Impact of Television News Exposure on Children's Perceptions of Violence in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The present study assessed the impact of television news exposure on Irish children's perceptions of the level of violence in their neighborhoods. Estimates from children (N = 570) of the local levels of violence in three areas (high-, low-, and no-violence) were subjected to a four-way analysis of variance (Area x Sex x Age x News Exposure) that showed a main effect for area and sex with respect to the high-violence area and boys. Two two-way interactions also reached statistical significance. The first suggested that the perception of lower levels of violence by girls was confined to the high- and low-violence areas. The second concerned the level of actual violence and the amount of reported news exposure. Only in the high-violence area were these two variables related: Accurate estimates of actual violence levels were associated with more frequent news exposure.     

Psychological consequences of collective violence in childhood: the case of Monterrey,Mexico / Consecuencias psicológicas de la violencia colectiva en la niñez: el caso de Monterrey,México

Abstract

During the last years, different types of violence have severely damaged Mexico. In this paper we examine the consequences that violence could have in children, one of the most vulnerable segments of society. In short, we predict that exposure to any type of violence will lead to higher depression and that this could be explained through the effects of violence on childhood well-being. Our hypothesis was supported in two studies, showing that exposure to street violence (Study 1, N = 607) and exposure to collective violence (Study 2, N = 172) can increase childhood depression. Moreover, in both studies, this effect was explained by the decrease of childhood well-being caused by violence exposure. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Violence against Women in Contemporary Ghanaian Society

Abstract

Overcoming violence against women requires critical reflective questioning both by individuals and human societies. At stake are not just questions of whether we respond to situations of violence but more importantly, where, when and how we respond. This paper examines the problem with respect to new dimensions arising from existing interventions on violence against women in the Ghanaian context. It calls for well-planned and sustained strategies to help break the cycle of violence being created.

The paper also calls upon the Church to look within its own resources for strategies that are life transforming to help break the vicious cycle. It notes that the Church is not only well placed to respond appropriately but it has been commissioned and given the requisite tools to do so. The call is therefore for the Church to enlist these foundational resources available to it and to put them to good use as it is demanded by its calling.     

Trauma and Parenting in Battered Women

Summary

While research has documented the harmful effects of domestic violence on women and children, little attention has been paid to the effects on women's ability to parent in this dangerous environment. This paper examines theoretical perspectives on the effects of domestic violence on parenting and proposes an ecologically-based model which can be used to inform research on parenting and treatment of battered mothers. Trauma theory and traumatic bonding are integrated into the ecological model of parenting in battered women.     

Teaching Violence Prevention

Summary

This paper defines violence from a Public Health perspective. It offers recommendations for creating a curriculum to teach health professionals about the critical issues involved in establishing a more peaceful society. Specific learning objectives, teaching methods, and examples of group discussion activities are presented, as well as an extensive bibliography. The intention is to make available to health professionals information that promotes an understanding of the overall impact of violence in our society, and specific skills in the recognition and management of victims of violence. Because of the importance of domestic violence as the center of the web of violence in our culture, emphasis is placed on understanding the dynamics and effects of this specific form of violent behavior. Teaching violence prevention occupies a critical role for medical education.     

Slow violence in post-1984 Punjab: Remembering,forgetting and refusals

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we examine the afterlives of insurgent and counterinsurgent violence in Punjab and the US. We explore how the period of the 1980s and 1990s came to have effects that linger into the present, and how violence is remembered by ordinary people, especially non-elite women. We argue that memories unfold in relation to the slow and structural violence that has manifested through years of Punjabis living with the after-effects of insurgency and counterinsurgency. Our research on remembering and forgetting shows that the period of violence of the 1980s and 1990s remains alive and formative in contemporary forms of community, gender, and identity across Punjab and its diasporas.     

Individuation and relationship violence

Abstract

This paper examines relationship dynamics of couples in which the man has been violent toward the woman. The thesis offered here, from a systemic perspective, is that violence in intimate couple relationships is, in part, a distance-regulating mechanism that maintains a balance between separateness and connectedness in the relationship. The individual developmental process that allows a balance to be maintained without violence or other “distance regulators” is individuation. Some of the theoretical positions taken by previous authors that clarify the connection between individuation and relationship dynamics are presented. Next, the link between lack of individuation and relationship violence is explored using the work of other scholars to support our thesis and the “voices” of women who have experienced date violence. The “voices” come from a multiple case study using qualitative methods and analyses conducted by the second author. Finally, therapeutic intervention when relationship violence is viewed from the perspective suggested here is discussed.     

