A Large Sample Exploration of the Characteristics of Women Court-Mandated to a Batterer Intervention Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the demographic and psychological factors of women court mandated into a batterer intervention program (BIP) to provide further descriptive information on the characteristics of women who initiate intimate partner violence (IPV). Specifically, the study explored the characteristics of these women in terms of race, class, and gender. The study employed a secondary analysis of 485 women mandated into a BIP at the Domestic Abuse Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Analysis indicated as follows: (a) Although significant differences in psychosocial variables exist between African American and White women mandated into treatment, race remains an ineffective predictor of program involvement; (b) Socioeconomic factors provide a more consistent description of women batterers regardless of race; and (c) Both men and women mandated into this particular BIP exhibit similar demographic traits. These findings, concerning the characteristics of women batterers as they pertain to, race, class, and gender, should assist professionals to better address female initiated IPV and better fashion intervention programs suited to their unique needs.