| Intimate partner violence is a pervasive problem which knows no cultural, social, economic and language boundaries. The literature has consistently demonstrated multiple pathways for predicting spousal violence, yet few studies have developed and tested integrative explanatory models of male spousal violence.;Towards this end, this study attempts to construct a model of male spousal violence, based on an ecological framework of domestic violence. Predictors of spousal violence were integrated and examined at four theoretical levels of analyses: (1) ontogenic level: childhood exposure to family violence, borderline personality organization, anger and alcohol problem; (2) macrosystemic level: gender role belief and supportive attitude towards wife beating; (3) exosystemic level: socio-economic status and; (4) microsystemic level: marital satisfaction and psychological aggression. In addition, multiple pathways predictive of psychological aggression, the secondary criterion variable of the study, were also hypothesized and tested. A sub-group analysis based on immigration status on factors predictive of male spousal violence, and the role of acculturation on immigrant batterers were also investigated.;Two hundred and twenty-six court-mandated male batterers from the Greater Toronto Area participated in the study through the completion of a self report questionnaire. Path analyses were conducted on the cross-sectional data to examine the various interrelationships between parameters of the model. Goodness of fit indices supported the adequacy of the model, which accounted for 41% of the variance. Of the 9 hypothesized variables, 7 significantly predicted physical violence, except for men's trait anger and gender role beliefs. Childhood exposure to family violence was the strongest predictor of future perpetration of spousal violence. Multiple indirect pathways for explaining partner abuse were also identified. Immigrant batterers in the study were found to share similar predictors of violence with non-immigrants. However, men's level of acculturation failed to be a significant predictor of spousal violence.;The results of the study were discussed with respect to an ecological analysis of spousal violence. In terms of clinical implications, counsellors are recommended to pay heed to the various empirically validated risk factors when undertaking assessments. An integrated treatment philosophy, which combines both gender resocialization and cognitive behavioural interventions are also recommended. |
