family violence chapter 2

Prevalence vs. incidence

Both are difficult to assess for the reasons outlined above.

Samples of people directly impacted by domestic violence drawn from shelters, prisons, etc. Allow for an analytical depth not provided by traditional populations.

Clinical and Forensic Samples

UCR (Uniform Crime Report) - released annually by the FBI

Compilation of arrest records nationwide Underreporting of family violence to the police (and inaction by police when reported) - especially with less severe family violence - makes these reports unreliable. Local agencies often have differing definitions of particular forms of family violence - e.g., stranger vs. non-stranger

Theoretical and methodological implications of cultural differences Distinguishing between the role of race and ethnicity

Cultural awareness

Do definitions of family violence vary across cultures? Two issues: Translation of survey measures to other languages Even if translations are acceptable, do the underlying constructs that reflect family violence in one culture reflect family violence in the next?

Cultural competence

Race-ethnicity/use of language/gender of counselor/therapist Presentation of counselor/therapist Adapting interventions to account for cultural differences and community context.

Cultural competence/sensitivity in practice

Disagreements on definitions of family violence

Disagreement among researchers Violence: e.g., using threats of violence to coerce, slapping, psychological abuse Battering vs. "normative abuse" Letting respondents decide Other examples: rape, child, neglect, elder

Longitudinal vs. Cross-sectional studies

Expensive, but vital when time-order of IV and DV are at issue. Example: strain might lead to greater family violence, but the family violence might then lead to greater strain - e.g., medical and law enforcement involvement.

Making sure counselors understand research methodology and statistical analyses Making sure researchers present results in an accessible manner.

Insufficient training:

Measurement control (surveys) vs. experimental control (experiments)

Issues of statistical control

examples of conflict between advocates and academicians

Murray Straus and the Conflict Tactics Scale Rehabilitation of perpetrators Should funding be prioritized to treat offenders or victim

Assessment and Research Design Issues Populations Sampled

Nationally representative samples NCVS, National Family Violence Survey, and National Violence Against Women Survey Allow for generalization

If the national surveys do not have measures you are interested in. If the national surveys do not have a large enough representation of a particular niche population one wants to study (e.g., students or same-sex partners).

Non-representative samples

People still argue over the validity of the CTS

Psychometrics consistently indicate that these scales accurately measure the behaviors they claim to measure. However, do these behaviors accurately reflect family violence as it is actually experienced?

Offer real-life policy implications Present complicated statistical analyses in ways understandable to policymakers.

Researcher training

Evaluation Issues

Researcher training, Statistical analyses, Qualitative research

Growing need for measures of psychological abuse and better conceptual understanding of what constitutes psychological abuse.

Some research suggests that it is as or more damaging than physical abuse. What is it? Threats or undermining self-esteem? If it includes the latter, at what point does criticism constitute psychological abuse? What about rejection? Encouraging antisocial behavior?

Bivariate vs. multivariate analyses -- assessing multiple risks factors and providing statistical control. Meta-analyses

Statistical analyses

Theoretical Approaches (interactional) can include

Victim blaming? Attachment disorder

among academics, there is also a diversity of approaches which vary by

*theory *methodology *disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches

Theoretical Approaches Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol use is a strong predictor of family violence

Different types of academic researchers, advocates, research participants, policymakers, etc

Appreciating the different motivations of policymakers, advocates, and researchers; not being judgmental; and learning how to work together. All three play a valuable role in understanding and stopping family violence.

added two subscales to the original three (injury and sexual coercion) and better accounted for minor and severe degrees of violence.

CTS2

Theoretical Approaches (multidimensional theories)

Competition vs. integration

Ensure the safety of research participants, investigators, and mental-health workers. Obtain informed consent of all research subjects Guarantee confidentiality, and where possible anonymity Provide a full and honest disclosure of the research methodology and findings Implementing the legal duty to protect those endangered by violent subjects Displaying cultural competence and sensitivity

Ethical Issues

Assessing which interventions and treatments have a successful track-record in the scholarly literature

Evidence-based therapy

Strains Negative emotions crime

General Strain Theory

people who observed the family violence or had the family violence reported to them

Informant Data

assessment and research design issues

Lack of theoretical framework - variable analysis Example: poverty vs. social disorganization

The emotional response to a neutral stimulus after the repeated pairing of the neutral stimulus with a potent stimulus.

Learning Theories (Classical Conditioning)

Much laboratory research suggests that violence is modeled.

Learning Theories (Modeling)

Engaging in behaviors based on the rewards/punishments of that same behavior in the past.

Learning theories (operant conditioning)

finding ways to collect probability samples of niche populations.

Methodology:

informant data minimizes the _____ but introduces ____

Minimizes the reluctance to report but introduces threats to the validity

for the crime of family violence, you're pretty much looking at one negative emotion - anger.

Negative emotions

Clinical assessment: use of multiple measures to accurately assess problems and behaviors. Vicarious traumatization/burnout

Practice Issues

aggression, low self-esteem, and feelings of dependency, poor problem-solving skills, vulnerability, inadequacy, and loneliness.

Psychological traits

narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, clinical depression

Psychopathology (e.g., mental disorder)

Collaboration between different agencies and stakeholders throughout the research process

Research issues

blocked goals, removal of a positive stimuli, addition of a negative stimuli

Strains

Individual traits that predict perpetrating and being victimized

Theoretical Approaches (individual)

interactional dynamics between the perpetrator and victim are essential for understanding family violence - e.g., you can't have a perpetrator without a victim.

Theoretical Approaches (interactional)

classical conditioning is the basis for

Trauma Theory - e.g., PTSD and revictimization

Disseminate research through various forums

academic journals, websites, magazines, organizational newsletters, video materials and presentations for advocacy groups, and directly to policy makers.

advocates ( ) vs. academicians ( )

activists/experts

Importance of coping strategies to

assess strains and handle emotions

(likelihood of getting caught)

celerity

is the strongest predictor of deterrence

celerity

___ is more prevalent in neighborhoods containing social disorganization

crime

people are more likely to be deterred from committing a crime when

deterrence theory the celerity is greater, the severity of the punishment is greater , and the swiftness of the punishment is greater

While a lot of evidence supports this explanation, the majority of people with violent parents

do not go on to become abusers

CTS1 found early research that men and women

engaged equally in IPV./ Gender equivalence and methodological critiques of the CTS1

social disorganization includes a

function of poverty, residential transiency and ethnic heterogeneity

these behaviors often become

habitual or automatic

Poverty, residential transiency, and ethnic heterogeneityincreases social isolation and lack of collective efficacy increases blocked goals and strains increases negative emotionsincreases aggressionfamily violence.

leads to family violence

For example, people are more likely to engage in IPV when that behavior has consistently

led to compliance from a partner in the past

Memory recall Differential interpretation of question Biases: family vs. stranger, normative vs. non-normative, violence as a perpetrator vs. violence as a victim, men vs. women

limitations on self reports

Where behavioral norms are uncertain, we will

model the behavior of others - especially, legitimated authorities.

theoretical approach micro

modeling/classical conditioning

sources of data

official arrest statistics, self reports, informant data

CTS1 measured three types of conflict resolution during interpersonal disagreements:

reasoning and negotiation; verbal and symbolic aggression; and physical aggression.

social isolation and lack of collective efficacy

social disorganization

An integration of three approaches

social disorganization theory, general strain theory, and individual traits.

theoretical approaches (macro)

social disorganization/deterrence theory

disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches vary by ___, ___, and ____

theory methodology activist vs. expert orientation