Physical Family Violence Research Articles

Is Physical Intimate Partner Violence a Risk Factor for Physical Child Maltreatment in a Nationally Representative Sample of Finnish School Children?

Previous studies have found a high co-occurrence between intimate partner violence and child maltreatment. However, little is known about the nuanced association between physical intimate partner violence (pIPV) and physical child maltreatment (pCM) in countries where corporal punishment is prohibited by law. Furthermore, there is a lack of information on the co-occurrence from children's perspectives and nationally representative surveys. The main objective of this study was to examine the connection between pIPV and pCM in a nationally representative sample of 12 to 13 and 15- to 16-year-old Finnish children (N = 6,825) after controlling for other known risk factors. The χ2 test and the logistic regression model were used. Around 47.3% of the children who had been exposed to pIPV had also experienced pCM during the past year, whereas 6.7% of those who had not been exposed to pIPV reported pCM. Children exposed to pIPV were almost three times more likely to experience pCM than children who were not exposed to pIPV. The connection remained statistically significant after controlling for other risk factors. Prevention and early identification of pIPV might reduce pCM in families. Targeted prevention efforts and interventions aimed at physical family violence are necessary to reduce its occurrence and mitigate the impact of abuse on children and families.

Beyond Survival: Understanding Resilience in Adolescents Facing Family Violence

We spoke to Prof. Dr. Wassilis Kassis about his pioneering research project, “Understanding the Resilience Pathways of Adolescent Students with Experience of Physical Family Violence.” This study examines how exposure to physical abuse affects adolescents’ resilience, focusing on the interplay of individual, family, and school factors.

Gender Stereotypes and Coping with Adversities

Women’s subjective experience of life hardships may be connected with gender self-concept and misogynistic attitudes. This empirical study of external and internal misogyny as a gender stereotype consisted of two stages. The first stage relied on such quantitative methods as scale questionnaires to identify the coping strategies, self-attitudes, and misogynistic ideas. The second stage used two qualitative methods: the free associations method helped to define the concept of adversity in men and women while the thematic analysis identified the default coping strategies in the focus group. The study involved 312 women aged 18–45 y.o. from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The research revealed a relationship between some parameters of self-attitude and the severity of misogynistic attitudes. For example, prominent self-confidence, self-acceptance, self-guidance, and openness in communication accompanied low scores for social vulnerability, personal inferiority, and a sense of danger. Internal conflicts and self-blame corresponded with strong misogynous attitudes. In general, the gender role remained a prevailing characteristic of adversity. The adversity concept demonstrated an inner contradiction: the core concentrated on sexual and physical family violence while the periphery was more about interpersonal family relations. The thematic analysis showed that the choice of coping strategy depended on the limitations caused by misogynistic attitudes. However, the relationship between the misogynistic gender stereotyping and the choice of coping strategy proved to be ambiguous.

Screening of Postpartum Depression among postnatal mother at a selected Tertiary Care Hospital, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India

Background of the study: Postpartum depression a form of severe depression after delivery that may be interferes withday-to-day activities and it also requires treatment. The occurrence of postpartum depression may be a few days, weeksor even months after childbirth. A woman with postpartum depression may have feeling of low level of mood, anxiety,irritability to severe degree.it could also associated with the antenatal depression, young maternal age, hyperemesis,marital status, and previous affective disorders. Postpartum depression having the most common complications ofchildbearing and is usually associated with impairments in mother–infant interactions that can lead to severe consequencesfor the infant such as illness, poor growth and development. These mothers’ infants had more commonly symptoms andillnesses, especially infantile colic, and they were less likely to be breastfed. Similarly, among depressed mothers low levelof support from spouse and significant others and physical family violence were more common, likewise poor basic andprofessional education, poor economic and housing situation can also cause postpartum depression, As it is alarming theresearchers conducted a study on screening of postpartum depression among postnatal mothers.Methods and Materials: Quantitative research approach, descriptive research design was carried out. The sample of56 postnatal mothers were selected by using purposive sampling technique. The study was conducted at tertiary carehospital, Kelambakkam, Chengalpet district. Phone number of postnatal mother who delivered from 2-6 weeks after delivery was obtained earlier from MRD. Telephonic interview was carried out to collect the data by using modifiedEdinburg postnatal depression scale. Data was analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: This study showed that 21.4% of postnatal mothers having postpartum depression whereas, 78.6% were notdepressive. The findings implies that P value is more than 0.05 so there is no significant association between prevalenceof postpartum depression with demographic and obstetrical variables.

