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PubMed1996

Cultural-societal roots of violence. The examples of genocidal violence and of contemporary youth violence in the United States.

Widespread violence in a society must have its origins in cultural characteristics, current societal conditions, or both. In this article, the cultural, societal, and psychological origins of two very different forms of violence are examined. A conception of the origins of genocide and mass killing is briefly presented, with the Holocaust and the violence in the former Yugoslavia as supporting evidence. Difficult life conditions give rise to scapegoating, destructive ideologies, and the evolution of increasing violence against a designated enemy. Cultural characteristics that make this process more or less probable are described. This is followed by a presentation of the socialization experiences of children that generate youth violence. To explain the increase in youth violence, the presence of difficult life conditions in the United States is noted (due primarily to substantial social change). The effects of difficult life conditions, cultural characteristics, and social conditions such as poverty and discrimination against minority groups on family life and parenting are described. Similarities and differences in the origins of the two forms of violence are examined. The role of unfulfilled or frustrated basic human needs in generating violence is stressed, and conditions and actions required to reduce violence are proposed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Men who use violence: intimate violence versus non-intimate violence profiles.

The current study examined the differences between three types of violent men based on Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart's (1994) tripartite typology and a group of non-intimate violent men. First, a cluster analysis was conducted on a sample of 91 domestically violent men, resulting in three clusters that approximated the tripartite model for psychopathology as measured by the MMPI-2, that is, non-pathological, borderline/dysphoric, and antisocial. Based on the violence variables (i.e., severity of violence, family-only violence, and exposure to family of origin violence) only severity of violence approximated what would be expected across the three clusters, that is, the less the psychopathology, the less severe the violence. The other two violence variables had approximate frequencies/percentages of occurrence that would be expected for individual typologies with some but not all three typologies. In comparing the three intimate violent typologies to the non-intimate violent group, the non-intimate and non-pathological groups were within normal limits and did not differ significantly on any of the MMPI-2 scales. These non-intimate and non-pathological groups differed significantly from the antisocial and borderline/dysphoric groups on all the scales that defined the psychopathology of these two groups. On the violence variables, the non-intimate groups reported significantly less severe violence than the borderline/dysphoric and antisocial groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Intergenerational transmission of violence, self-control, and conjugal violence: a comparative analysis of physical violence and psychological aggression.

This paper is a sequel to Avakame (1998), a study which sought to determine whether (a) violence in families of origin affects males' psychological aggression toward wives, and (b) whether the intergenerational transmission effect is solely direct or mediated by Gottfredson and Hirschi's concept of self-control. The current research extends these questions to females' psychological aggression as well as males' and females' physical violence. The models were estimated using data from the 1975 National Family Violence Survey. Like its precursor, results of the present research suggest that it is useful to (a) distinguish between mothers' and fathers' violence and (b) recognize that the intergenerational transmission of violence may be mediated by self-control. Specifically, results suggested that, whether considering physical violence or psychological aggression, fathers' violence is most likely to exert the direct social learning effect.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence: results of a public opinion survey: I. Definitions of domestic violence, criminal domestic violence, and prevalence.

This study reports analyses and findings from a public opinion survey designed to explore beliefs about domestic violence (DV)-what it is, when it is against the law, and how prevalent it is. The project interviewed 1,200 residents from six New York communities. The analyses reveal substantial firsthand and secondhand experience with DV and strong consensus that acts of physical aggression should be labeled as DV, but substantially less certainty about the illegality of the abusive behaviors. Overall, the respondents were less inclined to define women's aggressive behavior in pejorative or unlawful terms than men's. Respondents believed that DV was common in their communities, and that it affected a significant minority of couples. Multivariate analyses provide little support for conventional wisdom about the impact of socioeconomic background on tolerance for or knowledge about DV, although gender, generation, and secondhand familiarity with DV incidents play a role in opinions and beliefs.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Do responses to an intimate partner violence screen predict scores on a comprehensive measure of intimate partner violence in low-income black women?

