And in 1997, DOD switched to calculating abuse statistics on a per-incident basis. Before, the statistics were based on cases that could include more than one incident of violence. The Navy, meanwhile, has continued to calculate its rates based on the number of cases, according to a Family Advocacy Program official. So the 1997 numbers for the the Defense Department and the Navy are no longer comparable. The Navy's substantiated abuse cases dropped from 15.4 per 1,000 spouses in 1995, to 10.4 in 1996 before rising in 1997.
Civilian statistics are even more difficult to contrast with the military's numbers.
The civilian sector generally extends the definition of spousal abuse beyond married couples. Those statistics are based on responses to a questionnaire and not on completed investigations. The military has commissioned studies looking into family violence and several are under way. Some of the experts involved contend that if civilian numbers are adjusted to compare more accurately with the racial, gender and age make-up of the military, the rates would be similar. However, some clinical studies done without the military's involvement indicate a higher rate.