Age Adjustment and Recall Bias in the Analysis of Domestic Violence Data: Methodological Improvements Through the Application of Survival Analysis Methods

This methodological paper presents the utility of survival analysis methods to provide age adjustment in the analysis of domestic violence data. These methods improve the estimation of lifetime probability of domestic violence, improve identification of patterns of first victimization over the lifespan, and provide methods of testing risk factors for first victimization while adjusting for the respondents' age. Most importantly, these methods allow a new investigation of recall bias. Results suggest that lifetime probability of abuse may have been substantially underestimated in previous studies because of problems in recall/disclosure encountered by middle-aged women.     

中国在消除对妇女的暴力方面所面临的新挑战--对女童和青年妇女以劳动剥削为目的的拐卖

人口拐卖是1995年第四次世界妇女大会以来国际社会所关注的重要的性别平等问题,是消除对妇女的暴力方面所面临的新挑战。人口盲目流动造成被拐卖的风险,以各种形式的劳动剥削(包括性剥削)为目的拐卖问题正在中国逐渐增多,女童和青年妇女的多重脆弱性,使她们成为以劳动剥削(包括性剥削)为目的的拐卖的最大的受害者。本文针对既往在人口拐卖问题上的政策空白和认识盲区,结合对女童和女青年的多重脆弱性的分析,提出综合性的防止以劳动剥削(包括性剥削)为目的的拐卖的政策建议。     

ASSESSING NEIGHBORHOOD AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON CHILDHOOD VIOLENCE IN AN AFRICAN‐AMERICAN SAMPLE*

The present study examines the extent to which neighborhood and social psychological influences predict childhood violence among 867 African‐American youth. The results showed that neighborhood affluence was the only neighborhood‐level variable to exert a significant influence on childhood violence. Furthermore, childhood violence was significantly related to social psychological influences, such as adopting a street code, associating with violent peers, parental use of violence, and quality parenting. Overall, the findings suggested that simply living in a violent neighborhood does not produce violent children, but that family, peer, and individual characteristics play a large role in predicting violence in childhood.     

论我国反家庭暴力法制观念的作用

家庭暴力问题已引起我国政府的重视及大量学者的关注,但是反家庭暴力的法制观念的重要性还没有得到人们足够的认识.培植反家庭暴力的法制观念不但可以在源头上消除家庭暴力,使其作用渗透于立法、执法、司法及法制监督等方面,而且可以促进法律文化的发展.同时,还能在一定程度上增强公民的法律信仰、提高公民的法律素质,使人们在日常生活中遇到问题时会运用法律思维、法律武器来保护自身的合法权益.而建立完备的反家庭暴力的法制观念培植体系则是保障其作用得以实现的前提.     

“寻根文学”与未完成的民族叙事

寻根文学之于新时期文学的意义是巨大而深远的,它是知青作家的一次集体出场,也是民族叙事的一次续接。虽然寻根的文化内涵和审美属性与其宗旨存在一定程度的偏离,但置于现代性视野中看,它还是有着自身特殊的精神谱系和文学史价值。     

From abusive household to dating violence

Social scientists have theorized about the cycle of domestic violence in family abuse. Little research has addressed dating violence as a consequence to the experience of domestic violence by children. This article deals with the self-reported experience of dating violence by high school students from abusive and nonabusive households. A survey was conducted of 1,353 students in a rural area of North Dakota. Results indicated that students from abusive households showed significantly higher incidence of dating violence than those from homes where no abuse was evident. However, less than one in five of the students from abusive home reported dating violence, providing little support for the cycle of violence hypothesis. Students from abusive homes viewed violence as negatively as students from nonabusive homes. Thus, while there are significant differences between the two groups, there are also important similarities. Although there is apparently a greater risk of dating violence among students who have experienced violence at home, these data do not support the idea of an inescapable pattern of violence among adolescents who have experienced violence themselves.     

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN SAME‐GENDER RELATIONSHIPS

Physical violence occurs in 11–12% of same‐gender couples, which suggests that domestic violence is an abuse of power that can happen in any type of intimate relationship, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Although incidents of violence occur at the same rate in same‐gender couples and cross‐gender couples, the violence appears to be milder in same‐gender couples and it is unclear what percentage of same‐gender violence should be characterized as abuse or intimate terrorism. Same‐gender victims also suffer from the additional stress of severe isolation and the abuser's threats to expose the victim's sexual orientation in a hostile manner.     

Intimate Partner Violence in Extremely Poor Women: Longitudinal Patterns and Risk Markers

Despite high revalence rates of intimate partner violence in the lives of extremely poor women with dependent children, few studies have investigated the patterns of violence that occur over time, and the characteristics of women that serve as risk markers for partner violence. This paper describes patterns of domestic violence longitudinally and uses multivariate analyses to delineate childhood and adult risk markers for recent intimate partner violence in this population of women. Analyses draw upon a sample of 436 homeless and extremely poor housed mothers receiving welfare, in a mid-sized city in Massachusetts with a large Hispanic population of Puerto Rican descent and relatively fewer Blacks. We found that among women with complete longitudinal data (N=280), almost two-thirds experienced intimate partner violence at some point during their adult life by the end of study follow-up, and that the abuse before and after the baseline interview was episodic and limited over time. To examine the role of individual women's factors, while controlling for partner characteristics, we used baseline data on women who had been partnered during the past year (N=336). Among childhood predictors, we found that sexual molestation contributed most significantly to adult intimate partner violence that occurred during the past year prior to the baseline interview. Adult risk markers included inadequate emotional support from non-professionals, poor self-esteem, and a partner with substance abuse problems. Having a partner with poor work history was another independent predictor of recent abuse. Ethnicity did not significantly predict whether women were abused or not during the past year, contrary to other findings reported in the literature.     

A Longitudinal Study of Modifying Influences in the Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment

The increased risk of child maltreatment in the presence of domestic violence is well documented, but much remains unknown about factors that modify this relationship. This study investigates the roles of risk and protective factors in the relationship between domestic violence and being reported to the Department of Social Services for child maltreatment. Consistent with the literature, we find a significant overlap between domestic violence and maltreatment. Young maternal age, low education, low income, and lack of involvement in a religious community add to the risk for maltreatment associated with domestic violence. Separation between the maternal caregiver and her partner significantly reduces the risk for maltreatment when domestic violence is reported. A significant reduction in the risk for maltreatment is also found with higher levels of support from the maternal caregiver reported by the child in the context of domestic violence.     

家庭暴力的法律思考

家庭暴力已经成为全球性的社会问题,如何有效地预防和解决这种社会现象成为我国面临的重大课题。我国反对家庭暴力的立法存在对家庭暴力的定义太狭窄、针对家庭暴力案件缺少专门证据规则、政府在解决家庭暴力问题职责的规定缺乏等缺陷,应采取制定一部专门的《家庭暴力防治法》、完善相关法律等对策。