EXAM 3 MATERIAL March 12 2012 Chapter 11 Family Stress and Crisis Violence among Intimates The Nature of Stress and Crisis Crisis A critical change of events that disrupts the functioning of a person s life o Sometimes will occur unexpectedly o Likely to arise out of stress Normative Stressors things that happen to the majority of people Ex having a Non normative Stressors things that are not necessarily expected Ex if you have a baby child that dies Family Stress Tensions that test a family s emotional resources o Differs from other types of personal stress because events that affect one member such as an illness may ripple through the entire family Acute Stress Short term stress o Ex cramming for an exam planning a wedding Chronic Stress Long term stress o Really test the family s resources o More likely to lead to family crisis Table 11 1 The 10 Most Common Family Stressors Insufficient time as a Couple Lack of shared responsibility in family Finances and budgeting Children s behavior Communication with children Guilt for not accomplishing more Relationship with spouse Insufficient family Play time Overscheduled family calendar Insufficient time for me The Nature of Stress and Crisis Responses to Stress o General Adaptation Syndrome GAS The predictable pattern one s body follows when coping with stress which includes the alarm reaction resistance and exhaustion Alarm Reaction first stage Brain perceives a stressor and sends a message to the body resulting in immediate changes in neurological and physiological states so that the defensive forces of the body are mobilized for fight or flight Our normal state of balance is upset as the body responds to a perceived threat Metabolism increases and hormone levels rise Resistance 2nd stage Exhaustion 3rd stage Body continues to battle the stressor by maintaining its elevated state of alert Chronic stress over long periods can be dangerous and can lead to depression fatigue frequent headaches panic attacks insomnia and eating disorders The Social Readjustment Rating Scale A scale of major life events over the past year each of which is assigned a point value Patterns of Family Crises o 3 Distinct Phases 1 The event that causes the crisis 2 The period of disorganization that follows 3 The reorganization that takes place afterwards Coping or Not The ABC X Models o ABC X Model A model designed to help us understand the variation in the ways that families cope with stress and crisis What does a family need in order to deal with a significant crisis REFER TO FIGURE 11 2 A Stressor Event o Initial event causing the crisis B Internal Family Resources Formal and Social Supports o Resources a family has to meet the demands of the crisis C Family s Perception of the Event o How do they view the event as a whole X Family CRISIS o The amount of crisis that happens with the family o Depend upon the combination of ABC actors the type of crisis itself the resources of the family and their perceptions of and meanings they associate with the crisis o Double ABC X Model A model designed to help us understand the effects of the accumulation of stresses and crises and how families adapt to them Idea of When it rains it pours in SOME cases Have a harder time adjusting Aa Pile up Refers not only to the initial event but also to family life changes and transitions that take places because of it bB Existing and New Resources Includes both the resources the family already has and the new coping resources the family obtains because of the stress or crisis cC Family s Perception Takes into account not only the family s perception of the stressor itself but also their perceptions of the aftermath March 14 2012 Intimate Partner Violence Intimate Partner Violence Defined as violence between those who are physically and sexually intimate such as spouses or partners o Can encompass physical economic sexual or psychological abuse How We Define and Measure Intimate Partner Violence o Conflict Tactics Scale CTS A scale based on how people deal with disagreements in relationships 3 different ways to measure 1 Non aggressive responses have a problem calmly discuss the issues even if you raise your voice you re sticking to the issues 2 Psychologically aggressive response You re insulting the other person typically your character assaults trying to make them feel bad 3 Physically aggressive response during an argument you throw something at them hit them shove them Assumes there s always an argument when violence occurs Not always the case though Are Men or Women More Likely to Be Victims Bias and the CTS Women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence Men are less likely than women to remember their own acts of violence and they may not perceive their acts as abusive Frequency of Intimate Partner Violence o About 4 8 million incidents of intimate partner violence occur among women ages 18 and o Intimate partner violence also accounts for nearly 2 million injuries and 1 500 deaths in the older each year US every year Problems o Huge under reported crime in men being abused in relationships If you see a girl hit a guy you don t say anything or intervene BUT if the situation were reversed many people would step in o Men being abused isn t as unusual as you may think o There s a double standard TABLE 11 2 o Women are 3 times as likely as men to be assaulted by an intimate partner Types of Intimate Partner Violence o Common Couple Violence o Intimate Terrorism When the violence arises out of a specific argument Lashes out physically Less frequent than other types and less likely to escalate or cause severe injury Classified by the control of another partner People want to control the inner and outer systems It s more likely than other types of violence to escalate over time and to cause serious injury and post traumatic stress syndrome Considered self defense Research is scarce but those who put up violent resistance are almost always o Violent Resistance women o Mutual Violent Control When both people have controlling and violent behavior Stalking and Cyber stalking Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence o Can be physical o Doesn t always result it death but it could o Bruises broken bones are more common o Some have permanent injuries depending on the amount of violence o More likely to attempt suicide o Lower self esteem o Tend to isolate themselves The Macro factors for domestic violence is staggering o The cost in the US is 8 billion a year Coping with
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