The Tarasoff Warning and the Duty to Protect

Summary

Since the case of Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, mental health professionals have had an explicit legal duty to warn potential adult victims of violence. Subsequent case law expanded this standard to a broader duty-to-protect. Primary health care providers are increasingly treating psychiatric patients for whom the duty to protect is applicable. However, these providers are often unaware of the legal, ethical, and clinical issues involved. Assessment of violence risk should include demographic, psychiatric, and social dimensions. Interventions include notifying law enforcement authorities, potential victims, and possible use of psychiatric hospitalization to prevent aggressive behavior. The duty-to-protect as a standard-of-care has been applied to several other clinical situations, including impaired driving capacity, high-risk HIV behavior, and child sexual abuse. The article includes a step-by-step clinical protocol for evaluation and intervention in dangerous situations.     

Female Offenders in Domestic Violence

SUMMARY

It is well accepted that large numbers of men batter women. Although some data also reveal that women report assaulting men in large numbers, interpretation of the latter data has been fraught with controversy. The present article reports on a sample of women arrested for domestic violence. When questions were asked about frequency of violence initiation, which partner began the overall pattern of violence in the relationship, and the women's reasons for using violence, it was found that about two-thirds of the women were battered and using violence to protect themselves or to retaliate for previous violence against them. Implications of these findings for conceptualizing women's violence as well as for training law enforcement personnel are discussed.     

Exploring Pathways Related to Men’s Violence: A Qualitative Exploration of the Relationship between Violent Men’s Violence and Their Masculinities,Childhood, and Emotions

ABSTRACT

This study explored new ways of finding knowledge about violent men’s pathways toward their status as violent criminals and the mechanisms that underlie their violent behavior. The empirical data were gathered through biographical interviews with 10 men sentenced to therapy against violence and drugs at a Swedish treatment center. The men who had experienced violence and childhood maltreatment tended to bypass shame with uncontrolled anger and violence when reliving childhood traumas. Conversely, men without extreme childhood experiences seemed to exhibit more controlled violence mechanisms. Two men who had experienced brutal physical school bullying might have been expected to bypass shame with immediate violence; however, these men described their violence as controlled, suggesting that they had learnt to take cognitive control over their bypass mechanisms in order to escape the bullying.     

The Neglected Variable of Physiology in Domestic Violence

Summary

In the early stages of research concerning domestic violence and its effects on children, scholars have focused almost exclusively on isolated psychological variables. Little attention has been paid to events that might inform the research community about the effects of physiological factors surrounding such exposure on children's subsequent development. In order to go beyond a narrow disciplinary perspective that would exclude such important variables, a broader research agenda that includes multiple partners must be forged. The understanding of multiple etiologies and sequelae of domestic violence requires the use of comprehensive conceptual models that can bring together multiple theoretical perspectives under a broad umbrella. This article presents a developmental ecological perspective that allows for a more thorough and accurate examination of the influences of domestic violence on child development by simultaneously addressing child and environmental characteristics.     

Putting in Work: The Application of Identity Theory to Gang Violence and Commitment

ABSTRACT

Research has seldom examined how identity mechanisms facilitate violence among gang members. Relying on life history interviews with self-identified former gang members, we use identity theory to explore the relationship between commitment to the gang identity and violence. Results indicate that the relationship between commitment and violence is complex. Specifically, for individuals with a high degree of cognitive commitment to the gang identity, violence will be used to achieve positive and confirming reflected appraisals. However, once gang members have achieved congruence between reflected appraisals and identity standards, a threshold is reached where violence is no longer required.     

Erich Fromm’s concept of reactive violence

Abstract

This paper explores the current relevance of Fromm’s concept of reactive violence for understanding particular patients and for generating hypotheses about the world we live in. In his discussion of reactive violence, Fromm gives us a nuanced approach to forms of aggression that can be employed in the service of life. According to Fromm, the aim of reactive violence is preservation, not destruction. It is rooted in fear and, he believes, is the most frequent form of violence. This paper traces the evolution of Fromm’s concept of reactive violence, and considers how it might apply to today’s social and political challenges.     

Analysis of early representations and personality among victims of domestic violence

IntroductionThis exploratory study analyses the individual elements of the victims of domestic violence through life events, early dysfunctional representations and personality.ObjectivesThis research aims, firstly, to show the existence of early traumatic experiences for the victims of domestic violence. Secondly, it aims to measure the prevalence of early maladaptive schema and identify personality traits in these subjects. Finally, our aim is to highlight that depending on the violence carried out within the couple (reciprocal/unilateral), activated schemas and personality traits are different.MethodOur sample consists of 80 female subjects, non-abused women (n = 40) and victims of domestic violence (n = 40), of which 22 victims of unilateral violence and 18 victims of reciprocal violence. Participants filled out an initial questionnaire as well as the scales and self-report questionnaires as follows: Life events (Amiel-Lebigre, 1984); TCI (Cloninger et al., 1993); YSQ-S3 (Young et al., 2005). The data were subject to statistical analysis and were processed using the software SPSS 22.ResultsThe results show that the victims have experienced more early traumas than non-victims, that schemas (emotional deprivation, mistrust and abuse, subjugation, self-sacrifice) are more active. We note also different personality traits according to the different groups (victims/non-victims) and subgroups (reciprocal violence/unilateral violence).ConclusionOur study sheds light on the role of the individual elements of the victims on the perception of the relationship and on the process of engagement and disengagement of women in abusive relationships. Limits and expectations of the study are discussed.     

