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Characteristics & Consequences of Family Violence...

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Chapter 1 Characteristics & Consequences of Family Violence    

The study of family violence as a discipline is still in its infancy In U.S society, numerous myths and misconceptions are present when examining family violence issues and prevention techniques Knowledgeable individuals display an alarming lack of understanding regarding the various aspects and issues involved No definition of the term family violence has been universally accept by all scholars, researchers and other professionals.

Family Violence Defined 

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Difficult to define o Family  Is used to include situations where individuals live together  Regardless of whether they are legally married  Includes fay and lesbian couples o Working definition  Any act or omission by persons who are cohabiting that results in serious injury to other members of family o Family violence includes  Criminal offenses  Behavioral acts  Medical problems Violence implies physical acts that result in injuries to the victim Violence within this context includes physical or mental acts or omissions that result in injuries to the victim The concept of family violence includes several subtopics, such as child abuse, intimate partner abuse and elder abuse Great majority of victims of family violence are females or children

Controversies in Family violence 

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Family violence has several distinct subgroupings o Child Physical & Sexual Abuse (CPSA) o Intimate Partner Abuse (IPA) o Elder Abuse (EA) Many scholars have focused on these specific areas and ignored the broader view of family violence Others have attempted to view family violence from a broad perspective by creating models of research that are so vague as to be difficult, if not impossible, to test or validate. How does one accurately study or research a phenomenon when

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o A definition cannot be agreed on because the definition of any act both sets limits and focuses research within certain boundaries Intervention strategies vary widely in dealing with family violence Numerous controversies are present when studying family violence No one approach or theory has yet to gain universal acceptance within the field of professionals who deal with this phenomenon. Current topic of controversy is reporting and law enforcement mandated response to child abuse, elder abuse and intimate partner abuse =.

Nature and scope of the problem  

Two of the most comprehensive studies of family violence were carried out by Murry Straus and Reichard j Gelles in 1975 and 1985 Conflict tactics scale (CTS) was developed at the university of New Hampshire in 1971 and is still used today in may studies of family violence o Three variables  Use of rational discussion and agreement  Use of verbal and nonverbal expressions of hostility  Use of physical force or violence

The uniform crime repo rt (UCR)

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The country’s oldest form of criminal statistics Nationwide statistical compilation o Involving more than 1,600 law enforcement agencies o Voluntarily report data on reported crimes Represents about 95% of the total population in U.S Administered by FBI Primary objective is to generate set of reliable criminal statistics for use in o Law enforcement administration o Operation o Management

The national crime victimization survey (NCVS)

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Annual survey of citizens conducted by… o U.S. Bureau of the Census in cooperation with… o Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice Attempts to correct problems inherent to UCR on non-reporting o contact nationwide sample o interview citizens regarding victimization Collects detailed information about… o certain criminal offenses  both attempted & completed  that concern general public & law enforcement

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Suffers from problems that mitigate its validity o such as respondents underreporting o or over reporting crimes

Factors that contribute to family violence The psychiatric model of family violence

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Tries to understand family violence by o Analyzing offender’s personality traits & mental status Model characterizes the following as primary causes of family violence o Personality disorders o Mental illness o Substance abuse

Psychopathology theory 

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Based on the concept that certain individuals suffer from mental illness, personality disorders, and other dysfunctions that cause them to engage in aggressive acts within the family Problem: Fails to explain which personality traits are associated with family violence Ignores the fact that many violent individuals are not considered mentally ill Causes the individual to react violently within the family First proposed by those in the medical profession

Substance abuse theory  

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Proposition that drugs or alcohol cause or contribute to family violence Based on concept that drugs & alcohol cause or contribute to family violence o Impaired judgement o Lessened inhibitions Studies have linked alcohol & drugs to violent behavior but o No concrete evidence establishes that these substances directly cause family violence

The social-psychological model of family violence  

Analyzes external environmental factors that affect the family unit Factors considered primary causes of family violence o Stress o Family structure o The intergenerational transmission of violence o Family interactions

Social learning theory

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Assumes that the type of behavior most frequently reinforced by others is the one most often exhibited by the individual.

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Accomplished by two important mechanisms: o Modeling- important tool in learning behavior o Reinforcement- occurs when certain behavior is rewarded and other behavior is punished Studies have shown that behavior can be modified by praise more effectively than by punitive actions.

Exchange theory

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Based on the premise that persons act according to a system of rewards or punishments Interaction within family based on o Pursuit of rewards o Avoidance of costs o Avoidance of punishments Absence of social controls over family relations increases likelihood that family members will engage in violence Gelles accepted the basic premise of the exchange theory and modified it to apply to family violence situations calling it exchange/social contol theory o “to put it simply, people hit family members because they can” o Family members result to violence to obtain goals as long as what they achieve is outweighed by the cost of aggression.

