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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study by Carroll was to examine and further develop the theory of the intergenerational transmission of violence.
METHODOLOGY:
The author employed a quasi-experimental cross-sectional design with a non-probability sample of 96 clientele at community guidance clinics. The sample was drawn from an original group of 375 individuals, studied to identify family problems during the previous three years and how they were handled, with one-third of the sample being community clinic patients. The rest constituted a nonclinical control group, drawn randomly from the community. Of these 375, two subsamples were selected for the present study. The violent group consisted of all those who reported in an interview one or more family violence incidents directed toward a spouse, and the nonviolent comparison group was made up of married, separated or divorced individuals who would have had a recent opportunity to participate in spouse abuse. Overall, 23 subjects were placed in the violent group, and 73 in the comparison group. Measurement of violent childhood experience was obtained via the Bronfenbrenner- Devereux Parental Activity Inventory, using two items to measure the amount of physical punishment (hitting and slapping, and threatening to hit or to slap) that the subject received as a child. The same instrument was employed to measure amount of parental warmth, using the dimensions of nurturance (being able to talk to the parent and be comforted and helped in times of hardship) and instrumental companionship (teaching the child and helping with homework). Stressful family relationships were also measured with this Inventory, using the expressive rejection dimension of the scale, and involving items concerning being nagged and being scolded or yelled at. In order to measure use of violence as an adult, the respondents were read a checklist of family problems such as health concerns, relationship difficulties, employment and financial worries and personal problems. If spouse violence or overly severe child discipline were reported as problems, the frequency of this problem was recorded. A number of variables were controlled for during the study of the relationship between violent experiences as a child and the use of violence in adult life, including sex, social status (using the Hollingshead-Redlich index), marital satisfaction (describing the degree of happiness of the marriage), amount of contact with family (how often relatives had been contacted in the last month) and psychological distress (a composite of ten items from the Midtown Manhattan Study and the Army Neuropsychiatric Screening Test). Analysis included use of cross-tabulations and ANOVA.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author began with an examination of the intergenerational transmission of violence. 37% of respondents who had experienced a high degree of punishment as children reported problem use of physical violence within their own families, whilst only 15% of those who had not been subject to severe punishment reported that violence was a problem for their families. Even when the five control variables were introduced, this relationship remained stable, suggesting a strong association between first-generation physical punishment and second-generation violence. Marital violence was the only control variable to specify this relationship, with a high degree of marital satisfaction protecting against family violence, even if physical punishment in childhood was experienced. Families characterized by low warmth and high parental punishment were found to have the highest frequency of family violence, with a significant main effect of family warmth. High stress and high punishment families also had high family violence frequencies, although no main or interaction effects were found for this variable. The author concluded from these analyses that, whilst the absence of family warmth and the presence of highly stressful family relationships contributed to the intergenerational transmission of violence, lack of warmth seemed to play a greater role in this cycle than did stressful family ties. The author also examined the role of sex in the transmission of violence from parent to child. It was found that, in most cases of transmission, the sex of the parent was the same as that of the child/respondent, with punishment by the father influencing males' reports of violence and punishment by mothers more greatly impacting upon violence by females. The author concluded that his study suggested some factors which might contribute to the intergenerational transmission of violence.
EVALUATION:
The author presents an interesting and informative examination of some factors which might play a role in the intergenerational transmission of violence. The use of a fairly good sample size, and the inclusion of a nonclinical comparison group, allows for faith in the generalizability of the results. Including the five control variables increases the reliability of the findings, and reduces the possibility of alternative explanations and spurious relationships. However, the use of only two items to form the measures of the independent variables is a cause of some concern, as reliability of measures and therefore internal validity of the study comes into question. No discussion is provided of the implications of the study for prevention and intervention planning, and suggestions for future research in the field and refinement of the theory of the intergenerational transmission of violence are also missing. Overall, the study should be seen as an important, although brief and preliminary, investigation into the role of the cycle of violence in family violence today. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Intergenerational Transmission of Child Abuse
KW - Intergenerational Transmission of Violence
KW - Domestic Violence Effects
KW - Domestic Violence Causes
KW - Domestic Violence Offender
KW - Domestic Violence Victim
KW - Long-Term Effects
KW - Child Abuse Effects
KW - Child Abuse Victim
KW - Child Abuse Offender
KW - Child Abuse Causes
KW - Child Physical Abuse Causes
KW - Child Physical Abuse Effects
KW - Child Physical Abuse Offender
KW - Child Physical Abuse Victim
KW - Child Victim
KW - Childhood Experience
KW - Childhood Victimization
KW - Victim Turned Offender
KW - Adult Parent
KW - Adult Offender
KW - Adult Violence
KW - Child Victim
KW - Parent Offender
KW - Violence Against Women
Language: en |