A report on the psychological test results of battering parents

The short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and Cattell's 16PF test have been given to patients attending the National Advisory Centre on the Battered Child (NSPCC) and in the case of the personality questionnaire the results compared to non-battering control adults' scores. The intelligence levels of battering parents conform to normal expectation although there is a non-significant trend to marginally lower than normal results especially in verbal tests. The 16PF test reveals immature impetuosity on the part of the mothers as a main finding and introversion in the fathers. The relevance of these findings to battering is discussed.