Assessed association between interspousal aggression and child problems after controlling for parents' general marital discord among 87 couples requesting marital therapy. Spouses completed measures of marital aggression, marital discord, child problems, and family demographics. Results showed that marital aggression contributed unique variance to…

Maintains that abusive parents are often the victims of child abuse and consequently experience conflict and trauma in development, leaving them unable to make normal adult adjustment to the role of parent. Presents a psychoeducational outpatient treatment model aimed at helping abusive parents acquire skills that they lack as a result of deficits…

Developed creative approach to conduct needs assessment in rural schools that involved sending questionnaires to 49 key informants and 145 high school students. Key informants and students agreed that the 2 most serious issues were alcohol-related problems and family dysfunction (violence, divorce). Both groups indicated need for a teen center;…

Reports on interviews with 20 assaulted women about their concerns for their children and how these concerns affected the decision to leave the assailant. Fifty-five percent of the women's children had witnessed violence, and 90 percent of these children had become involved in the physical or psychological abuse in some way, even after separation.…

Mothers (n=113) of child psychiatric patients and nonpatients were classified as being at low, moderate, or high risk of child abuse. Mothers with high abuse potential reported greater child externalizing and depressive symptoms, child rejection, psychological dysfunction, stressful life events, and family problems, but there were few differences…

Examines the history of violence in American society, explains some reasons behind these acts, and explores the implications of societal acceptance of violence. While criminologists consider extreme violence to be deviant forms of natural aggression, the paper shows that American society tolerates physical force when expressing political dissent…

Gives an overview of issues related to domestic violence against women as a social problem: changing responses from the legal system and the community over the course of history, possible causes of domestic violence against women, current perspectives and trends, prevalence, seriousness, and our response as a society. (LKS)

Discusses factors involved in the decision by battered women to seek court orders of protection. Women seeking such orders confront both tangible and symbolic fears. There are powerful motivations counteracting these fears; in addition, women experience psychological benefits from a sense of gaining some measure of control in their lives. (LKS)

Explains problems with child visiting in cases of domestic abuse. Data on domestic abuse, child care concerns, and child adjustment problems were collected from 25 mothers and 22 fathers at a child visiting program serving separated and abusive families. Psychological abuse of mothers correlated with child adjustment problems. (BB)

Evaluated 65 sexually abused women who participated in time-limited group therapy on demographic variables, sexual abuse history, family characteristics, and initial levels of depression and distress. Found that education, marital status, type of sexual contact, and initial levels of depression and distress predicted response to treatment, and…

Findings from interviews of street children in Pretoria, South Africa, are presented, discussed, and compared with past research. Indicates the average age of South African street children is 13 years. Most are males of African origin; have been on the streets three years or longer; and cited family violence, parental alcoholism, abuse, and…

A community sample of 617 adult women completed a questionnaire about witnessing interparental physical conflicts before the age of 16. Twenty percent of respondents reported witnessing some type of physical conflict between parents. Mean age when physical conflict was first observed was eight. Women who witnessed parental physical conflict…

Objectives: To determine the association between children's exposure to maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) and behavior problems as measured by the parent report version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Methods: The study population was comprised of 167 2- to 17-year-old children of Seattle women with police-reported or court-reported…

Discusses various aspects of elder abuse: characteristics of victims, common forms of abuse, categories of abuse, victim-abuser relationship, characteristics of abusers, practical responses to the problem, and policy implications and research needs. (CT)

Efforts of the Health Resources and Services Administration to combat and ultimately prevent domestic violence are discussed. In collaboration with states and communities, the agency has programs to strengthen the health care infrastructure, support direct community-based service delivery, and educate health care providers. A comprehensive…