Responses to partner violence: Moving away from deficit models

Deficit-based models of responses to partner violence, which emphasize cognitive distortions and behavioral deficiencies, dominate research on women in violent relationships, but they are limited by their narrow focus. This study examined cognitive reactions and both active and passive responses of 136 women who sustained verbal aggression, minor violence, or moderate to severe violence in their current relationship. Cognitive reactions became more disapproving, and behavioral responses became more active and less passive, as the level of violence increased for the worst incident in their relationship. Disapproving reactions mediated active, but not passive, responses to violence. These results are consistent with a competency model of responses to violence that emphasizes the importance of studying both adaptive and maladaptive responses. Multivariate models and a closer study of context would benefit future research.