When random assignment fails: Some lessons from the Minneapolis Spouse Abuse Experiment

In this paper, we consider what may be done when researchers anticipate that in the implementation of field experiments, random assignment to experimental and control groups is likely to be flawed. We then reanalyze data from the Minneapolis Spouse Abuse Experiment in a manner that explicitly models violations of random assignment. As anticipated, we find far larger treatment effects than previously reported. The techniques developed should be useful in a wide variety of settings when random assignment is implemented imperfectly.     

A silent minority: Battered American Indian women

Sixteen American Indian women requesting counseling for domestic violence at an urban Indian health center were interviewed using standardized measures. The majority of the women were not married, had low family incomes, and both the women and their partners abused substances. All of the women experienced increased depression and stress as a result of the battering. A mental health needs assessment survey of 198 American Indian women is presented for comparison. Women who reported a history of domestic violence on the survey were more likely to be separated or divorced and reported more problems with alcohol than the women with no history of domestic violence. The results of the domestic violence program interviews are compared to the mental health needs assessment survey and studies of battered women in shelters.     

Violence in Police Families: Work-Family Spillover

This article uses a path model to examine the relationship between violence exposure and domestic violence among police officers with the expectation that the relationships would be both direct and mediated. The mediation factors included burnout, authoritarian spillover, alcohol use, and department withdrawal. The model was tested through an analysis of data collected from 413 officers. Four mediation chains were identified; the most powerful of these was burnout and authoritarian spillover. Suggestions for future research include understanding violence in the context of unique workplace cultures, classifying violence types, and clarifying how this population defines violence and control.     

Hostage-Taking in the Context of Domestic Violence: Some Case Examples

Initial reports of domestic violence are generally made to law enforcement officers who must respond and intervene. A subset of these episodes involves cases in which the victim, and, in many instances her child(ren), have been taken hostage by her husband or partner. Moreover, there are indications that the number of such incidents is growing. The purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to provide one of the first reports on the prevalence and characteristics of these events, and (2) to more closely analyze domestic crisis (hostage) situations using actual case examples. All information was obtained from the Hostage Barricade Database System (HOBAS) of the FBIs Crisis Negotiation Unit. HOBAS is a postincident information collection tool which stores historical data from law enforcement agencies across the nation on hostage/barricade incidents. An examination of this database yielded different types of domestic hostage-taking acts and outcomes (e.g., tactical vs. negotiated resolutions, survival vs. death/injury of perpetrator and/or victim[s]). Implications of the findings, for future crisis negotiation efforts directed toward nonviolent resolution of these high-risk critical incidents, are discussed.     

Perception of and Satisfaction with Relationship Power,Sex, and Attachment Styles: A Couples Level Analysis

Eighty heterosexual dating couples provided information about their gender, individual histories of abuse in their current relationship, attachment styles, perception of and satisfaction with relationship power. Partner report of physical abuse was the dependent variable. APIM actor results suggest that an individual's gender interacts with perceived level of relationship power and satisfaction with relationship power for physical abuse. Both dimensions of attachment interacted with perceived relationship power for physical abuse. Partner effects were also found. One's partner's sex interacted with perceived power and satisfaction with relationship power. Finally, the partner's avoidant attachment interacted with satisfaction with relationship power. These findings generally replicate and extend the work of H. M. Ronfeldt, R. Kimerling, and I. Arias (1998, J. Marriage Fam. 60: 70–78) by showing how attachment styles, perception of relationship power, and satisfaction with relationship power are related in predicting aggression against a romantic partner.     

A meta-analytic review of court-mandated batterer intervention programs: Can courts affect abusers’ behavior?

