Examines the tendency of men to engage in domestic violence and sexual exploitation and presents male sex-role acquisition as a process of psychosocial violence against young boys, which creates a sense of shame, powerlessness, self-alienation, isolation from others, and retaliatory rage and inhibits capacities for intimacy and mutuality.…

Explores the utility of the strengths perspective as a conceptual framework for research in a qualitative study of secondary trauma with counselors of battered women. An emphasis on strengths allowed the researcher to identify strategies and resources that prevented symptoms of secondary trauma in the majority of counselors. (Contains 27…

Investigates the extent to which attitudes, family, and environmental correlates are associated with the escalation from nonviolent to violent offending among incarcerated youths. Beliefs that power equates safety and a violent home environment were salient in understanding escalation in offending behavior, and prior criminal victimization was…

Conducted date and acquaintance rape needs-assessment survey on 106 male and 113 female college students. Thirty-two women acknowledged that they were victims of rape or attempted rape, and majority reported multiple victimizations. Eighteen men admitted to committing acts that met legal definition of sexual assault in Hawaii. (Author/NB)

Explores the manifestations and consequences of community violence in the lives of children and youth. Presents an assessment framework with which social workers may examine the impact of community violence in the lives of their young clients at risk and discusses psychosocial sequelae for young people exposed to community violence. (RJM)

Describes findings on the use of police services by 300 women residing in a shelter, specifically those relating to victim-abuser characteristics, variables that significantly correlate with the victims' contacting the police, and general patterns of police service use by spousal abuse victims. Draws practice implications for police, social…

Presents a model for a sexual assault survivors' group (SASG), which posits that the aftermath of the sexual assualt can be resolved. Describes issues for leaders, selection of members, setting, format and themes, and group development issues such as bonding, establishing closeness, and letting-go. (LLL)

Uses feminist perspective and problem of wife abuse to illustrate how ideology affects social policy and direct practice models. Warns that society and social work seek to address problem by developing programs to treat victims rather than abusers. Suggests that social work recommit itself to model that focuses on person-in-environment to avoid…

Reviews literature comparing risk that battered women and men who batter will physically abuse their children. Challenges several tenets of social work practice lore and cautions practitioners about use of psychological tests and profiles to judge child abuse potential and parenting ability. Discusses hazards of mediation and joint custody and…

Describes development, psychometric properties, and applications of the Wife Abuse Inventory (WAI). Preliminary reliability and validity data, based on 50 cases, are presented for this screening device designed to predict which women are at risk of being abused by their spouses. Potential applications of the WAI are suggested. (NRB)

Reports findings of national survey on school violence in Israel. Revealed high rates of violence in all areas and among all age groups, but relatively higher rates of low-level violent behaviors and lower rates of more severe violent events. Reports on age-related, gender, and cultural differences; discusses social workers' roles in shaping…

Notes that spouse-abuse families may have service needs that span fields of medical, legal, and social services; law enforcement; and employment. Provides brief overview of multiple service needs of spouse-abuse families and describes framework for developing, organizing, and implementing community-based spouse abuse protection and family…

Findings relating to school social workers (N=1,200) from a national survey on school violence are presented. Concerns for personal safety and their effects on programs, services and programs in schools, training needs, and social workers' involvement with violence intervention are discussed. Strategies for prevention of school-based violence are…

Presents a conceptual model of violence for social work that addresses the diverse manifestations of violence, its multilevel nature, and its structural foundation. Examples related to poverty and drug abuse demonstrate the model's usefulness for social work education and practice. (JPS)

Surveyed Family Service America member agencies to assess impact of impetus to look to private sector for provision of services. Found that family service agencies experienced tremendous growth in 1980s in both client caseloads and areas of service provision. Family service agency client was likely to be minority person seeking counseling within…