Chapters 6 7 8 9 Lecture Textbook Notes Chapter 6 Violence Abuse and Neglect in Families and Intimate Relationships Recently family violence has moved from being a private problem to being a public problem receiving increasing professional public and policy attention Occurs across societies cultures time o Not limited by SES or demographic group There is evidence that virtually every type and form of family and intimate relationship has the potential of being violent Current Prevalence and Incidence Due to scholars varying definitions of abuse and neglect no definitive data exist on the extent of abuse or neglect in intimates or families in the U S o What is clear family violence is a very serious societal problem Child Maltreatment o Includes emotional abuse neglect physical abuse sexual abuse homicide Emotional abuse is the most frequent type of maltreatment Rate of physical abuse 15 1 000 Rate of neglect 11 1 000 Overall projected extent of maltreatment 8 755 000 child victims Dating Courtship Violence o Studies indicate that the prevalence of nonsexual courtship violence ranges from 9 65 depending on definitions and research methods used Partner Abuse o Includes dating courtship violence cohabiting couples married couples gay couples etc o Can be physical abuse coercive control emotional abuse sexual abuse financial post relationship stalking and homicide o There has been a decline in recent years of women who have been victims of intimate partner violence though it is still prevalent o Women are at a much greater risk of reporting stalking victimization than men Homicide of Intimates and Children o Over 3x as many wives and girlfriends were killed by their husbands or boyfriends in 2005 than husbands boyfriends killed by their wives girlfriends though this number has declined since 1993 o 1 500 children killed in 2006 by parents caregivers Elder Abuse o Physical abuse emotional abuse financial caregiver neglect o 450 000 in 1996 abused neglected Siblings Parents Gays Lesbians Transgendered Couples o Sibling violence thought to be the most common form of family violence often goes beyond normal violence o Boys and girls equally likely to be victims o Rate of assault highest for ages 6 12 years old o Sibling murders brother on brother brother on sister o Also IPV not exclusive to heterosexual relationships Witnessing Domestic Violence o Witnessing domestic violence is at the intersection between child abuse neglect and domestic violence o Children who witness acts of domestic violence experience negative behavioral developmental outcomes independent of any abuse or neglect they may experience from caretakers o In some states merely witnessings domestic violence is considered child abuse Costs of Family Violence Monetary costs Long term consequences o Children o Child abuse neglect 103 8 billion Based on immediate needs of victims indirect costs and long term costs o IPV rape stalking 5 8 billion Direct medical and mental health services lost productivity from paid work and lifetime earnings lost as a result of homicide Poor school performance lowered attention to social cues inappropriate sexual behavior when sexual abuse has occurred Adolescents physical aggression antisocial behavior juvenile delinquency Many children have the ability to cope effectively and do not show signs of extreme disturbance Intelligence temperament cognitive appraisal can influence the effects of child maltreatment Special education mental health care physical health declines developmental delays asthma depression anxiety resources from CPS Mental health care criminal costs marriages health later in life injury treatment missed work lost productivity paid and household work suicide attempts PTSD resources from criminal justice agencies High incidence of depression anxiety increased risk of suicide o Adults o Female victims attempts o Society Time lost from work medical care investment of resources from social and criminal justice agencies Factors Associated with Family Violence Sex and Gender Difference o Child abuse and neglect Mothers slightly more likely to abuse or kill than fathers Abusive females typically younger than males Stepfathers risk factor Suicidal biological father risk for child homicide o Intimate partner abuse Type of violence Family violence vs Feminist research both agree men initiate more violence it s more difficult for women to leave the relationship and more women are injured or killed than men Social Characteristics o 2 conflicting positions 1 Violence cuts across all SES groups and is not a function of social class or income 2 Violence is cause by low social class and poverty o There is an association between lower income and increased risk of violence BUT there is also the fact that family violene is more observable among those with low incomes because they visit ER s and clinics at a higher rate o IPV is more common among racial ethnic minority families o American indian women report higher rates of IPV Stress o Career and life stressors have medium impact on likelihood of IPV o PTSD and stress prevalence are higher in women than for male perpetrators or male victims o Men in working class blue collar jobs are more likely to use violence than men in middle class white collar jobs Social Isolation o Which comes first Abuse or isolation o Having social support connections is a protective factor against IPV Intergenerational Transmission o History of victimization is a major risk factor o 30 of abused children grow up to use abuse in their own relationships or to be a victim o Witnessing parental abuse significantly related to later abusive behavior o BUT children are resilient growing up in an abusive home does not mean a child will use violence later in life Factors of Sexual Abuse of Children o Female children at increased risk of child sexual abuse o Often done by a family member or family friend Theoretical Perspectives Social Learning Theory o Society is violent we learn violence from others o Behavior is learned through experience and observation o Inadequate because it does not explain why some are violent who never experienced violence and others are nonviolent who did experience violence Ecological Theory o Parental violence and abuse arises from a mismatch between parent child family community o Risk increases when paired with a developmental problem o Primarily for child abuse Social Exchange Theory o Partner and child abuse governed by principle of costs and