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Routine activities (RA) theory posits that changes in people's typical daily activities covary with increases or decreases in criminal behaviors, including, but not limited to, partner maltreatment. Using a large clinical database, we examined temporal variations among 24,460 incidents of confirmed partner maltreatment across an 11-year period within the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Specifically, we created regression models that predicted the number of partner maltreatment incidents per day. In addition to several control variables, we coded temporal variables for days of the week, month, year, and several significant days (e.g., holidays, Super Bowl Sunday), which allowed us to examine the independent influence of these variables on partner maltreatment prevalence. While accounting for the influence of all other study variables, we observed significant increases in partner maltreatment for weekend days, New Year's Day, Independence Day, and Super Bowl Sunday. Similar results were found for partner maltreatment incidents involving offender alcohol/drug use. Furthermore, the proportion of incidents involving offender alcohol/drug use increased on New Year's Day and Independence Day. Consistent with RA theory and data from civilian samples, the current results indicate that certain days are associated with increased incidents of partner maltreatment within the USAF. These findings should be used to inform future preventive efforts., (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.)

The authors examined spouse abuse perpetration among all married U.S. Air Force personnel who deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. Using Poisson and conditional Poisson regression, they compared rates of spouse abuse perpetration predeployment and postdeployment in the population of married U.S. Air Force personnel who had a combat-related deployment between October 1, 2001 and October 31, 2008 (N = 156,296). Just over 2% (n = 3,524) of deployers perpetrated at least one substantiated incident of spouse physical or emotional abuse within the 308,197,653 days at risk for abuse during the study period. Male deployers perpetrated spouse abuse at approximately twice the rate of female deployers. Regarding changes in rates of spouse abuse perpetration postdeployment versus predeployment among all deployers, the authors found no differences overall; however, several deployer and incident-related characteristics moderated this effect. Rates of emotional abuse, mild abuse, and abuse not involving alcohol were significantly lower postdeployment, whereas rates of moderate/severe abuse and abuse involving alcohol were significantly higher postdeployment. Although the majority of U.S. Air Force deployers did not perpetrate any substantiated incidents of spouse abuse, there was variability in the impact of deployment on spouse abuse rates before versus after deployment. The finding that rates of moderate/severe spouse abuse incidents involving alcohol were higher postdeployment suggests a need for focused prevention/intervention efforts.

Substantiation rates for alleged incidents of spouse (N = 33,787) and child (N = 31,986) maltreatment reported to the U.S. Air Force (AF) Family Advocacy Program between 2000 and 2007 were examined. For spouse maltreatment, physical abuse and multiple forms of maltreatment were most likely to be substantiated and neglect was least likely to be substantiated. For child maltreatment, emotional abuse was most likely to be substantiated and physical abuse was least likely to be substantiated. Substantiation rates were higher for referrals by military professionals than for referrals by civilian professionals or nonprofessionals; considerable variation in substantiation rates within each of these categories also was observed. Overall, AF substantiation rates were higher for spouse than for child maltreatment, and substantiation rates for child maltreatment were higher in the AF than in the general U.S. population. Substantiation rates have declined over time in both the AF and the United States.

The present study describes the sources of Air Force (AF) Family Advocacy Program referrals (N = 42,389) for child and spouse maltreatment between 2000 and 2004. Sources of referrals were stable over time, with military sources accounting for the majority of both child and spouse referrals. Most (85%) of spouse maltreatment referrals came from AF law enforcement, medical and psychological staff, command, and victim self-referrals. For child maltreatment, most referrals (71%) were from law enforcement, medical and psychological staff, command, social services, and friends or relatives. Differences in the sources of referrals across different types of maltreatment were greater for child than for spouse maltreatment. Comparison of the sources of child maltreatment referrals in the AF and U.S. samples revealed substantial similarity. However, self-referrals by the victim or offender were more common in the Air Force, whereas referrals by friends and relatives or by school or child care staff were more common in the U.S. sample.

