Effects of Family Violence on Child Behavior and Health During Early Childhood

Looking at families where children have been abused/neglected in early childhood, this study examined measures of child behavior and health to see if they tended to be worse when domestic violence is or has been present in a family. Further, caregiver and family characteristics as well as other case factors were examined, as possible moderators or mediators of the effects of domestic violence. Results indicate that domestic violence, of the type and severity occurring in our sample, does not have a direct effect on child outcomes by Age 6, when other associated variables are taken into account, but has considerable indirect effects. There is a pronounced impact of domestic violence on family functioning, the caregiver's general health and well being, and the quality of the caregiver's interaction with the child, which in turn are significantly associated with decrements of child functioning related to behavior problems and health. Some implications of this study for research in the area of domestic violence and child maltreatment are discussed.     

美国虐童防控对策研究

虐童是全球的普遍现象,美国儿童也深受其害.美国的虐童现状堪忧,原因错综复杂.虐童不仅会造成孩子身体上的伤害,还会对孩子造成心理上的伤害,这种伤害要持续很长时间甚至一生.针对此,美国形成了应对虐童的综合性防控体系,有着严格的法律保障、系统的组织保障和充足的资金保障,形成了主动先发的前瞻性预防模式,把虐童预防的重点放在了整个社会的综合预防.实践证明,美国的这种综合性防控虐童对策具有良好的防控效果.     

REFUSING TO BLAME THE VICTIM FOR THE AFTERMATH OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

This note addresses the decision of Nicholson v. Williams and the significant impact it will have on the rights of domestic violence victims. Victims are faced with unique challenges with regards to protecting their children from witnessing domestic violence. The Nicholson decision recognizes that the dynamics of domestic violence require special consideration in "failure to protect" cases and that removal from the home is not necessarily the best alternative for the well-being of the children. This note attempts to explain that the abuser, not the victim, is responsible for the effects that domestic violence has on the children who witness it and that it is important to keep the victim and children united to cope with the effects of domestic violence.     

Maltreatment and Family Dysfunction in Childhood and the Subsequent Adjustment of Children and Adults

The adjustment problems associated with sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect, and witnessing family violence during childhood were examined in three studies. Study 1 demonstrated significant overlap between maltreatment types in parent reports (N = 50) of maltreatment experiences of their child aged 5–12 years. Parental sexual punitiveness, traditionality, family adaptability and family cohesion significantly predicted scores on 4 maltreatment scales and children's externalizing behavior problems. Level of maltreatment predicted internalizing, externalizing, and sexual behavior problems. In Study 2, significant overlap was found between adults' retrospective reports (N = 138) of all 5 types of maltreating behaviors. Parental sexual punitiveness, traditionality, family adaptability, and family cohesion during childhood predicted the level of maltreatment and current psychopathology. Although child maltreatment scores predicted psychopathology, childhood family variables were better predictors of adjustment. Study 3 demonstrated that child maltreatment scores predicted positive aspects of adult adaptive functioning (N = 95).     

Long-Term Effects of Witnessing Marital Violence for Women: The Contribution of Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse

A sample of 313 college women completed a questionnaire about experiences with violence in childhood and adulthood and adult adjustment and relationship functioning. Nine percent of the women reported having witnessed some type of physical conflict between their parents. Witnessing marital violence was associated with other family mental health risks, childhood physical and sexual abuse, and adult physical assaults by strangers. Women who witnessed marital violence reported more symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder than other women, after family background and abuse variables were accounted for. Significant interactions between witnessing marital violence and childhood physical abuse were observed for measures of social avoidance and predictability in partner relationships, indicating that the effects of witnessing marital violence depended on the presence of childhood abuse. Implications of these results for research and interventions are discussed.     

Child Abuse-Related Homicides in New Mexico: A 6-year Retrospective Review

Abstract:  We retrospectively reviewed autopsy records at a statewide medical examiner's office in order to identify and characterize deaths due to child abuse. In a 6-year period in New Mexico, the medical examiner investigated 45 deaths determined to be child abuse-related. Decedents were predominantly male (68.9%), Hispanic White (53.3%), and all were 5 years of age or younger, with a median age of 1 year. Head injuries were the most common cause of death (44.4%), followed by battered baby syndrome (15.6%). Relatives were involved as alleged perpetrators in 80% of the cases, with the father most often implicated (36.1% of cases), and 88.9% of child abuse injuries resulting in death occurred in the family's residence. Toxicology was positive in 26.7% of cases, but only two cases had substances of abuse present. Information on risk factors such as prematurity, parental age, and history of abuse was also collected.     

