Violence and Abuse
Ignored by social sciences until 70s
- norms of family privacy and assumptions of rarity
- increasing studies and public awareness
WHO definition of violence
- self-directed
- interpersonal
- collective
Interpersonal Violence
physical
psychological
financial
neglect
Poly-victimization
needs to study the connections between various forms of violence
Child Abuse and Neglect Historically
- Historic use of physical disciple
- Concept “battered child syndrome” developed in the 1960s
- passage of mandatory reporting laws in Canada
Spanking
Legal in Canada, with notable exceptions
Sibling Abuse
- Any form of intentional harm inflicted by one child in a family unit upon another
- Includes physical, psychological and sexual abuse
- Is often seen as a normal aspect of sibling rivalry
Abuse between partners
- Abuse against women is historically rooted
- reporting has increased
- 85% of victims are female
Seniors
Disability increases likelihood of abuse
*4-10% of seniors experience some form of abuse
Some Seniors are at a higher risk
- older seniors
- women
- isolated
- reduced cognitive capacity
- dependency causing disability
Culturally specific forms of elder abuse
Linguistic isolation and dependence of some elder immigrants makes them vulnerable
Consequences of Early abuse
- Health problems
- Mental Illness (ex. PTSD)
- Increased risk for victimization later in life
- Running away, homelessness
- Attachment difficulties
Causes of Abuse
Individual Pathology
Learned behaviour
Environmental Stressors
Ecological and Dialectical Perspective
Individual Pathology
Some sort of mental illness or pathology
Biological Perspective (Individual Pathology)
The effects of physiological makeup
Psychologica Perspective (Individual Pathology)
Defective personality structures
Learned Behaviour
Social learning theory
- the family is a site of learning
Social learning theory
abusive behaviour learned in interaction with others
Environmental Stressors
- Pushed to violence by triggers such as drugs or stress
- Stress as an explanation pervasive in literature
- Ability to cope with the stressor depends on family circumstances and resources
Ecological and Dialectical
No single factor can explain higher risk of interpersonal violence
Primary prevention
To prevent abuse from occurring
- mainly through education
- visits by public health nurses and professionals
Secondary Prevention
working with at-risk groups
- Programs in prenatal nutrition, support for fetal alcohol syndrome, remedial schools
- Outreach programs for seniors
- Adequate income and housing assistance would alleviate stress in poor families
Tertiary prevention
treatment or intervention to prevent abuse from recurring
- shelters, counseling and skills training for battered women
- Counseling and anger management for perpetrators
- Not as costly
Cradle of violence
refers to how the family environment is a potential birthplace of violence, since it is the key agent of socialization
