Findings are reported from a survey examining the frequency with which women in currently aggressive same-sex relationships also report aggressive past relationships involving female partners, male partners, or members of their family of origin. Particular attention is paid to victims who also used aggression and their perceptions of whether their aggressive behavior was self-defensive or mutually aggressive. Results indicate that about one-fourth of participants had been victims of aggression in current relationships, roughly two-thirds had been victimized by a previous male partner, and almost three-fourths had experienced aggression by a previous female partner. Among those reporting having been both victims and users of aggression, about one-fifth had used aggression in their current relationship, almost one-third used aggression with a previous male partner, and nearly two-thirds had used aggression with a previous female partner. A majority of victims who had also used aggression with a previous male partner characterized this use as self-defense, as compared to only 30% of those who had used aggression with a female partner. Instead, aggression in relationships involving a female partner was most frequently described as mutually aggressive in nature.

This article examines the problem of domestic violence as related to substance abuse in lesbian relationships. One hundred and four self-identified lesbians responded to a 70-item mail survey. Thirty-nine reported a past or present abusive relationship. Sixty-four percent reported alcohol or drugs were involved prior to or during incidents of battering. Respondents' frequency of drinking significantly correlated with committing abusive acts as well as with being the victim of abusive acts. Efforts must be initiated to improve the delivery of human services to lesbian batterers and victims and to encourage cooperation and cross-fertilization between practitioners from the domestic violence and substance abuse fields.

This study of 104 lesbians found that for the 46 respondents who reported abusive relationships, there were significant associations between experiences of abuse in their families of origin and the women's subsequent abusive lesbian relationships. Because shelters for abused women are unresponsive to the needs of lesbians, the women rarely used them. Therefore, one compelling implication of the study is that abused lesbians have a great need for safe environments with culturally sensitive workers, who could help them and their batterers confront and resolve their problems.

This article reviews the literature on cognitive, emotional, and social effects of battering, describes a group therapy process through case examples, and outlines the problems the authors experienced in executing their plan. Directions for further research and modifications in the group therapy process are suggested.

The authors in this article explore the weak social support structures of alcoholic women to identify those critical elements that might be usefully attended to in treatment. Data were derived from a comparison between survey questionnaires from 301 alcohol-dependent women and 136 nonalcohol-dependent women. Results showed that alcoholic women reported less social support than their nonalcoholic peers as children and adolescents. Alcoholic women reported less current support than controls; were more likely to be separated or divorced; and described their existing relationships as less happy and less supportive. Additionally, the current study reports that the linking of social support to various aspects of psychological adaptation offers a theoretical base for developing broad-based preventive and treatment interventions.