Individual and Marital Characteristics, Childhood History, Knowledge, and Attitude Of Northern Thai Men Who Physically Abuse their Wives.

This study described characteristics of physical wife abusers on a sample of 467 men in Thailand. A past-year physical abuse was found 23.1%. Through a Chi-square test, physical abuse was significantly associated with young age, low economic status, seldom religious practice, low job satisfaction, residing in a small province or in urban areas, some personality traits, smoking, alcohol abuse, gambling, assaulting others, corporal punishment, animal beating, high stress, and physical illness. Marital characteristics were found to be 1) do not own a house; 2) power imbalance in terms of financial or sexual dependence, being more smart, having more emotional control, having more closed friends; 3) wives' communication of avoiding or silencing in marital disputes; and 4) being a mental wife abuser, or being a victim of mental or physical abuse by his wife. The abusers were grown up in a family of poor socioeconomic status or relationships, being physically or mentally abused by mother. The abusers had low prevention knowledge or attitude about wife abuse. Child-centered and family-centered approaches and marital counseling are essential for physical abuse prevention and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]