The relationship between trial data in judicial sentences and self-reported aggression in men convicted of violence against women.

BACKGROUND

The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2) is widely used to assess intimate partner violence (IPV). Given the limitations preventing the collection of dyadic data, it is necessary to examine the relationship between the offender's own self-reporting and the facts established in trial proceedings. This study assesses the relationship between aggression data self-reported by participants via CTS-2 and the data contained in convictions for partner abuse.

METHOD

Two groups of men convicted of abuse against their female intimate partners or ex-partners (1,998 imprisoned offenders and 804 court-referred offenders), and 590 men from the community (general population) participated. The relationship was analyzed between the scores for self-reported CTS-2 items and violent behaviors described by proven facts. An ANCOVA with post-hoc comparisons (Bonferroni) was performed to assess the differences in CTS-2 scores between the three groups.

RESULTS

In the two groups of convicted participants, a significant relationship was found between CTS-2 items and the proven facts. Meanwhile, significant differences were found between the three groups in three CTS-2 subscales.

CONCLUSIONS

The CTS-2 self-reported perpetrated aggression data provided by the convicted participants are related to the factual basis for convictions, and such data are therefore usable in forensic and psychological intervention contexts.