive symptomatology effects on
psychological aggression
are accounted for by other variables. The study
assessed physically
aggressive men who volunteered for treatment with their
wives. Participants
responded to newspaper announcements offering free therapy
for relationship
conflicts. All spouses completed three-hour assessments
consisting of
structured interviews and self-report measures. Almost one third
had moderate
levels of depressive symptomatology, but only 11% met the criteria
for Major
Depressive Disorder (MDD). Although a significant relationship
between
increased depressive symptomatology and frequency of physical
aggression was
found, the relationship was most likely accounted for by self-
reported anger.
Weaknesses One weakness with this study is the makeup of
the sample. The racial
composition of the sample was 1.3% Black, 1.3% Asian,
and 97% White. No
Hispanics were included in the study although Hispanic
men are also sometimes
very violent to their wives. The sample should have
had more diversity, not be
made up almost entirely of Whites. Some races are
more naturally violent than
others are because its part of their culture.
Using mostly whites in this study
taints it because different depression
could be a major factor affecting the
physical violence of whites but perhaps
not men of other races. Another weakness
of this study is that it is never
mentioned whether or not any of the subjects
were taking any sort of
medication. Many types of medications, for example any
type Serotonin
inhibitor, can affect violent behavior. The fact that the
subjects were
volunteers raises an issue. The participants responded to an
advertisement
for free therapy for relationship conflicts. These people wanted
help. They
were not ordered by the court to obtain therapy. This may suggest
that they
somehow have a different frame of mind than others who might not seek
help,
therefore, we cannot make accurate assumptions about the results of
the
study. Another issue one must take into consideration is that the
participants
completed a three-hour assessment for which they were not being
paid for. They
could have become tired, annoyed, bored, or frustrated. This
could have affected
their answers to the questions asked in the interview to
determine whether or
not they had MDD. They could also have not been
revealing their true selves in
the self-report. The interviews were conducted
by grad students and a research
assistant, not by the actual researchers or
by doctors. There is a possibility
they could have overlooked things a
professional with more experience would have
caught. Strengths of the Article
One of the strengths of this article is that it
stresses the possibility of
outside factors affecting the physical violence. An
example of this kind of
variable is self-reported anger. A relationship where
one person is depressed
may in fact be a very chaotic relationship where anger
and frustration can
result in violence. In this case, the violence is may not be
a direct result
of the depression; instead it may result from the anger and
frustration or
marital discord that may accompany depression. The study
recognizes that
there are other factors of life that can affect the physical
violence.
Conclusion Although the study has its weaknesses, it is still a
valuable
learning tool. The study is consistent with other studies that
have
emphasized the role of anger in regard to husband-to-wife physical
aggression.
Much more research still has to be done to better understand
the connection
between MDD and husband-to-wife physical aggression. With
every study performed,
we come closer to realizing the true connection
between the two.