A Differentiated Legal Approach to the Effects of Spousal Abuse on Children

Summary

In the past decade judges have started to recognize the destructive effects of spousal violence on children, but too many judges and justice system professionals still fail to take adequate account of spousal abuse when dealing with child related issues. Courts need to take a “differentiated” approach to spousal abuse, one that recognizes its different forms, nature and effects on adults and children, with a continuum of responses ranging from ordinary visitation, through supervision of exchanges or visitation, to termination of visitation. Canada should enact legislation that explicitly recognizes spousal abuse as a factor in child related disputes, increase education about domestic violence for judges and other justice system professionals, and provide more support for services such as supervised visitations programs. While this article focuses on Canadian developments and case law, there are similar issues in other countries.     

Therapist Awareness of Appropriate Intervention in Treatment of Domestic Violence

SUMMARY

Given the widespread nature of relationship violence, psychotherapists must recognize the probability that at some point they will treat a violent couple or someone involved in a violent relationship, even if they do not specialize in the treatment of family violence. Two analogue studies reported in this chapter were designed to investigate how therapists conceptualize cases involving domestic violence families and the types of interventions they indicate they would make. The first study surveyed 362 members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Respondents were asked to conceptualize and provide interventions for one of two actual cases that involved family violence. The second study surveyed 402 members of the American Psychological Association (APA). Respondents were asked to give a diagnosis based on a case presentation. After being informed the case resulted in a homicide, respondents were asked what interventions they would have made prior to the outcome, had they been given the opportunity to provide counseling. Results from both analogue studies indicate that a large number of respondents were unable to properly assess the danger inherent in cases of domestic violence, and many more would not have intervened in a timely and appropriate manner.     

Predicting adolescent posttraumatic stress in the aftermath of war: Differential effects of coping strategies across trauma reminder,loss reminder,and family conflict domains

Background and Objectives: The vast majority of youth who lived through the Bosnian war were exposed to multiple traumatic events, including interpersonal violence, community destruction, and the loss of a loved one. This study examined factors that predict post-war psychological adjustment, specifically posttraumatic stress, in Bosnian adolescents. Design: Regression analyses evaluated theorized differential relations between three types of post-war stressors – exposure to trauma reminders, loss reminders, and intrafamilial conflict – specific coping strategies, and posttraumatic stress symptom dimensions. Methods: We examined 555 Bosnian adolescents, aged 15–19 years, to predict their long-term posttraumatic stress reactions in the aftermath of war. Results: Findings indicated that post-war exposure to trauma reminders, loss reminders, and family conflict, as well as engagement and disengagement coping strategies, predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms. Secondary control engagement coping responses to all three types of post-war stressors were inversely associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms, whereas primary control engagement coping responses to family conflict were inversely associated with hyperarousal symptoms. Disengagement responses to trauma reminders and family conflict were positively associated with re-experiencing symptoms. Conclusions: These findings shed light on ways in which trauma reminders, loss reminders, and family conflict may intersect with coping responses to influence adolescent postwar adjustment.     

Understanding and Responding to Victims of Interpersonal Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault within Committed Relationships

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to increase therapeutic discussion surrounding intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) by increasing understanding in how victims of IPSV perceive and respond to the assault. Although IPSV has received little research attention, sexual violence within relationships occurs at an alarmingly high rate. Theories of sexual assault, such as sex-role socialization, are discussed to aid clinicians in better identifying assaultive behaviors and common physical and emotional responses of victims. Additionally, the authors provide a framework for the assessment of IPSV and suggestions on “best practices” for creating conversations that promote hope and healing.     

Adolescent Male Sports Participation and Violence in Emerging Adulthood: Examining Variation by Gender-Typed Behavior

ABSTRACT

Research on the association between sports participation and violence is mixed. Moreover, most studies that recognize some sport subcultures equate masculinity with violence have not included indicators of adherence to gender-typed behaviors. The current study used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to investigate the association between male adolescent sports participation and violence in young adulthood, as well as the degree to which this relationship varied by adherence to gender-typed behaviors. Analyses revealed that male adolescent sports participation was positively associated with violence during emerging adulthood, particularly for those who displayed gender-atypical (i.e., more feminine) behaviors.