ABSTRACT
Content. e rst step was to undertake a careful review of the clinical and empirical literatures on risk for violence, with particular emphasis on spousal assault (Cooper, 1993). e risk factors originally identied in SARA continue to receive support in the clinical and professional literature (Bennett Cattaneo & Goodman, 2005; Dutton & Kropp, 2000; Hilton & Harris, 2004; Kropp, 2004; Kropp, Hart, & Belfrage, 2005; Riggs, Cauled, & Street, 2002; Schumacher, Feldbau-Kohn, Slep, & Heyman, 2001). e authors of the SARA attempted to keep the list of factors relatively short and aimed at a moderate level of specicity (that is,
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at the level of traits, characteristics, or incidents, rather than the level of isolated or specic behavioral acts). e result was a list of twenty factors, referred to on SARA as items, grouped into the ve content areas described below. A risk factor was included if any or all of the following conditions was satised: (1) there was compelling evidence in the empirical literature that the risk factor discriminated those who were violent toward spouses from those who were not; (2) there was evidence that the risk factor was associated with recidivistic spousal violence; or (3) the risk factor was included in other well-recognized professional guidelines for spousal violence risk assessment.