Violence exposure, self-reported mental health concerns and use of alcohol and drugs for coping among youth in the slums of Kampala, Uganda

This study aimed to (a) compute the prevalence of violence exposure types, polyvictimization, and self-reported depression, anxiety, and using substances to cope among youth ages 12–18 years living on the streets or in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, (b) examine the independent associations among orphan status, violence exposure types, and self-reported mental health concerns, and (c) explore the association between polyvictimization and mental health concerns. Data are from a 2014 cross-sectional survey of service-seeking youth ages 12–18 years (N = 1134) in Kampala, Uganda. Violence exposure types explored in this study were: witnessing family physical violence, direct physical abuse by a parent, any rape history, and physical dating violence. We used descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to test study objectives. Over half of the sample (60.5%) reported experiencing at least one type of violence exposure; many youth endorsed self-reported depression (57.8%), anxiety (76.8%), and substance use to cope (37.0%). Exposure to violence was associated with higher odds for self-reported depression, anxiety, and using substances to cope. These findings underscore the urgent need to implement evidence-based interventions among this young, underserved population and their families to prevent violence, improve mental health outcomes, and promote resilience.

Lifetime and Child Sexual Violence, Risk Factors and Mental Health Correlates Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults in Haiti: A Public Health Emergency.

Very little is known in Haiti and the Caribbean regarding child and lifetime sexual victimization. Using a nationally representative sample of adolescents and young adults aged 15-24, this study aimed to document the prevalence, risk factors and mental health correlates of lifetime and child sexual violence in Haiti. A national cross-sectional surrvey was conducted in Haiti, using a multistage sampling frame, stratified by geographical department, urban or rural setting, gender, and age groups (15-19 and 20-24years). The final sample included 3586 household participants (47.6% female). A weighted sample of 3945 individuals was obtained and used in the following analyses. Overall rate of lifetime and child sexual violence was, respectively, 27.44% (95% CI 25.94-28.94) and 11.27% (95% CI 10.18-12.35). Lifetime sexual violence rate was significantly higher among female participants (29.02%; 95% CI 27.5-30.55) compared to male (25.73%, 95% CI 24.26-27.2), χ2 = 4.63, p < .05, but there was no significant gender difference for child sexual victimization. Experiences of family physical violence, emotional abuse by mother and father, divorce of parents, and other physical violence were strongly associated with higher odds of sexual victimization. Participants who reported having experienced sexual violence are more at risk to meet criteria of PTSD (OR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.66-2.32; p < .0001), depression (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.47-2.02; p < .0001), psychological distress (OR =1.72, 95% CI 1.47-2.02; p < .0001), and substance abuse (OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.13-1.57; p < .0001). Findings demonstrate that sexual violence is a public health emergency in Haiti. They provide evidence for the development of prevention and intervention programs.

Association Between Interpersonal Violence With Inadequate Nutritional Status Among Brazilian Adolescents

