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Partner abuse and general crime: How are they the same? How are they different?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Moffitt, TE; Krueger, RF; Caspi, A; Fagan, J
Published in: Criminology
January 1, 2000

Both partner abuse and general crime violate the rights and safety of victims. But are these phenomena the same or are they distinct, demanding their own research and intervention specialties? Are persons who abuse their partners the same people who commit other criminal behavior? Do partner abuse and general crime share the same correlates? We investigated these questions in a birth cohort of over 800 young adults, by testing whether a personality model known to predict general crime would also predict partner abuse. Personality data were gathered at age 18, and self-reported partner abuse and general criminal offending were measured at age 21. Results from modeling latent constructs showed that partner abuse and general crime represent different constructs that are moderately related; they are not merely two expressions of the same underlying antisocial propensity. Group comparisons showed many, but not all, partner abusers also engaged in violence against nonintimates. Personality analyses showed that partner abuse and general crime shared a strong propensity from a trait called Negative Emotionality. However, crime was related to weak Constraint (low self-control), but partner abuse was not. All findings applied to women as well as to men, suggesting that women's partner abuse may be motivated by the same intra-personal features that motivate men's abuse. The results are consistent with theoretical and applied arguments about the "uniqueness" of partner violence relative to other crime and violence.

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Published In

Criminology

DOI

ISSN

0011-1384

Publication Date

January 1, 2000

Volume

38

Issue

1

Start / End Page

199 / 232

Related Subject Headings

  • Criminology
  • 4402 Criminology
  • 2203 Philosophy
  • 2201 Applied Ethics
  • 1602 Criminology
 

Citation

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Moffitt, T. E., Krueger, R. F., Caspi, A., & Fagan, J. (2000). Partner abuse and general crime: How are they the same? How are they different? Criminology, 38(1), 199–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2000.tb00888.x
Moffitt, T. E., R. F. Krueger, A. Caspi, and J. Fagan. “Partner abuse and general crime: How are they the same? How are they different?Criminology 38, no. 1 (January 1, 2000): 199–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2000.tb00888.x.
Moffitt TE, Krueger RF, Caspi A, Fagan J. Partner abuse and general crime: How are they the same? How are they different? Criminology. 2000 Jan 1;38(1):199–232.
Moffitt, T. E., et al. “Partner abuse and general crime: How are they the same? How are they different?Criminology, vol. 38, no. 1, Jan. 2000, pp. 199–232. Scopus, doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2000.tb00888.x.
Moffitt TE, Krueger RF, Caspi A, Fagan J. Partner abuse and general crime: How are they the same? How are they different? Criminology. 2000 Jan 1;38(1):199–232.
Journal cover image

Published In

Criminology

DOI

ISSN

0011-1384

Publication Date

January 1, 2000

Volume

38

Issue

1

Start / End Page

199 / 232

Related Subject Headings

  • Criminology
  • 4402 Criminology
  • 2203 Philosophy
  • 2201 Applied Ethics
  • 1602 Criminology