Frustration-Aggression theory

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Based on the premise that human being display aggression toward objects that impede their achievement of certain goals Socialization process teaches people how to react to frustration Process varies from culture to culture o What is accepted as appropriate response to frustration by one culture may not be condoned by another group Does not explain the complexities of modern society Varies from culture to culture and group to group, so that what is accepted as an appropriate response to frustration by one culture may not be condoned by another group

Ecological theory

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Based on an analysis of: o organism & the environment o interacting systems in which family development occurs o environment in which family resides Assumes family violence occurs when a mismatch with neighborhood / community by either the: o parent o child o family

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Disabled children OR those below expected norm in society o face highest risk of abuse This causes tension within the family, and if no agencies are available to support or assist the family, then the risk of abuse is greatly increased. Garbarino established two conditions that must be present under this theory for child abuse to occur o The environment in which the family lives must accept the use of force against children o The family must be isolated from supporting community services or systems

Sociobiology or evolutionary theory

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Based on the concept that parents display aggressive acts toward children who are not their own or do not have the potential to reproduce. Increased risk of abuse due to a lack of bonding between the child & the parent o Stepchildren o Children with low reproductive potential Assumes that parents will not emotionally attach or invest themselves to children with low reproductive potential Stepchildren or children with low reproductive potential such as children with disabilities are at a higher risk of abuse than normal, healthy children Risk of abuse is higher where there is a lack of bonding between the child and the parent

Sociocultural model of family vio lence

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Focuses on the roles of men and women in our society as well as on the cultural attitudes toward women and the acceptance of violence as a cause of family violence Includes o Patriarchy theory  Views society as dominated by males  with women in subordinate positions  treated by men as possessions / things  Holds that laws and customs combine to uphold this difference in power between men and women and legitimize their different status.  Views male domination as explaining the historical pattern of violence toward women throughout the ages.

Common features of family violence 

Isolation o Family violence is the most private form of aggression o Diminishes outside social control, lessens input from others and increases the opportunity for violence o As the level of privacy in a family increases the level of social control decreases o Common characteristic of intimate partner abuse

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Power Differentials o Persons with the most power or resources have the ability to impose their will on other members of the family o Present in both intimate partner and child abuse Power / Powerlessness o Power in this context is defined as the ability to control the behavior of other with or without their consent o Man, usually has the most power Substance Abuse o Drug and alcohol abuse is a common characteristic of all forms of family violence Effect on Victims o Family violence has a long-term effect on victims o Victims report a sense of loss of self-esteem o Low self-esteem is common among victims of physical and sexual child abuse o Victims blame themselves and also develop self-hatred o Victims of family violence have difficulty trusting others o Survivors of sexual abuse have trouble developing close relationships Factors that make family violence unique o Family violence requires a relationship between the parties o These relationships usually exist between the parties before, during and after incidents of family violence. o Certain forms of violence are more common in families than on other contexts of violence o In some societies, family violence has a different legal meaning than other forms of violence

Intergenerational transmission of violence theory  

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The concept has generated continuing controversy for several decades Scholars have attempted to determine whether violent tendencies can be inherited from the family of origin as a result of observing it or being a victim of it. Other scholars have attempted to explain criminal behavior by referencing “physical punishment of children is perhaps the most effective means of teaching violence and eliminating it would be an important step in violence prevention” Theory asserts that violent behavior is learned within the family and bequeathed from one generation to the next Was known as the cycle of violence theory Wide spread of acceptance of this theory

Mental Consequences Acute stress disorder (A SD)

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Experienced in the immediate aftermath of atraumatic event

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Characteristic of ASD o Development of anxiety o Dissociative symptoms o Other manifestations  Occur within one month after exposure to a traumatic event If symptoms last longer than thirty days, the victim may be suffering from PTSD

Posttraumatic Stress disorder

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Development of characteristic symptoms following a psychologically distressing event that is outside range of usual human experience Characteristic symptoms require o A person experience, witness, or be confronted with  Event or events that involved actual or threated death  Or serious injury to physical integrity of self-others  Person’s response involved intense fear helplessness or horror Identified after Vietnam wat

Quiz 1. Physical harm is the only recognized and punishable aspect of family violence. a. False 2. A person can be arrested in America if they travel to another country to engage in sex with a child. a. True 3. Where there are no bruises or visible signs of distress, there is no abuse. a. False 4. Batterers (those who abuse in domestic violence situations) always have some form of personality disorder or other mental illness. a. False 5. The majority of sexual assaults/rapes are caused by strangers. a. True 6. Victims of domestic violence can always easily leave their abusers. a. False 7. Most cases of elder abuse occur in nursing or retirement homes. a. False 8. When one child in a home shows signs of abuse all children in the home are definitely being abused. a. False 9. Sexual harassment is a form of sexual "violence". a. True 10. A woman who stays in an abusive relationship deserves it or likes it. a. False 11. Child neglect is directly related to socioeconomic status. a. False 12. If a person consents to sexual activities after being verbally threatened, then it is not rape. a. False 13. Alcohol & drugs are the leading cause of family violence. a. False 14. Correct Family members who abuse elders were abused as children by that person. a. False 15. Domestic Violence is solely about control. a. False 16. The legal system does not recognize marital rape. a. False 17. A person’s cultural or religious beliefs may be recognized as justification for certain family violence acts. a. False 18. An all-inclusive list of indicators that signal child abuse and neglect does not exist.

a. True 19. Child sex tourism is a form of worldwide child exploitation. a. True 20. Family Violence only happens in lower socioeconomic families. a. False 21. Certain professionals are required by law to report suspected child abuse. a. True 22. Violence against children & adults with disabilities are less likely to be reported. a. True 23. Child sexual abuse can be committed by another child. a. True 24. Anyone who abuses children were themselves victims of child abuse. a. False 25. All 50 states have similar laws against stalking. a. False 26. Similar help & resources are available everywhere, whether living in rural or urban areas. a. False 27. All 50 states have victim restitution statutes. a. True 28. Worldwide, one in every three women has been abused at some point in her lifetime. a. True 29. Victims of family violence readjust quickly once away from their abusers. a. False 30. Hoarding of food or material items is a sign of elder abuse. a. True...