A victimization survey of female-perpetrated assaults in the United Kingdom

A survey of a national representative sample of adults (1,455) in the United Kingdom investigated the incidence of female-perpetrated assault as had been experienced by adult male and female respondents in any context over the past five years. Sampling was undertaken throughout the United Kingdom by a self-completion instrument modeled on the Conflict Tactics Scale. Respondents reporting assault were also asked brief details about their assailant and the context of the assault (e.g,, estimated age, relation to victim, and involvement of alcohol) and whether injury was suffered. Men reported being victimized by females more than women and experiencing the more severe forms of assault more than women. Single women were the most likely women to report a female assault, and approximately 50% of assaulted men reported that they experienced assault by a female intimate or ex-intimate. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.