Research focusing on the relationship between interpersonal violence and nutritional status in adolescence is scarce and has distinct results. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of family physical and sexual violence with inadequate nutritional status in Brazilian adolescents. We used data from the 2015 Brazilian National Survey of School Health. This study includes 11.850 students, older than 13 years, attending from sixth to ninth grade of elementary school and from the 1st to the 3rd year of high school. The exposures were family physical violence and rape. The outcome was nutritional status, assessed through body mass index. The association between exposures and outcome were investigated using a multinomial logistic regression model. These analyses were adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, and family variables. The prevalence of family physical violence victimization was approximately 14% among adolescents for both sexes. The prevalence of rape was 4.6% and 5.7% among male and female adolescents, respectively. Family physical violence was not associated with being underweight, overweight, or obese, in either crude or adjusted models for both sexes. Sexual violence was inversely associated with being underweight only for male adolescents (OR: 0.21, CI 95%: 0.06-0.75). In female adolescents, sexual violence was associated with overweight/obesity (OR: 1.64, CI 95%:1.15-2.33). In this study, rape, but not family physical violence victimization, was associated with nutritional status in adolescents of both sexes. Nonetheless, this association was different between boys and girls. Rape was inversely associated with being underweight in male adolescents, whereas, in female adolescents, it was associated with excess body weight.

Cumulative Lifetime Violence Severity and Chronic Pain in a Community Sample of Canadian Men.

To create a descriptive profile of chronic pain severity in men with lifetime cumulative violence histories, as a target and/or a perpetrator, and investigate how chronic pain severity is associated with and predicted by lifetime cumulative violence severity and known determinants of chronic pain. Analysis of variance and binary logistic regression were performed on data collected in an online survey with a community convenience sample of 653 men who reported experiences of lifetime violence. The prevalence of high-intensity/ high-disability pain in men with lifetime violence was 35.8%. Total Cumulative Lifetime Violence Severity-44 (CLVS-44) scores were significantly associated with high-intensity/ high-disability chronic pain measured by the Chronic Pain Grade Scale (odds ratio= 8.40). In a model with 10 CLVS-44 subscale scores, only psychological workplace violence as a target (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]= 1.44) and lifetime family physical violence as a target (aOR= 1.42) significantly predicted chronic pain severity. In a multivariate model, chronic pain severity was predicted by CLVS-44 total score (aOR= 2.69), age (aOR= 1.02), injury with temporary impairment (aOR= 1.99), number of chronic conditions (aOR= 1.37), and depressive symptoms (aOR= 1.03). The association between lifetime cumulative violence severity and chronic pain severity in men is important new information suggesting the need for trauma- and violence-informed approaches to assessment and intervention with men. This is the first analysis using CLVS-44 subscales to understand which configurations of lifetime cumulative violence may be most predictive of chronic pain severity; further investigation is needed to confirm these findings.

Physical Couple and Family Violence Among Clients Seeking Therapy: Identifiers and Predictors

IntroductionCouple violence (CV) affects many, and the consequences of those actions are grave, not only for the individual suffering at the hand of the perpetrator but also for the other persons in the family. Violence often happens among more than just the adults within one family. Even if CV has been thoroughly investigated in the general population very few studies have investigated this objective on a clinical sample, and none of these have included family violence.AimThis article identifies and describes the group of clients that have issues of physical couple and family violence. It analyses a model that can help to discover physical violence and help therapists to assess what actions to take in therapy to prevent further physical violence.MethodologyDescriptive analysis, t-tests, and structural equation modeling (SEM) are used on a sample of clients receiving couple and family therapy (CFT) in Norway (N = 830). Family violence is modeled by the partner’s expectations toward each other, levels of anger, sexual satisfaction, and self-control.ResultsOne-in-five clients experienced physical CV in their current relationship and one-in-four experienced physical family violence. The group of clients who experienced CV differed from those without such experiences in having lower income, more prior experience with psychotherapy, more experience with alcohol abuse in childhood, and far more physical family violence in their current family. Our model predicting physical couple and family violence explained as much as 53% of family violence and had three positive, significant predictors (expectation, anger, and sexual satisfaction) and one, significant negative predictor (self-control). Somewhat unexpected, sexual satisfaction was a positive, and not a negative, predictor of violence.ConclusionOur study identified one-in-four clients in CFT experience physical CV. Unreasonable expectation from one partner toward the other, anger and sexual satisfaction were positive predictors of physical violence, while self-control was found to be a negative predictor of physical violence. Implications for therapeutic work and the prevention of physical violence are discussed.

