New Zealand Medical Journal 119(1228): 119-122, 27 January 2006

This letter is intended to clarify issues in relation to the reporting of domestic violence research, written in reply to Dr Felicity Goodyear-Smith's response to the author's viewpoint article published in the 11 November 2005 issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal. The letter focuses on the use of the Conflict Tactics Scale in research and the misunderstandings that arise from its use. The author states that despite the apparent credibility of this scale and its wide use and acceptance, it has limitations that are often not considered in the analysis of outcomes when this scale is used. Further, underlying much of the misrepresentation of women's violence is the issue of context: for example, the Conflict Tactics Scale is commonly applied to 'ordinary couples', not couples whose experience is known to include 'domestic or family violence' or 'battering'. Reports in the media on the outcomes of research based on the Conflict Tactics Scale do not include even a passing reference to such contextual detail. The author also points to methodological issues with quantitative studies which count objects, events, or episodes, rather than qualitative studies which allow participants more definition of their own experience. The author concludes that while it is important that the media addresses the issue of violence between intimate partners, it is even more important that such reports do not encourage the creation of myths about equivalent violence by women toward their male partners.

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