Measuring Myths about Domestic Violence: Development and Initial Validation of the Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance Scale

The past 2.5 decades have seen explosive growth in research and practice in the area of intimate partner violence (IPV), especially of perpetrators. In the present paper, the author reflects on his observations of key developments in the field and examines research that has increased our understanding of batterers, who they are, and how we might best work with them to end IPV. Issues and controversies that surround batterer treatment and research with batterers are also examined. The author calls for continued development of an empirical base to guide theory development and practice standards, as well as increased dissemination and translation of research into formats that are useful to clinicians.     

Child Maltreatment,Family Characteristics and Adult Adjustment

Abstract

Two alternate processes that may explain the relationship between child maltreatment, childhood family characteristics and adult adjustment (mediation and moderation) were tested using retrospective data from a community sample (N= 175). The levels of five different types of child maltreatment did not mediate the relationship between childhood family variables and adult adjustment. In contrast, family background played a mediating role in the relationship between mal-treatment and adjustment. Evidence of moderation was found in the interactions between different maltreatment types in predicting adjustment. Partial support was found for the moderating influence of family factors on the relationship of maltreatment to adjustment.     

Intimate Partner Violence among West African Immigrants

Although the number of African immigrants arriving to the United States has increased significantly, there has been little investigation regarding their experiences of intimate partner violence or coping strategies. This study used focus groups and individual interviews to explore intimate partner violence among 32 heterosexual West African immigrants. Results suggest that although cultural expectations influence their coping strategies, West African–born men and women face different realities, with women reporting multiple instances of abuse and a sense of frustration with the existing options for assistance. Although participants discussed multilevel support structures within the immediate West African community to address intimate partner violence, all of these options maintained a gender hierarchy, leaving women dissatisfied. Challenges and barriers to partner violence resolution and coping strategies are identified. Results are examined in terms of their implications for addressing the needs of this underserved population. Implications for future research and services are discussed and highlighted.     

Women with Children in Violent Relationships

Summary

Custody issues for battered women means continuing involvement with a violent, abusive, intimidating partner. This article explores the continuing power and control dynamics of the domestic violence relationship after the woman with children leaves, and presents some preliminary findings. The custody of the children, visitation and financial arrangements often become the basis of terrorism as the man attempts to continue to control the woman's behavior with threats against the children. Fear of losing her children may force a woman to stay in a violent relationship, or return in spite of danger to her children and herself. On the other hand, the history of violence may make it difficult for the mother to cooperate with the court orders regarding joint custody or visitation even when safety appears not to be an issue. It is important for professionals working with children of violent families to understand the continuing effects of domestic violence after separation in order to provide assistance to children “caught in the middle” in custody disputes.     

Parent Perspectives on the Use of Group Well-Child Care to Address Toxic Stress in Early Childhood

We sought to understand the experiences of parents who participated in Group Well-Child Care (GWCC) and Trauma-Informed GWCC (TI-GWCC). Three focus groups and design sessions with parents from either standard GWCC or TI-GWCC (N = 17) were conducted and synthesized into common themes using thematic analysis. Focus group themes included: (1) GWCC can empower parents to recognize toxic stress; (2) Parents identify ways that they role model behaviors for their child(ren); (3) Activities that facilitate reflection on attachment and anger management encourage intentional parenting practices. Our qualitative findings suggest that TI-GWCC supports the prevention of childhood adversity by creating connections between parents, helping families understand and identify toxic stress, and teaching parenting practices that mitigate stressors.     

Family Environment as a Moderator of the Association between Conduct Disorder and Suicidality

This study examined whether perceived family support and conflict moderate the relationship between conduct disorder (CD) and suicide attempts (SAs) in a sample of 185 psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents, ages 13 to 18, and their parents. Data were collected using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children (K–SADS–PL), the Survey of Children’s Social Support Scale–Short Version, and the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire. Binary logistic regression and simple slope analyses were conducted to test study hypotheses. Results suggest that perceptions of family support, but not conflict, moderate the association between CD and SAs. Specifically, adolescents diagnosed with CD were found to be at heightened risk for an SA if they reported lower family support. These results suggest that clinicians who treat adolescents with CD should assess for perceptions of family support. Incorporating family work into treatment could help to prevent SAs.     

The Recognition of Adults' and Children's Facial Expressions of Emotions

The purpose of this study was to compare the recognition performance of children who identified facial expressions of emotions using adults' and children's stimuli. The subjects were 60 children equally distributed in six subgroups as a function of sex and three age levels: 5, 7, and 9 years. They had to identify the emotion that was expressed in 48 stimuli (24 adults' and 24 children's expressions) illustrating six emotions: happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger, and sadness. The task of the children consisted of selecting the facial stimulus that best matched a short story that clearly described an emotional situation. The results indicated that recognition performances were significantly affected by the age of the subjects: 5-year-olds were less accurate than 7- and 9-year-olds who did not differ among themselves. There were also differences in recognition levels between emotions. No effects related to the sex of the subjects and to the age of the facial stimuli were observed.     

Individual Ambidexterity: Exploring and Exploiting in Dynamic Contexts

The objective of this study is to analyze the mediating role of intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction in the relationship between the 2 dimensions of work–family conflict—family interfering with work (FIW) and work interfering with family (WIF)—and general job satisfaction. Step-by-step hierarchical regression analyses were carried out on a sample of 151 men and women from a Spanish public organization. The results confirmed the mediating role of intrinsic job satisfaction in the case of FIW. This highlights the importance of taking into account the level of satisfaction with the intrinsic facets of one's job as a measure for understanding why FIW has a negative impact on general job satisfaction.     

Three Contributions of Personal History

SUMMARY

Who we are becomes manifest as we conduct therapy. Much of the flavor and strength of our therapeutic style, as well as our errors, can be traced to our personal history. This history provides us a storehouse of memories which enrich our sessions. It also helps determine our chosen therapeutic stances. One of the dilemmas for all therapists is the extent to which we will use transparency and self revelation as an ingredient in our work. The final section of this paper explores the pros and cons of sharing our life stories with our clients.