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Screening for intimate partner violence has been advocated as an emergency department (ED) procedure. This study aimed to ascertain whether a 5-item intimate partner violence screening questionnaire could be used effectively in the ED with low-income black women to accurately predict partner abuse status. METHODS: Data were collected from 200 black women who answered in the affirmative to at least 1 item on the intimate partner violence screener questionnaire, the Universal Violence Prevention Screening Protocol. The women completed a comprehensive battery of measures, including the Index of Spouse Abuse, a commonly used and psychometrically sound measure of intimate partner violence. RESULTS: Bivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that, compared with women below the physical-intimate partner violence cut point on the Index of Spouse Abuse, women above the cut point on physical-intimate partner violence on the Index of Spouse Abuse were more likely to answer yes to Universal Violence Prevention Screening Protocol screening questions related to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; threats to be harmed physically; and being afraid. Compared with women below the nonphysical-intimate partner violence cut point on the Index of Spouse Abuse, women above the cut point on nonphysical intimate partner violence on the Index of Spouse Abuse were more likely to answer yes to each screening question on the Universal Violence Prevention Screening Protocol. The 2 Universal Violence Prevention Screening Protocol screening items related to physical abuse best predicted the 2 Index of Spouse Abuse scales. Accurate prediction of physical and nonphysical abuse on the Index of Spouse Abuse required affirmative responses to 4 or more screening questions on the Universal Violence Prevention Screening Protocol. CONCLUSION: A brief intimate partner violence screening device in the emergency care setting can identify abused, low-income, black women. The study is limited by the fact that universal screening was not conducted, the inclusion of only women who acknowledged some form of intimate partner violence, a reliance on retrospective self-reports, and the questionable generalizability of the findings to groups other than low-income black women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

[Violence scale and severity index: a methodological proposal for measuring violence by the partner in Mexican women].

OBJECTIVE: To construct and validate a scale to assess violence by the male partner against women. An index of severity of the emotional and physical damage was also designed to assess the intensity of the violent actions against women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample consisted of a total of 26 042 women who participated as respondents in the National Survey on Violence against Women (ENVIM per its abbreviation in Spanish) conducted in Mexico during 2003. Respondents were all users of health services provided by the Mexican government. The questionnaire was organized into 17 sections, one of which was a 27-item scale to assess partner violence. The purpose of this scale was to measure the type (physical, emotional, sexual and financial) and degree of violence based on severity. A severity index was constructed based on two procedures: 1) the validity, reliability, and factor analyses of the scale and 2) the assessment of severity by expert judges who assigned a value to each item of the scale. RESULTS: The validity and reliability results indicated this scale has adequate internal validity (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.99). The factor analysis with Varimax rotation yielded a four-factor solution. The factors were: 1) Psychological violence; 2) Physical violence; 3) Severe physical violence; and 4) Sexual violence. The combination of the four factors accounted for 62.2% of the variance in the scale. Using the ratings from the judges a table of values for each of the violent actions described was obtained. The scores assigned by the judges ranged from 0 to 354. Results revealed a prevalence of 21% partner violence in the last twelve months. The prevalence of psychological violence was 18.5%; of physical violence 10.1%; severe physical violence 6.7% and sexual violence 7.0%. CONCLUSION: The scale of violence described in this article is a very useful and reliable instrument to assess marital violence against women. It is suggested that this instrument be used in other settings to compare results with different samples.

Battered Women↗
PubMed2005

Occurrence of violence and violence-related injuries among 12-18 year-old Finns.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, nature, and severity of violence and violence-related injuries, and the occurrence of alcohol-related violence among Finnish adolescents. METHODS: A 12-page questionnaire was mailed to a nationwide representative sample of 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-year-olds (n = 10,883). The response rate was 75%. RESULTS: Of the 8,135 respondents, 7.9% (646) reported violence occurrence and 1.7% violence-related injury during the past month. The male-female ratio for violence occurrence was 1.9 (95% CI 1.6-2.2) and for violence-related injury occurrence 0.8 (95% CI 0.6-1.2). Sixteen-year-old girls reported the highest injury rate (23/1,000). Most typically, the violent persons were individuals known by the victim before the incident. Girls were significantly (p < 0.001) more often (43%) in a fight with, or assailed by, a family member than boys (8%). Although boys' violent actions were related to leisure-time activities (64%), violence rarely took place during sports activities. Alcohol-related violence increased with age. Some 13% of 14-year-olds reported being under the influence of alcohol at the time of violence. The corresponding figures for 16- and 18-year-olds were 41% and 62%, respectively. Moreover, alcohol was closely associated with violence-related injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Violence is common among Finnish adolescents. While violence does not always lead to injury, related injuries are an important cause of adolescent morbidity. Alcohol seems to be strongly associated with adolescent violence and related injuries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The role of family-of-origin violence in men's marital violence perpetration.