Wealth Inequalities in Different Types of Violence Among Brazilian Adolescents: National Survey of School Health 2015.

Studies have assessed inequalities in violence by economic status, but few studies have been done with adolescents from middle-income countries. Our objective was to analyze inequalities in verbal bullying, family physical violence, sexual violence, and fights with weapons among Brazilian adolescents in school according to wealth and stratified by sex and skin color. We used data from the Brazilian National Survey of School Health (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar [PeNSE]), carried out in 2015, with a representative sample of Brazilian adolescents attending ninth grade in public and private schools. We created a wealth index based on questions about access to goods and services through principal component analysis; this index was later divided into quintiles. We calculated the slope index of inequality (SII), the concentration index (CIX), and simple measures of inequality, such as ratio and difference. To identify statistically significant differences in sex and skin color inequality, we used the t test. We found high prevalence values of verbal bullying and family physical violence, 23.9% and 14.5%, respectively. In general, when comparing the types of violence according to SII and CIX, we observed a higher prevalence of violence among adolescents in the lower income quintiles, for both sexes and skin colors. We observed higher wealth inequality in sexual violence among girls (CIX = -14.89) when compared with boys (CIX = -4.63) (p = .001). We also observed higher wealth inequality in sexual violence among Whites (CIX = -15.55) when compared with Brown (CIX = -6.23) (p = .009). Wealth inequality aggravates the occurrence of violence among poorer Brazilian adolescents. Also, the identification of vulnerable groups may contribute to target public policies for fighting violence.

Association Between Family Physical Violence Victimization and Food Consumption Among Brazilian Adolescents.

Few studies have evaluated the relationship between stressful events, such as child abuse and food consumption. Thus, the objective of this study is to assess whether family physical violence victimization is associated with food consumption in adolescents. We used data from the Brazilian National Adolescent School-based Health Survey, carried out in 2015, in a representative sample of 102,072 students attending ninth grade from public and private schools. We used Venn diagrams and logistic regression analysis to, respectively, graphically represent and evaluate the association between the consumption of ultra-processed food (soft drinks, sweets/candies, and salty biscuits, packaged snacks, or processed meat) and in natura food (beans, fruits and vegetables) with victimization from family physical violence. We found a lower consumption of in natura and higher consumption of ultra-processed foods among adolescent victims when compared with nonvictims of family physical violence. The probability of consuming 4 or more times a week increased by 44% for salty biscuits, packaged snacks, or processed meats; 38% for soft drinks; and 22% for sweets among adolescents who reported violence. On the contrary, the probability of consuming 4 or more times a week decreased by 25% for beans, 19% for vegetables, and 13% for fruits among adolescent victims of family physical violence. We conclude that family physical violence victimization is associated with high consumption of ultra-processed food and low consumption of in natura food among Brazilian adolescents. Therefore, issues related to violence in childhood and adolescence should be addressed in interventions aimed at altering food consumption and consequent prevention, control, and treatment of nutrition-related outcomes to increase their effectiveness.

Association between exposure to interpersonal violence and social isolation, and the adoption of unhealthy weight control practices

ObjectiveTo assess the relationship between interpersonal violence, social isolation and unhealthy weight control practices. MethodsData on a representative sample of 9th grade Brazilian adolescents from public and private schools (n = 102,072), taken from the National School Health Survey (PeNSE, 2015) were used. The exposures were interpersonal violence (family physical violence, body appearance-related bullying and bullying for the other reasons) and social isolation. The outcomes were unhealthy weight control practices: self-induced vomiting/take laxatives and take any diet pills, powders, or liquids to lose or gain weight/muscle mass without a medical advice. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were performed stratified by sex and adjusted for demographic variables. ResultsFamily physical violence and social isolation were associated with greater adoption of unhealthy weight control practices, for both sexes. Boy victims of family physical violence were almost twice more likely to adopt unhealthy weight control practices than girls who also suffered this type of violence. Girl victims of body appearance-related bullying adopted more self-induced vomiting/take laxatives (OR 2.29 95%CI 1.87–2.81), take any diet pills, powders, or liquids to lose (OR 1.92 95%CI 1.50–2.46) or gain weight/muscle mass (OR 1.51 95%CI 1.17–1.93). These associations were stronger than those involving other types of bullying. ConclusionInterpersonal violence (family physical violence and bullying) and social isolation were associated with a higher occurrence of unhealthy weight control practices.