A prospective study of U.S. Navy recruits (N = 5,498) examined whether premilitary intimate partner violence (IPV) was associated with attrition. Overall, more than one-fourth of recruits reported premilitary physical IPV and more than two-thirds reported premilitary verbal IPV. Women reported more perpetration and receipt of IPV than men, and married or cohabiting respondents reported more IPV than single respondents. Both perpetration and receipt of IPV significantly predicted attrition within 4 years. However, after controlling for other forms of IPV, only receipt of physical IPV significantly predicted attrition. In only one analysis did associations between IPV and attrition vary according to marital status or gender; premilitary receipt of verbal IPV had different effects on women and men.

A longitudinal design was used to compare rates of severe intimate partner violence (SIPV) perpetration during the year before enlistment and the second year of service in a sample of 542 female and 421 male Navy personnel. Overall, 11% reported perpetration of SIPV during the year before service. Premilitary SIPV perpetration rates were significantly higher for women (20%) than for men (4%). After 2 years of service, the overall percentage reporting past-year perpetration of SIPV increased slightly (14%, compared with a premilitary rate of 11%). The patterns of changes in rates of SIPV perpetration varied for men and women. Across time, SIPV perpetration increased among men (from 4% to 16%) and decreased among women (from 20% to 12%). Respondents who were female, younger, and minority reported higher rates of premilitary SIPV perpetration. No demographic factors were associated with reports of SIPV perpetration during the second year.

Data are reported from a sample of 2,991 spouse physical abusers who received Air Force Family Advocacy Program (FAP) services and who volunteered to complete program evaluation measures that were administered before and after treatment and at a 6-month follow-up. As expected, after treatment compared with before treatment, professionals rated offenders as less at risk, and the offenders indicated general satisfaction with the Family Advocacy Program services. Additionally, as predicted, objective measures indicated that offenders showed significant (p < 0.001) decreases in family conflict and child abuse risk and significant increases (p < 0.001) in family cohesion, family expression, and marital satisfaction. An analysis of the available follow-up data indicated that each of the post-treatment improvements were maintained at the time of the follow-up evaluation.

Family violence exists throughout society and, unfortunately, also among military families. The Air Force's Family Advocacy Program is designed not only to treat victims, offenders, and families of abuse and neglect, but also to provide prevention services. Each Air Force base has a Family Advocacy Officer, who is a credentialed clinical social worker, charged with the duty of addressing spouse abuse and child maltreatment problems. To evaluate the effectiveness of current services, and to improve the quality of the services provided through the Family Advocacy Program, the Air Force is currently conducting a 4-year evaluation study. This research represents the largest study ever conducted on family violence, with either military or civilian offenders. This paper, based upon the first year of data collected at approximately one-third of all Air Force medical treatment facilities, reported on the descriptive characteristics of the substantiated cases of spouse abuse and child abuse/neglect, and the interventions which were being recommended to alleviate the abusive situations and to prevent future maltreatment. The results will guide policy and future manning and staffing decisions for the Air Force Family Advocacy Program, and serve to document the kinds of treatment strategies which work most effectively for which kinds of problems. Findings are expected to help improve the quality of services to victims, offenders, and families, and to do so for those who are civilians as well as for those who are in the military.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

This study investigated the ability of the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory to screen for child abuse in a group of spouse abusers. Eighty-seven untreated male spouse abusers and 95 nonabusers were administered the CAP Inventory. All of the subjects were active duty, United States military personnel. The completed, valid protocols revealed that 36.5% of the spouse abusers had elevated child abuse scores, while only 9.1% of the nonabusers had elevated abuse scores. An analysis of variance indicated that the spouse abusers had significantly higher mean abuse scores. Four concurrent reports of child abuse were made in the spouse abuse group. Two of these spouse/child abusers had valid protocols, and both scored significantly higher than those spouse abusers with no reported child abuse. The finding that over 36% of the spouse abusers had elevated child abuse scores supports Walker's (1979) finding that one-third of spouse abusers are child abusers. A limitation in this study is that no longitudinal data were obtained to determine whether those with elevated child abuse scores who were not reported for child abuse subsequently would abuse their children.