This paper presents overall transmission rates between family-of-origin violence and marital violence, as well as theoretical and empirical work on possible mechanisms of transmission. In identified samples, approximately 60% of the maritally violent men report family-of-origin violence, whereas slightly over 20% of the comparison group of maritally nonviolent men report family-of-origin violence. Modest associations between experiencing violence in the family of origin and marital violence are found in community samples and in studies with prospective and longitudinal designs. Variables that intervene in the association between family-of-origin violence and marital violence are reviewed, with a focus on personal characteristics such as antisocial personality, psychological distress, and attitudes condoning violence, as well as on contextual factors, such as marital problems and conflict resolution style. Variables associated with nonviolence in men who grew up in violent families also are identified, including strong interpersonal connections and the ability to create psychological distance from the family-of-origin violence. Continued empirical investigation of variables that potentiate or mitigate the association between family-of-origin violence and marital violence at different developmental stages is needed to identify explanatory mechanisms and, ultimately, to interrupt the intergenerational transmission of marital violence.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Hazardous drinking and relationship violence perpetration and victimization in women arrested for domestic violence.

OBJECTIVE: Research has shown that women who perpetrate partner violence or are victims of partner violence are more likely than comparison groups to have alcohol problems. The present study represents the largest sample collected to date of women arrested for domestic violence and court referred to batterer intervention programs. The aim of this study is to compare hazardous and nonhazardous drinking women on violence perpetration and victimization and to examine whether group differences in these variables are attributable to women's drinking, their general propensity for violence, their partners' drinking, or a combination of these factors. METHODS: We recruited 103 women who were arrested for domestic violence and divided the sample into groups of hazardous drinkers (HD) and nonhazardous drinkers (NHD). We administered multiple measures of substance use and problems and assessed the women's relationship aggression, use of general violence and their relationship partners' substance use. RESULTS: Relative to the NHD group, the HD group scored higher on violence perpetration (physical assault, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, injuries) and violence victimization (physical assault). In addition, the HD group scored higher than the NHD group on general violence perpetration and partner alcohol and drug problems. Results from regression analyses indicated that women's drinking, women's general violence, and partner drinking all contributed to some form of violence perpetration or victimization; women's hazardous drinking group status was particularly important in the prediction of physical assault perpetration and victimization. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study suggest that substance use and problems should be assessed routinely as part of violence intervention programs for women and that intervention programs would be improved by offering adjunct or integrated alcohol treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Justification of violence toward the child by mothers victimized by spousal violence].

This study deals with a major social problem, parental violence towards children. It aims to determine whether justification of violence towards children is associated with the use of parental violence in a population at high risk for child abuse. The participants in the study were 41 mothers between the ages of 24 and 46, recruited through a shelter for women who are victims of domestic violence. Results indicate a specific relationship between justification of violence and use of violence towards children, independent of the predictive power of already known risk factors. Among the three dimensions of justification, tolerance appears to be the best predictor: a mother who expresses a higher level of tolerance of violence towards children is more likely to use violence towards her own child. Results of the present study also reflect the already reported high concurrent rates between child abuse and domestic violence. However, contrary to what could be expected, our results reveal that women who suffer the most severe violence from their partners are the ones who use the least severe violence against their children. In all, these results reflect the complexity of the relationship between domestic violence and child abuse.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The Liverpool Violence Assessment: an investigator-based measure of serious violence.

