Age differential and marital status between partners as risk factors for domestic violence and child abuse have not been sufficiently investigated for clinical interventions purposes. This essay will attempt to provide information on potential risk factors and will propose a Risk and Safety tool tailored to such potential risk factors.

"Pins and needles, needles and pins; it's a happy man that grins."  These classic words were made famous by Jackie Gleason in his role as Ralph Kramden in the 1950s TV sitcom, The Honeymooners.  So why in the world was America's favorite bus driver so intent on repeating this phrase whenever he was on the verge of losing his temper?  Quite simply, by changing his self-talk or inner conversation with himself, Kramden was using a popular anger management technique that continues to ...

There are several anger management techniques that become more effective when you have the opportunity to practice them in advance.  As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  By mentally preparing for a potential stressor or anger trigger, you will be ready to handle whatever comes your way.  So take some time before April 1st to …

Although uncontrolled anger can be quite costly, when channeled properly anger can also be very positive. Among other things, anger can motivate us to work harder to accomplish our goals. This could mean playing harder on the defensive end in a basketball game, studying longer for an exam, or putting in more time when learning to play an instrument.

Assertive communication, one of the  most important anger control tools, can be accomplished using a technique known as the Compliment Sandwich.  In order to minimize the other person's defensiveness, you would begin with a compliment (the first piece of bread), then present your complaint or criticism (the meat), and then finish with another compliment (the second piece of bread). When used appropriately, the Compliment Sandwich can be very helpful in managing your anger.

We all heard the report of a prisoner escaping after his wife shot and killed the correctional officer transferring him to another jail.

What would motivate a woman to kill someone and let her actions render her vulnerable to the death penalty - for a few hours with "her man?" Was he so incredibly special that death was preferable to living without him for a few years?

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the differences and similarities between male and female suspected offenders of intimate partner homicide (IPH). The California Vital Statistics and Homicide Data [CVSHD], 1990-1999 (Jason, 2002), was used for this study. The CVSHD contains data from victims of homicide in California from 1990 to 1999. The understanding of intimate partner violence and intimate partner homicide were explored using four different theoretical approaches. Consistent with previous research, the results of this study suggest that suspected offenders involved in the killing of an intimate partner are more likely to be male.

The results also indicate that IPH is for the most part a male-to-female and female-to-male event. The primary weapons of choice used to perpetrate the intimate partner homicide by both genders were handguns, but women were more likely than men to use knives or other kind of stabbing instrument. Based on population percentages, it was determined that those identified as boyfriend/girlfriend were at the highest risk for IPH. Secondly, African-Americans were found to be overrepresented as both suspected offenders and victims of IPH.

African-American females were more likely to be the offenders compared to African-American males. This study was concluded by discussing the implications of these findings, and by identifying several areas for future research, including the effects separation and legal divorce may have on intimate partner homicide.

This link will take you to the full study (more than 90 pages long). The file is a PDF file.

This study is indexed by The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). ICPSR is part of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. ICPSR is the world's largest archive of digital social science data.