Women Who Are Violent: Attitudes and Beliefs of Professionals Working in the Field of Domestic Violence

This cross-sectional, exploratory study examines the attitudes and beliefs professionals maintain about encountering women who initiate violence in their relationships. Current assessment and treatment guidelines for women who are violent are also examined. The study included 225 military and civilian domestic violence professionals. The results indicate that professionals encounter women who are violent even when their partners have not been abusive. Professionals also reported that violence by women is often serious and results in injury to male victims. A large percentage of professionals revealed that they are not confident in their abilities to assess the motives of women who use physical violence. In addition, many professionals indicated that there is a lack of appropriate guidelines to assist them in assessing women and that they need more training in this area of domestic violence.