BACKGROUND: Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) identifies adults with persistent offending behaviour and social dysfunction. However, it lacks discrimination within high-risk and criminal populations and gives little indication of an individual's history of violence. Existing measures of violence have significant limitations. The Liverpool Violence Assessment (LiVA) is an investigator-based standardized interview for measuring patterns of violence. METHOD: A total of 61 male prisoners who had been sentenced for serious violent offences were interviewed using the LiVA and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV antisocial personality disorder and alcohol and drug dependence. Official records of offending were examined. RESULTS: The inter-rater reliability for the LiVA was high. There were significant correlations between histories of violence assessed by the LiVA and official records, but the frequency of self-reported violence was much higher than in the official records. Antisocial personality disorder was associated with increased violence. However, analyses revealed marked variability of the levels of violence among those with antisocial personality disorder and contrasting patterns of association of violence with antisocial personality disorder depending on the context. CONCLUSION: The LiVA is a reliable and valid measure of the patterns and characteristics of violence. The findings suggest that the causes of violence should be studied in their own right and not only as a feature of ASPD.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Injuries due to deliberate violence in areas of Denmark. V. Violence against women and children. Copenhagen Study Group.

As part of an European-South American study of deliberate violence cases of violence against women greater than or equal to 15 years of age and violence against and among children under the age of 15 years were registered at 3 Danish emergency wards and at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen. 352 cases of violence against women and 46 cases of violence against children were registered in the three emergency wards corresponding to rates of about 1.6/1000 per year for women, 0.6/1000 per year for boys and 0.7/1000 per year for girls in a provincial/rural district, the catchment region of Holbaek County Hospital, 3.4/1000 per year for women, 2.8/1000 per year for boys and 0.6/1000 per year for girls in a mainly middle income area of the metropolis Copenhagen, the catchment region of Frederiksberg Hospital, and 4.0/1000 per year for women, 4.0/1000 per year for boys and 0.9/1000 per year for girls in a mainly low income area of Copenhagen, the catchment region of the Rigshospital. Nineteen live adult female victims and 17 dead adult female victims of violence were registered in the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen, where also one was registered as a victim of homicide. Nearly half of the adult live female victims of violence had been injured at home while this was the case for approximately three fourth of the dead victims. In 35% of the live cases the husband was the aggressor and in 12% a former cohabitant. In 71% of the homicide cases the husband was the aggressor. The live women appeared to have fewer but more serious lesions than men. The pattern of deliberate violence against women appears to be associated with socio-economic and cultural factors. In cases with a preceding quarrel there is statistically a link to alcohol intoxication. In half of the cases of violence against children the aggressor was known to the victim, in 15% the aggressor was one of the parents, while 42% of the cases were violence among children. The pattern of violence according to sex, and the distribution and severity of lesions for 10-14 years old children showed resemblance to the situation for adults. The lesions were more serious in young infant victims, especially boys, than in adult victims.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Urban youth violence: do definitions and reasons for violence vary by gender?

This study explored how young boys and girls living in low income urban neighborhoods defined and described reasons associated with youth violence. Five focus groups were conducted with 29 youth between the ages of 8 and 12 recruited from four selected study neighborhoods. Participants were asked to describe youth violence. Appropriate probes were used to explore similarities and differences by gender with regard to the reasons for violence. Definitions of youth violence were consistent across participants and included verbal threats, physical contact, and often the use of a weapon. Several common reasons for violence were found among both boys and girls; romantic relationships, respect, idle time, gangs/cliques, and witnessing violence. Reasons for violence unique to boys include fighting about issues related to money and illicit drugs. Gossip was identified as a reason specific to why girls engage in violence. Youth violence was perceived as a common problem impacting the lives of the boys and girls in this study. Although many of the reasons identified for violence are similar among boys and girls, select gender differences do exist. Future research and prevention efforts to address youth violence should engage young people in efforts to understand and address this important public health topic.

Causality↗
PubMed1997

Interaction between birth complications and early maternal rejection in predisposing individuals to adult violence: specificity to serious, early-onset violence.

