SEXUAL AND NONSEXUAL MARITAL AGGRESSION - LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND AN INTEGRATED TYPOLOGY OF PERPETRATORS

In this paper, the legal history of marital rape and the current statu s of ''marital rape allowances'' to sexual assault statutes are review ed. The prevalence of marital rape and its comorbidity with nonsexual violence, as well Its the physical and psychological sequelae found to be specifically associated with sexual aggression in marriage is revi ewed. Our current limited theoretical understanding of the relationshi p between sexual and nonsexual violence in marriage is extended by int egrating marital rape and marital violence batterer typology research. Specifically, we offer a four-type batterer typology integration (i.e ., family only, dysphoric/borderline, generally violent/antisocial, an d sexually obsessive batterers) that fully describe husbands that are only nonsexually violent, both physically and sexually violent, or onl y sexually violent. Theoretical and practical implications of this int egration are identified. Future research directions are outlined, and the need for greater clinical attention to the phenomena of sexual vio lence in marriage is highlighted. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.