Although the military health care system is the second largest in the nation serving approximately 6,000,000 people, little research has examined military reproductive health care services or their quality. Medical services can be provided by regional military medical centers and by base infirmaries and dispensaries. Often base infirmaries and…

Many elderly persons suffer abuse and neglect from which they cannot escape. Questions concerning the extent of elder abuse, the kinds of abuse, and underlying factors associated with elder abuse in Texas were explored in a survey of professionals most likely to encounter elder abuse in their work. Questionnaires (1,508) were mailed to agencies…

The females portrayed in the Gikuyu popular music of Kenya are almost always evil. Women are often viewed as prostitutes who see their sexuality as a commodity to be exchanged for material goods. After the unsuspecting males have delivered the goods, the women are more often than not betrayed. These portraits create a hostile and toxic environment…

This study examined the effects of marital violence on children's relationships with parents, peers, and teachers. Forty-eight 4-year-olds and their parents participated in two laboratory sessions: one with all three family members and one with the child alone with several unfamiliar peers. Half of the marital couples were physically violent,…

Although many clinicians use drawing tasks to assess children who have been exposed to family violence, few professionals are aware of current research in this area. Professionals should be apprised of the graphic indicators of child abuse in drawings, reliable art-based assessment tools, and legal and ethical principles surrounding the use of…

This study examined the hypothesis that the reason people believe the two sexes have different personality traits is because they enact roles that vary in power. Men usually enact a dominant role, expressing personality traits of self-assertion or agency, while women usually enact a subordinate role, expressing the personality traits of…

The relationships between experiences of parental violence during childhood and the development of alcoholism or victimization by severe violence from a partner in adulthood were examined by comparing samples of women in treatment for alcoholism (N=89), women receiving services for partner victimization (N=94), and a random sample of women (N=99).…

Previous studies which have suggested that masculinity is a strong predictor of mental health have been generally limited to college student populations, or have focused specifically on women. The present study investigated the relationship of masculinity to self-esteem and self-acceptance in male professionals (N=96), clients (N=55), and…

There are many studies of violence in marriage and in dating. Methodological differences between studies, however, make it difficult to determine differences in the nature and extent of physical assault between marital status groups. This study analyzed data from two surveys: a study of 526 dating couples at a large midwestern university, and a…

Although spouse abuse is a common occurrence it rarely results in prosecution; among the reasons for the low prosecution rate is the disproportionate degree of power in the marital relationship. To look at instances of spouse abuse in black and white families, and to examine the distribution of decision making influence in these homes, 366…

Isolation from extended family, frequent geographic relocation, living in foreign countries, prolonged separation of spouses, occupational stress, prevalent cross-cultural marriages, financial problems and dependence of the civilian spouse on the military member have been cited as pressures which could contribute to wife-battering by military…

Several researchers have explored the role of alcohol in domestic violence and attributions of blame. To compare the amount of blame attributed to an incident of wife abuse, alcoholic (N=52) and nonalcoholic (N=159) subjects read an account of wife abuse and distributed a percentage of the blame to the man, the woman, and the situation.…

The linkage between conjugal violence and substance abuse is well established. The evidence suggests that little coordination exists among the therapeutic communities positioned to treat co-existing problems. A survey was conducted in Quebec with professionals representing 57 substance abuse treatment centers, 38 of which were public. Questions…

Rural communities are often plagued with socioeconomic challenges that contribute to family vulnerability and developmental challenges. Family Development Programs is a course that provides learning experiences related to rural community issues and family interactions with an opportunity to review programs that are provided within the region.…

As any parent knows, anger towards children is a natural occurrence of parenting. Since it is important to identify and address some of the emotional issues that underlie child abuse, the role of anger in parenting and in child maltreatment is covered in this paper. An ecological analysis of parental anger is presented, with special emphasis on…