Quality of Maternal Parenting among Intimate-Partner Violence Victims Involved with the Child Welfare System

Children are overrepresented in households with intimate-partner violence (IPV), and many suffer the double burden of being the subject of maltreatment and bearing the consequences of abuse to their mothers. Despite this situation, little information exists concerning parenting by women who have been abused by an intimate partner. We examine the relationship between women’s experiences with IPV and the quality of maternal parenting using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. The sample consisted of 1,943 female caregivers of children younger than 10 years investigated for child maltreatment. Women who had experienced IPV in the past but were no longer victims of IPV had significantly better parenting scores than women who were currently experiencing IPV, when other risk factors were controlled. This study adds to the evidence that IPV does not necessarily impair maternal parenting. Women abused by an intimate partner deserve a thorough assessment of what services they need: parenting services should be offered as warranted on a case-by-case evaluation of the particular woman’s parenting skills.     

Polygamy In Family Court: A Resource For Judges Dealing With An Unfamiliar Family Structure

Cases concerning polygamous households can present difficult challenges for family courts. Though a growing number of Americans practice polygamy, the lifestyle still remains shrouded in mystery. Many polygamists are religious (and sometimes racial) minorities that have suffered from discrimination. The most influential judicial precedents concerning polygamy come from the nineteenth century and are tinged with religious and racial stereotypes, which can make judges uncomfortable with citing those decisions. There is a need for reliable, unprejudiced, and up‐to‐date information about polygamy that judges can cite while maintaining an image of objectivity and impartiality. This Article seeks to provide that resource. It provides information about the evolutionary influences that shape polygamy, how polygamy is practiced in the modern world, and common problems affecting polygamous households that judges should be aware of.     

Co-Occurrence of Interparental Violence and Child Physical Abuse and It’s Effect on the Adolescents’ Behavior

This study analyzed the impact of the co-occurrence of parental and interparental violence on the behavior of adolescents. Results reveal that the co-occurrence of interparental violence and child physical abuse has a significantly greater negative impact on behavior than does exposure to interparental violence only. Moreover, participants, who are both abused and exposed to interparental violence, exhibit internalized and externalized symptoms falling within the clinical range more frequently. Exposure exclusively to interparental violence also has definite impact; for example, teens who are only exposed to interparental violence exhibit internalized and externalized symptoms more frequently than do those who have been neither subject to physical abuse from a parent nor exposed to interparental violence. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

受虐儿童及青少年法医学鉴定92例分析

本文对92例不满18周岁家庭暴力受虐儿童和青少年法医学鉴定案例进行回顾性研究。结果表明：虐待行为多发生于下午5时前后，受虐者以女性居多（63．04％），损伤部位以头面部最多见（36．98％）。损伤类型以软组织挫伤最常见（51．13％），损伤具有多部位、广泛性、新旧不一等特点；发生场所以家中及家居周围附近为多，受虐者家庭情感生活环境差等.同时，作者还对虐待行为产生的社会根源、受虐儿童及青少年法医学鉴定及法律保护等问题进行了探讨。     

Correlates of Pre-College Males' Sexual Aggression

Abstract

Current literature suggests that the causes of sexual aggression toward women lie in the fabric of a patriarchal society. The acceptance by males of negative, stereotypical and harmful myths about women, traditional sex-role stereotypes, the acceptance of interpersonal violence and the objectification of women foster an environment where sexual aggression can flourish. This paper explores several factors associated with male aggression and date rape in a sample of pre-college males entering a medium-sized Southern University. Indicators of the acceptance of rapemyths, hostility toward women, acceptance of interpersonal violence, adversarial sexual beliefs, drug and alcohol use and sexual history were examined in relation to three degrees of sexual aggression. Discriminant Analysis indicated that the four attitudinal and three behavioral variables successfully classified 56 percent of the original grouped cases.     

论中小学生违法犯罪的学校原因及其预防

一直以来,学校教育在引导未成年学生时,尚存在空白或不完善的方面。贯彻执行教育方针不力;对差生简单粗暴,处理不当;对"好学生"的管理和教育存在偏差;管理中还存在不少漏洞等成为当前学校环境中引起中小学生违法犯罪的重要原因。在预防中小学生违法犯罪中,学校教育承担着不可缺少的重要作用。学校应该从素质教育的角度来加强未成年人违法犯罪预防工作。把德育放在学校素质教育的首位;加强对学生的法制教育;性教育课进课堂;将心理教育和辅导摆上重要位置;加强工读学校改革和建设是学校在预防中小学生违法犯罪中应该采取的重要举措。