Physical Violence in Family Sub-Systems: Links to Peer Victimization and Long-Term Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Although childhood violence by any person is negative for children, little is known about whether violence by different family members is linked differently to problems in young adulthood, as family relationships might play different roles in children’s individual development. In this study, we examine parent and sibling violence and associations with emotional and behavioral problems, directly and indirectly via peer victimization. We used retrospective reports from 347 young adults (aged 20–24) who all reported childhood family physical violence, and we performed a path analysis using Mplus. The results showed that participants who had been victimized by a sibling only or by both a sibling and parent were more likely to report peer victimization than were participants who had been victimized by parents only. Peer victimization was, in turn, linked to more aggression, criminality, and anxiety. Theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Distinct and Overlapping Correlates of Psychological and Physical Partner Violence Perpetration.

Despite its high prevalence, adverse impact, and potential significance in understanding the onset of physical partner violence (PV), there has been surprisingly scant research on psychological PV perpetration. The present research, guided by social learning and attachment theories, addresses this gap in the literature by examining overlapping and distinct correlates for psychological and physical PV perpetration in emerging adults. Undergraduates (N = 504) with current or recent dating experience were recruited to complete a self-report survey. The survey included measures of emotional and physical child maltreatment, witnessing physical family violence, insecure attachment, hostility, and anger. The sample was 63% female and racially and ethnically diverse (50% non-White, non-Hispanic, or Hispanic of any race). Insecure attachment and anger, but not hostility or child maltreatment, were uniquely correlated with psychological PV, whereas only physical child maltreatment and witnessing physical family violence were unique correlates for physical PV. Neither emotional nor physical child maltreatment potentiated relations between insecure attachment, hostility, or anger and either form of PV. Although females were more likely to perpetrate psychological and physical PV, correlates for each form of PV did not vary by gender. The relations between physical child maltreatment and physical PV are consistent with a social learning theory explanation for physical PV. Insecure attachment and anger appear to be particularly important correlates for psychological, but not physical, PV. Thus, psychological and physical PV may have distinct risk profiles and may require different intervention targets.

Physical family violence and externalizing and internalizing behaviors among children and adolescents.

Family violence has been associated with various negative outcomes among children and adolescents. Yet, less is known about how unique forms of physical family violence contribute to externalizing and internalizing behaviors based on a child's developmental stage. Using data from the Illinois Families Study and administrative Child Protective Services data, we explored the relation between 3 types of physical family violence victimization and externalizing and internalizing behaviors among a sample of 2,402 children and adolescents. After including parent and family level covariates in Poisson regressions, we found that a unique form of family violence victimization was associated with increased externalizing behaviors among children at each age group: exposure to physical intimate partner violence (IPV) among children ages 3-5, exposure to the physical abuse of a sibling among children ages 6-12, and child physical abuse among adolescents ages 13-18. No form of physical family violence was significantly associated with internalizing behaviors for children in any age group. Including exposure to the child maltreatment of a sibling is crucial when attempting to contextualize children's responses to family violence and providing comprehensive services in an effort to enhance the well-being of all children in a family. (PsycINFO Database Record

Gender Differences in Health Symptoms Associated with the Exposure to Physical Violence in Family: Data from the 2006 National Health Survey in Serbia

This study analyzed gender differences in exposure to family violence in Serbia and its association with health symptoms. Using data from the National Health Survey 2006 in Serbia, univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were run to examine the association between exposure to physical violence in the family (in the past 12 months) and the occurrence of 15 different health symptoms (in the past 4 weeks). Out of 12,646 interviewed adults (older than 20), women reported experiencing family violence nearly 1.7 times more often than men (1.28 % vs. 0.75 %). Women had nine health symptoms significantly associated with experienced violence, while men had four, even after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Depression and insomnia were common for both genders. Results suggest that physicians should pay attention to health complaints, consider family violence as an associated factor, and address violence in a gender sensitive way that is free of prejudice and preconceptions.

