Risk Factors for Husband-to-Wife Psychological Abuse in Korean American Communities in the United States

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examined the risk factors for husband-to-wife psychological abuse in a sample of 187 Korean American married men between the ages of 20 and 64, residing in Los Angeles County, California. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by using a structured self-administered questionnaire. In order to measure the respondents' use of psychological abuse, a subscale of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales(CTS2), the Psychological Aggression Scale, consisting of four minor and four severe psychological abuse items, was employed. In the multiple regression models, only marital satisfaction was found to be negatively associated with minor psychological abuse, and psychological abuse in general, perpetrated by the respondents. The number of domestic violence survivors the respondents knew was significantly positively associated with severe psychological abuse, as was the frequency with which the respondents witnessed parental abuse during childhood. Implications for clinical social workers and mental health practitioners are discussed.