Court-mandated batterer intervention programs are being implemented throughout the United States to address the problem of domestic violence. Prior reviews of research on the effectiveness of these programs have arrived at conflicting conclusions. This study is a systematic review of the extant research on this topic. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies that used matching or statistical controls were included. The results were mixed. The mean effect for official reports of domestic violence from experimental studies showed modest benefit, whereas the mean effect for victim reported outcomes was zero. Quasi-experimental studies using a no-treatment comparison had inconsistent findings indicating an overall small harmful effect. In contract, quasi-experimental studies using a treatment dropout design showed a large, positive mean effect on domestic violence outcomes. We discuss the weakness of the latter design and raise concerns regarding official reports. The findings, we believe, raise doubts about the effectiveness of court-mandated batterer intervention programs.     

Implications of an Arrest in Domestic Violence Cases: Learning From Korean Social Workers' Experiences in the U.S.

In response to the lack of research on the effect of arrest in deterring domestic violence in minority communities, a qualitative exploratory study was conducted with Korean American social workers providing services to Korean domestic violence victims in the New York metropolitan area. The authors examined study participants' perceptions about their clients' experiences of arrests in domestic violence situations. Findings reveal major barriers for Korean victims that prevent them from utilizing help from the police. Main themes from the data show both negative and positive results from arrests. Participants perceived arrest as an ultimately necessary tool for deterring domestic violence in the Korean community in the U.S. Participants suggested some changes in the criminal justice system to better respond to immigrant victims of domestic violence. Practice and policy implications are discussed. This study was, in part, presented at the 23rd APPAM (Association for Public Analysis and Management) Annual Research Conference in Washington, D.C. on November 1, 2001.     

Reasons for Returning to Abusive Relationships: Effects of Prior Victimization

Studies have demonstrated that women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are at increased risk of revictimization, but research has not yet examined whether a history of CSA may affect patterns of remaining in or returning to abusive relationships in adulthood. This study examines the impact of a CSA history on decisions to return to abusive relationships in a sample of 104 adult domestic violence survivors. Participants were interviewed about the number of times that they had previously separated from and returned to their abusive partner, the factors that influenced their decision to return (both psychological/internal and environmental/external factors), and their perceived likelihood of returning in the future. As predicted, CSA survivors (n = 34) reported a significantly greater number of past separations than non-CSA survivors (n = 70). CSA survivors were also significantly more likely to report that their decisions to return were influenced by emotional attachment to the batterer. CSA survivors did not perceive themselves to be at greater risk of returning in the future, suggesting that they may be more likely to underestimate their vulnerability to returning to the battering relationship. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.     

社会工作教育及专业社会工作关系的透视

从前线专业社会工作者以及实务对象的角度分析,当前社会工作专业教育存在冲突与限制。中国文化处境下,专业社会工作的关系是多重和多种关系的融合。社会工作专业教育以及社会工作教育者必须在策略、内容、实践等环节进行调适,以推动社会工作专业教育的本土化发展,建构本土化的关系模式和知识,进而推动中国社会工作专业化和职业化的发展。     

城市化过程中的农民工市民化问题

本文认为,目前官方的关于2009年城镇化水平达到47.6%的结论,只是一种表象,原因在于官方城镇人口统计中的农民工群体,其目前的生存状态无法与作为城市化主体的市民相称。农民工市民权的缺失表现为非正规工作、社会保障的有限性与不平等性、政治参与和利益代表不足、家庭分离的居住形式、平等教育权的缺失。文章从历史的视角考察了国家发展战略及其制度安排和结构性压力的相互作用及其对农民工市民化进程的影响,指出农民工市民化的出路在于外部"赋能"与自身"增能"。为此,需要:(1)国家在制定发展战略时对农民工的市民化予以高度重视,对农民工的城市化进程、定位、路径安排等要有整体性的规划与布局,要将农民工看作是公民而不仅仅是城市经济发展所需要的劳动力;(2)国家全面、系统地改革现行的社会政策体系,而不仅仅是考虑改革户籍制度甚至取消户籍制度本身;(3)让农民工获得足够的收入并拥有支付城市生活费用的能力,特别是组织能力和市场能力。