OBJECTIVE: The authors previously reported that birth complications interact with early maternal rejection in predisposing individuals to violence at age 18 years. This study extended the follow-up period for violent offending from 18 years to 34 years, thus increasing the sample of violent offenders threefold and allowing more detailed analyses on onset and type of violence, the form of maternal rejection, and the effect of maternal mental illness. METHOD: Complications in the births of 4,269 males in Denmark, maternal rejection of these individuals before the age of 1 year, and their histories of criminal offenses at age 34 years were assessed. RESULTS: The biosocial interaction previously observed held for violent but not nonviolent crime, was specific to more serious forms of violence and not threats of violence, held for early-onset but not late-onset violence, and was not accounted for by psychiatric illness in the mothers. Being reared in a public care institution in the first year of life and the mother's attempt to abort the fetus were the key aspects of maternal rejection that interacted with birth complications in predisposing a subject to violence. CONCLUSIONS: These findings 1) indicate that the mechanisms underlying early-onset, serious violence differ from those for less serious, late-onset violence, 2) implicate very early factors in the development of violence, 3) highlight the potential importance of integrating psychosocial with biological factors in understanding and preventing violence, and 4) suggest that interventions to reduce birth complications and maternal rejection may help reduce violence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Exposure to violence and victimization, depression, substance use, and the use of violence by young adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships among exposure to violence; tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use; depression; church attendance; and the use of violence among very young adolescents. METHODS: An 86-item confidential questionnaire was administered to 722 sixth grade students (mean age = 11.9+/-0.8 years) attending 4 middle schools serving neighborhoods in and around public housing. RESULTS: Boys had a higher mean violence scale score than girls (P < or =.0001), and students living in public housing had higher violence scale scores than other students (P< or =.0001). Self-reported use of violence was significantly associated with exposure to violence (r =.45); age (r =.28); frequency of church attendance (r = -.14); depression (r =.28); the probability of being alive at age 25 (r = -.09); the frequency of use of cigarettes (r =.39), alcohol (r =.37), and multiple substances (r =.38); and interest in a gang (r =.37). When all of these variables were analyzed with multiple linear regression, multiple substance use, exposure to violence, interest in a gang, male gender, cigarette smoking, and depression level accounted for 49.7% of the variation in the use of violence scale. CONCLUSION: Recent multiple substance use and lifetime exposure to violence and victimization were the strongest correlates with the frequency that these youth reported using violence and carrying weapons.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Gender differences in violence exposure and violence risk among adolescent inpatients.

Gender-specific rates of violence exposure and violence perpetration among psychiatrically ill adolescents has received little scientific attention. We examined 130 adolescent inpatients and found no difference between male and female subjects with respect to self-reported violence potential or actual violence perpetration. Female inpatients, however, were significantly more often victims of sexual assault, and male inpatients were significantly more often victims of physical assault. For male inpatients, a history of violence perpetration in one area was closely linked with a history of violence victimization in the same area. Alternatively, patterns of victimization and perpetration among female inpatients were less predictable and had crossover to victimization and perpetration experiences in other areas. Correlational analyses revealed that violence risk was associated with a broad range of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Significant associations with hopelessness, suicidality, and childhood trauma differentiated the violence risk of male and female inpatients. We propose a hypothesis for understanding these differences and conclude that although psychiatrically ill adolescent male and female patients may commonly fall victim to differing forms of violence, both genders are at equal risk for actual violence perpetration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Exposure to community violence and violence perpetration: the protective effects of family functioning.

Although research has found that urban youth are exposed to excessive levels of community violence, few studies have focused on the factors that alter the risk of exposure to violence or the processes through which youth who are exposed to community violence do better or worse. This study investigates the risk of exposure to community violence and its relation to violence perpetration among a sample of 263 African American and Latino male youth living in inner-city neighborhoods. The study also examines the role that family functioning plays in moderating the risk. The study finds that youth from struggling families--those that consistently used poor parenting practices and had low levels of emotional cohesion--were more likely to be exposed to community violence. It also finds a relation between exposure to violence and later violence perpetration. However, youth exposed to high levels of community violence but living in families that functioned well across multiple dimensions of parenting and family relationship characteristics perpetrated less violence than similarly exposed youth from less well-functioning families.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Exposure to violence and victimization and the use of violence by adolescents in the United States.

Violence by adolescents in the United States is of growing concern. Despite a decrease in the rate of violence and death by firearms, firearm injuries are the second leading cause of death among Americans age 15 to 24 and the third leading cause of death among 10- to 14-year-old children. Although there are many factors associated with the use of violence by youths, exposure to violence and victimization has consistently been a predictor of the use of violence, as well as intentions to use violence, carrying a gun, and having attitudes accepting of the use of violence and aggressive behavior to resolve conflict. Adolescents' families, friends, neighborhoods, schools, and the media provide sources of exposure and victimization related to the use of violence. The cultural transmission of deviant behavior theory establishes a framework for understanding the influence of exposure to violence and victimization from these sources on adolescents' use of violence.

Adolescent↗