Toward a Biopsychosocial Model of Domestic Violence

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a biopsychosocial model of male domestic violence through an examination of 102 married men. The participants were interviewed and their blood serum was analyzed for testosterone and prolactin levels as well as for illicit drug use. There were 34 subjects identified as violent males with a mean age of 34.76 and married for an average of 8.15 years. A Tobit analysis of male violence toward a female intimate using the biological variables resulted in a significant equation with alcohol use and testosterone as significant individual predictors in the equation. Overall the Tobit model indicated that only alcohol use family income and relationship quality were significantly related to domestic violence. Furthermore the physiological set of variables and the social domain had a significant effect on violence while the psychological variables as a group did not have a statistically significant effect on violence probability.