Agreement on Reporting of Physical Psychological and Sexual Violence Among White Black and Hispanic Couples in the U.S.

摘要

This paper examines agreement on reports of male-to-female (MFPV) and female-to-male (FMPV) psychological, physical and sexual violence among White, Black and Hispanic couples in the U.S. Using a probability sample, separate face-to-face interviews were conducted in respondents’ homes with both members of 1,025 intact couples living in the 48 contiguous states. The overall survey response rate was 72%. Results indicate that agreement on each of the three types of violence is low, independent of perpetrator’s gender and ethnicity. Kappa coefficients of agreement ranged from .07 to .48. Higher agreement is obtained for psychological violence, followed by physical and sexual violence. Depending on the type of violence, between 30% (psychological aggression) and 90% (sexual coercion) of events would not have been identified if identification required agreement between partners. Logistic analysis shows that the severity of violence is the only variable that increases the likelihood of agreement across the three types of violence.