Batterer Program Directors' Views on Substance Abuse and Domestic Violence

This article reports on a national survey of batterer intervention program (BIP) directors (N?=?150). The beliefs of these directors on the relationship of substance abuse and domestic violence is reported and discussed. BIP director's opinions are important because they make programmatic and treatment decisions. Most BIP directors believe that for many of their clients, both men and women, perpetrator and victim, violence and substance abuse is related. Treatment and methodological considerations are discussed.     

Gender Differences in Reporting Psychological Abuse in a National Sample

Understanding the nature and impact of psychological abuse for males and females is crucial because it might be the precursor of other forms of violence. This study examines reported gender differences in psychologically abusive acts using a national sample of U.S. citizens. The data were collected anonymously from an online administration of the Measure of Psychological Abuse (MPAB). Other measures were included to assess outcomes that might occur due to psychological abuse. Results indicate that there are more similarities than differences in the gender reports of psychological abuse. Compared to males' reports, differences include female reports of certain behaviors leading to more negative emotional and behavioral impact and more negative outcomes due to being in a psychologically abusive relationship.     

The Protective Functions of Social Support and Coping for Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Abuse

This study evaluated two alternate models exploring protective factors in the relationship between intimate partner abuse and health: one in which social support was proposed to mediate the violence-health relation, and a second in which coping was proposed to mediate this relation, while social support would moderate the abuse-coping relation. Women were administered questionnaires measuring coping, social support, violence, and health status. Relationship violence predicted mental health status only, although mental health did predict physical health. Coping was found to serve as a mediator between abuse and health. Implications for future research and clinical applications are discussed.     

Child Homicide in the City of Los Angeles

SUMMARY

Homicide is the only leading cause of child death which has increased in rank in the past 30 years. This investigation describes the deaths of 0-14 year olds which were classified as homicides by the Los Angeles Police Department from 1980 to 1989. Special focus is given to suspect-to-victim relationship and victim race/ethnicity because of their relevance to prevention and program planning. Family members were suspects in 49.8% of the cases (mother, 14.5%; father, 13.6%; mother's paramour, 8.5%; male and female caretaker, 11.1%; other family members, 2.1%). Few differences emerged among the Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White child victims. Non-Hispanic White victims had the highest proportion (67.7%) and Hispanic victims had the lowest proportion (42.7%) of within-family suspects. Prevention implications include the need to focus on the actions of male caregivers and the observation that the substance and content of prevention programs (e.g., an emphasis on reducing blunt force trauma to young children) can be consistent across race/ethnic groups.     

Aggression in the Laboratory: Problems with the Validity of the Modified Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Test as a Measure of Aggression in Media Violence Studies

Many laboratory studies of aggression use a measure known as the modified Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Test (TCRTT), for which validation studies are lacking. Using sound blasts administered by the participant against a fictional human opponent, the TCRTT also allows for multiple methods of measuring aggression. The validity of the TCRTT was tested in 53 college student participants. Participants took a self-report measure of aggressiveness as well as neuropsychological measures of frontal lobe functioning predictive of aggression. Results were not supportive of the TCRTT's validity and indicated concerns regarding the use of the TCRTT as a measure of aggression. Results suggest that labaratory studies of media violence using the TCRTT are of questionable validity.     

Current Treatment Strategies for Dissociative Identity Disorders in Adult Sexual Abuse Survivors

SUMMARY

During the past decade, increasing numbers of clinicians and researchers have suggested that the dissociative disorders, including dissociative identity disorder (DID), may be more prevalent than previously hypothesized. The “rediscovery” of DID is due, in part, to the recognition that early childhood trauma in conjunction with the propensity to dissociate, are etiologic factors for the development of DID. The purpose of this article is to raise clinical consciousness regarding DID, discuss the definition and etiology of the dissociative disorders, their assessment, and an approach to treatment of the sexual abuse survivor who has DID. This treatment program, while integrating some of the techniques recommended by others, is unique in its step-by-step flexible organization as well as its multifaceted format. The author's experience to date suggests that the sooner that a dissociative disorder can be identified in the adult sexual abuse survivor client, the more rapid the therapeutic progress.     

Workplace Violence and Worker Injury in Elderly Care Settings

Abstract

Many incidents of injury, assault, and abuse occur in health care settings. To better examine the situational context of the workplace, this paper examines whether workers providing care to elderly persons experience injuries that are consistent with the “for-profit” and “interpersonal conflict” explanations of elder abuse or neglect. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, results indicate that nursing home workers and home health care workers have higher rates of workplace injuries resulting from assaults and overexertion than do other workers. The data suggest that there are unique structural and situational factors present in the nursing home, which create a work setting vulnerable to conflict, violence, and elder abuse.     

Childhood Maltreatment and PTSD: Spiritual Well-Being and Intimate Partner Violence as Mediators

Childhood maltreatment places individuals, including African American women who are undereducated and economically disadvantaged, at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants were 192 African American women with a history in the prior year of both a suicide attempt and intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure. They were recruited from a public hospital that provides medical and mental health treatment to mostly low-income patients. A simple mediator model was used to examine if (a) existential well-being (sense of purpose) or religious well-being (relationship with God) mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and adult PTSD symptoms. Sequential multiple mediator models determined if physical and nonphysical IPV enhanced our understanding of the mediational association among the aforementioned variables. Findings suggest that existential well-being mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and adult PTSD symptoms in a simple mediator model, and existential well-being and recent nonphysical IPV served as sequential multiple mediators of this link. However, religious well-being and physical IPV were not significant mediators. Findings underscore the importance of enhancing existential well-being in the treatment of suicidal African American women with a history of childhood maltreatment and IPV.     

Gender Differences in the Association of Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Values among College Students

Although research has indicated that cognitions and situational factors play a role in relationship satisfaction and aggression, few studies have investigated the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and relationship values. We addressed this gap by measuring college students’ perpetration of and victimization by four types of IPV; namely, physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and psychological aggression over the past year. One-way ANOVAs and multiple regression analyses were used to measure the association between IPV and the endorsement of relationship values. The results suggest that past IPV perpetration and victimization correlated with the current endorsement of relationship values for males more than females. In general, male perpetrators rated relationship values such as security, investment, others’ approval, and daily conflict as less important than non-perpetrators. Although male victimization explained significant variance in security, investment, and others’ approval, the results were somewhat mixed as to whether victimization related to higher or lower ratings of relationship values, with the majority of the results suggesting an inverse correlation between relationship value endorsement and IPV experience. Future research can investigate mediating factors in the relationship between IPV and relationship value endorsement, as well as look at how IPV and relationship values influence decisions concerning relationship maintenance.     

Sole Expression: A Trauma-Informed Dance Intervention

The primary treatment for individuals who have encountered violence and/or abuse is trauma-focused cognitive and behavioral modalities. However, these therapeutic approaches are not always effective for youth who have encountered this type of trauma. Trauma is often communicated through the body via physical ailments, particularly when words are insufficient to capture an individual’s experience or when adequate processing of the trauma is not possible due to profound stress. Dance offers an alternative form of therapy that can address “where” the trauma is held, relieve tension, and restore a sense of ownership with one’s body and mind. In this article, we discuss the development of Sole Expression, a trauma-informed hip-hop dance program for youth who have experienced abuse and/or exposure to violence. We provide an overview of establishing the team, securing funding, trauma training, program curriculum, and the related research. We conclude with recommendations for best practices that benefit both practitioners and the young people served.