Male domestic violence (DV) offenders often minimize their aggression or attribute blame to their partner. These distortions make it difficult to obtain accurate self-report information and men who engage in significant denial are less compliant with treatment. It is also commonly believed that batterers who minimize, deny, and blame their victim are more dangerous than men who accept responsibility for their actions. Data to support this latter opinion remain limited, however, and the few studies that are available have produced mixed findings. In this study, measures of minimization, denial, attributions, and socially desirable responding were collected from a large sample of convicted DV offenders (N = 2,824). Analyses examined the association between these scales and new DV police reports. Little evidence was found to support the hypothesis that minimization, denial, and victim blaming are associated with increased recidivism. Explanations for these findings and suggestions for further study are discussed.
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