PSY 3123 Lecture 16: Violence in the Family Lecture + Textbook Notes
28 Apr 2018
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March 23, 2018
Home Dangerous Home: Violence in the Family
What is family violence?
Two elements must be considered in defining family violence: the forms of abuse to be included and the types of
family relationships
Family violence definition: any form of abuse, mistreatment, or neglect that children or adults experience from other
members of their family
-Violence: ranges from throwing things, to shoving and punching, to usually using a knife or a gun
-Abuse: a situation in which a person takes advantage of a less powerful person
•Encompasses neglect, sexual and emotional abuse, financial exploitation, and physical violence
-Also includes verbal abuse
Two main sources of data:
-Police reported incidences via the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR)
•Females are twice as likely as males to be a victim of police-reported family violence
-General Social Survey on Victimization
•Doesn’t report violence against children
Child Abuse
History of child abuse:
-Children used to be seen as basically bad who could be transformed into God-fearing individuals through
punishment
•Many children were whipped and physically injured
•Sexual exploitation was also common - fathers often arranged the marriages of their young daughters, which
were sometimes consummated before the girls reached their puberty
•Most abuse of children was overlooked
-Attention was first given to the idea of child abuse in Canada through the formation of the Children’s Aid Society in
1891
-Initial concern of reforms were centred on child employment and substitute caregivers, rather than on neglect and
abuse by parents
-As attention to abuse grew, definitions became broader and more inclusive
•Problem is that the definitions assume appropriate standards of behaviour that can vary over time, across
cultures, and between social groups
-1970s: 9 of 12 provincial and territorial jurisdictions had passed mandatory reporting laws
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March 23, 2018
-1991: Canada signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Child abuse may occur in a child’s home or in other places, such as other people’s homes, schools, or community
centres
Types of child abuse:
-Physical abuse: intentional use of physical force against a child resulting in injury or causing bodily harms
•Ongoing debate about how to distinguish physical abuse from corporal punishment
-Corporal punishment: any kind of physical force used to inflict pain and which serves as a punishment for an
offence or to discourage inappropriate behaviour
•Most laws allow parents to use “reasonable forces” against their children
-Sexual abuse: any form of sexual conduct directed at a child, with or without physical contact
-Emotional abuse: any situation in which a child is seriously or repeatedly subjected to behaviour that could cause
harm to the child
•Ex. Verbal attack or demeaning actions that have an impact on a child’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth,
indifference, denigration, emotional rejection, isolation, threats, exploitation, and exposure to partner or
domestic violence
-Neglect: failure to give appropriate attention or care to a child, resulting in serious emotional or physical harm
-Child witness of domestic violence: children are seriously affected by violence directed at other family members,
both by why they see and by what they hear
•All are terrified
•Some become withdrawn and anxious, others act out through aggression and delinquency
•Children may come to understand that violence is part of a close relationship between adults
Explanations for low reporting and recognition rates:
-Child abuse is frowned upon by society, so it may be hidden
-Children may be too afraid or too young to disclose abuse
-Professionals who see signs of abuse may not report the incident - may not understand their ability to report the
abuse, or they may not admit to themselves that abuse is really happening
-A parent’s or caregiver’s explanation for injuries may seem plausible, so no one becomes suspicious
-People may feel that it isn’t their business and therefore fail to report an abuse they know about, they may think
that reporting will not solve the problems or that it is not in the child’s best interests
The most common type of child maltreatment investigated by child welfare authorities is exposure to intimate partner
violence, followed by neglect
Which children are at risk of abuse or neglect?
-Unwanted children, children living with a lone parent, those born prematurely, those with physical or mental
challenges, or those in poor health
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-Being a stepchild is the single most important risk factor for severe child abuse
-Young children are more likely to abused by a family member, as they get older they are more likely to be abused
by a non-family member
-Child abuse is more common in Aboriginal populations than in non-Aboriginal populations
-Girls are more likely then boys to be the victims of abuse committed by family members, and this increased risk
grows with age
-Girls are more at risk of sexual abuse, often by family members
What kinds of people abuse or neglect their children?
-Younger parents and unmarried parents are more likely to be abusers
-A mother whose parents separated before she was 15 years old, or who lived in a foster home because she or her
siblings were neglected or abused, was considered to be at particular risk of being an abuser
-Parents under high levels of stress (ex. Marriage problems, unemployment, illness or disability of a family member)
•Abusive parents often have poor coping skills
•They are also often isolated from relatives and have few close friends
-Abusers are more likely to have had earlier involvement with child welfare services and to have mental health and/
or substance abuse problems
-Abusive parents often set standards for children’s behaviour well beyond their developmental level
Features of sexually abusive parents: likely sexually aroused by children, likely to act on that arousal
-These families are also often isolated, have little relief from a poor marital relationship, have relatively few
opportunities for extramarital sexual activity (i.e. having an affair or going to a prostitute)
-The oldest daughter is often at risk, especially if she has become a parentified child
Children and adolescents as abusers:
-Sibling abuse: not that studied because violence between siblings is often considered part of the normal
experience of growing up
•Natural and healthy sexual exploration between children of similar age, size, and developmental stage is not
sibling abuse
•Sexual play that is mutual, voluntary, and not coercive is also not sibling abuse
•Interactions become sibling abuse when:
-There is a marked difference in power between the siblings
-The behaviour takes place often and for a long period of time
-Pressure and secrecy is involved
-The interactions are harmful
-The behaviour falls outside levels of typical sibling rivalry or normal sex play
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Document Summary
Two elements must be considered in de ning family violence: the forms of abuse to be included and the types of family relationships. Family violence de nition: any form of abuse, mistreatment, or neglect that children or adults experience from other members of their family. Violence: ranges from throwing things, to shoving and punching, to usually using a knife or a gun. Abuse: a situation in which a person takes advantage of a less powerful person: encompasses neglect, sexual and emotional abuse, nancial exploitation, and physical violence. Police reported incidences via the uniform crime reporting survey (ucr: females are twice as likely as males to be a victim of police-reported family violence. General social survey on victimization: doesn"t report violence against children. Attention was rst given to the idea of child abuse in canada through the formation of the children"s aid society in.