Watching Pornography

The aims of this article are to analyze exposure to pornography, its content, and the associations between victimization and pornography in a sample of 303 students (49.2% female). The questionnaire included questions on pornography exposure, psychological and physical family violence, and sexual violence. Almost all male students and 67% of female students had ever watched pornography; 42% and 32%, respectively, had watched violence against women. Female students exposed to family psychological violence and to sexual violence were significantly more likely to watch pornography, especially violent pornography than those who had not been exposed. No such association was found among male students.

Long-Term Impact of Family Arguments and Physical Violence on Adult Functioning at Age 30 Years: Findings From the Simmons Longitudinal Study

ObjectiveTo prospectively examine the extent to which an increase in family arguments by age 15 years and the occurrence of family physical violence by age 18 years are related to deficits in key domains of adult functioning at age 30 years. MethodThe 346 participants were part of a single-age cohort from a predominately white working-class community whose psychosocial development has been traced since age 5 years. Family arguments and violence were assessed through self-reports during adolescence. Developmentally relevant areas of current adult functioning were measured by self-reports, structured diagnostic interviews, and clinical interviewer ratings. ResultsBoth family arguments and physical violence were significantly related to compromised functioning across multiple areas of adult functioning. Although many associations were somewhat attenuated after controlling for sex, other early family adversities, and family history of disorder, most relations retained statistical significance. Both risk factors were linked with later mental health problems and deficits in psychological and occupational/career functioning. Family violence was also linked to poorer physical health at age 30 years. ConclusionsFindings underscore the potential long-term impact of troubled family interactions and highlight the critical importance of early intervention programs for youths experiencing either verbal conflict or physical violence in the home.

Social Determinants of Interpersonal Violence in Lima, Peru

Interpersonal violence has been recognized as an important global public health problem. However, information concerning the risk factors of physical family violence is scarce in Latin America. This study sought to identify the risk factors associated with physical family violence in Lima, Peru. Study participants were (N=308) randomly recruited adults from the Social Services Department at Dos de Mayo Hospital in 2003. Participants completed an interview which included questions about personal history, characteristics of, and attitudes towards family violence. Subjects were also assessed for alcohol-related problems and exposure to family violence in their childhood. Overall, 37% of subjects reported having been victims or aggressors of family violence in the last 12 months. Ninety nine women (39%) reported the occurrence of family violence in their home in the last twelve months. Twenty six (10%) reported that they had been victims of family violence in the last twelve months. Fifty seven (23%) reported having aggressed against a relative. Sixteen men (28%) reported family violence in their home in the last twelve months. Five men (9%) reported that they had been victims. Ten men (18%) reported aggression against a family member in the last twelve months. Results from this study indicate that family violence in Lima, as in the rest of the world, is a prevalent public health problem. Comprehensive bio-psychosocial and environmental studies will be needed to develop culturally appropriate and effective strategies for preventing family violence.

Correlation Between Different Experiences of Intrafamilial Physical Violence and Violent Adolescent Behavior

This research examined the relationship between different experiences of family physical violence and the violent behaviors of attempted suicide, fighting, and gun-carrying at school among 133,794 adolescents in Minnesota public schools. Levels of violence against self and others were compared for male and female youth reporting the following family histories: (a) both direct victim of physical violence and witnessing physical violence, (b) only direct victim of physical violence, (c) only witnessing physical violence, and (d) neither direct victim of physical violence nor witnessing physical violence. Any experience of familial physical violence was significantly associated with increased levels of violence toward self and others