Exposure to Serious Family Violence Among Incarcerated Boys: Its Association With Violent Offending and Potential Mediating Variables

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Spaccarelli ◽  
J. Douglas Coatsworth ◽  
Blake Sperry Bowden

A sample of 213 delinquent male adolescents (mean age = 16.1) were compared on interview-based measures concerning exposure to interadult family violence and physical abuse, attitudes toward aggression, self-reported competence, and coping strategies. Using juvenile arrest data and self-reports of violent behaviors, the sample was divided into four groups: “Violent Offenders,” “Undetected Violent Offenders,” “Violent Deniers,” and “Controls.” Results indicated that violent offenders and undetected violent offenders had higher rates of exposure to serious physical abuse, and weapons violence between adults, than controls and deniers. A series of 2 x 2 ANOVAs further indicated that exposure to serious violence was associated with lower self-reported competence, attitudes more supportive of aggression, and more use of aggressive control as a form of coping. Logistic regression analyses were also consistent with the hypothesis that the effects of exposure to family violence on serious violent offending are mediated by beliefs supporting aggression and by the tendency to cope through aggressive control-seeking. Implications of these results for future research concerning exposure to family violence as a risk factor for serious violent offending are discussed.

2010 ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
Wendy Morgan

The abused to abuser theory of offending is not widely supported by the literature. Not only does this notion suffer from deficits common to all single explanation models, but also has the potential to further stigmatise victims of abuse. However, using a case study, this paper will argue that the impact of abuse should be more carefully considered at both the aetiological, assessment and intervention levels for various forms of family violence. It will be proposed that the impact of abuse could, for some individuals, be conceptualised as a core risk factor for different types of violent offending. However, in order to fully realise the potential benefits of this stance a more unified approach to forensic issues is needed with integration of information from multiple theoretical perspective, and practice dimensions.


Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Fix ◽  
Apryl A. Alexander ◽  
Barry R. Burkhart

Depression, substance use, and impulsivity have been linked to family violence exposure and to the development of violent offending during adolescence. Additionally, the indirect effects associated with these factors may not generalize across different racial/ethnic adolescent populations. The present study tested whether race/ethnicity moderated the mediated relationship between family violence exposure and violent offending, with depression, substance use, and impulsivity as mediators. A sample of 1,359 male adolescents was obtained from a juvenile correctional program. Between-racial/ethnic group comparisons were generally consistent with previous findings. The overall moderated mediation model was significant in predicting violence for both racial/ethnic groups. Different factors influenced violent offending among African Americans and European Americans in the tested model. Furthermore, race/ethnicity moderated the relationship between family violence exposure and impulsivity and substance use. Implications and future directions resolving issues are discussed concerning whether race/ethnicity should be included as a moderator in models of violence.


2020 ◽  
pp. 152483801989948
Author(s):  
Meu Supol ◽  
Lata Satyen ◽  
Matin Ghayour-Minaie ◽  
John W. Toumbourou

Millions of children are exposed to family violence around the world; however, the effects on adolescent academic achievement are poorly understood. Using a systematic search and review methodology, we synthesized studies that quantitatively examined the effects of exposure to family violence on academic achievement among adolescents. We searched for peer-reviewed, English-language articles in nine online databases. Thirteen studies that examined adolescents were included, where family violence exposure was the independent variable and academic achievement was the dependent variable. Of those, nine studies identified significant, direct, and negative effects of family violence exposure on adolescent academic achievement, and a further two identified significant, indirect, and negative effects. We found reasonable evidence showing that adolescents’ academic achievement is negatively affected by exposure to family violence. Our review findings indicate the importance of implementing prevention strategies to reduce children’s exposure to family violence, and intervention for those who have been exposed to it. Future research should further examine the moderating and mediating mechanisms by which family violence exposure affects academic achievement.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Dong Zhang ◽  
Jian-Song Zhou ◽  
Feng-Mei Lu ◽  
Xiao-Ping Wang

Background Previous studies reported that reduced gray matter volume (GMV) was associated with violent-related behaviors. However, the previous studies were conducted on adults and no study has studied the association between GMV and violent behaviors on adolescents. The purpose of the study was to investigate GMV’s effects in adolescent violent offenders based on a Chinese Han population, which can address the problem of possible confounding factors in adult studies. Methods We recruited 30 male adolescent violent offenders and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Differences in both whole-brain and GMV were evaluated using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). We assessed the accuracy of VBM using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and discriminant analysis. Results Compared with HCs, the male adolescent offenders showed significantly reduced GMV in five cortical and subcortical brain regions, including the olfactory cortex, amygdala, middle temporal gyrus and inferior parietal lobe in the left hemisphere, as well as the right superior temporal gyrus. Both ROC curve and discriminate analyses showed that these regions had relatively high sensitivities (58.6%–89.7%) and specificities (58.1%–74.2%) with 76.7% classification accuracy. Conclusions Our results indicated that reduced volume in the frontal-temporal-parietal-subcortical circuit may be closely related to violent behaviors in male adolescents, which might be an important biomarker for detecting violent behaviors in male adolescents.


Author(s):  
Anna Maria Rosso ◽  
Andrea Camoirano ◽  
Gabriele Schiaffino

Abstract. The aim of this study was to collect a Rorschach Comprehensive System (RCS) adult nonpatient sample from Italy using more stringent exclusion criteria and controlling for psychopathology, taking into account the methodological suggestions of Ritzler and Sciara (2008) . The authors hypothesized that: (a) adult nonpatient samples are not truly psychologically healthy, in that a high number of psychopathological symptoms are experienced by participants, particularly anxiety and depression, although they have never been in psychological treatment; (b) significant differences emerge between healthy and nonhealthy groups on Rorschach variables, particularly on CS psychopathological indexes; (c) RCS psychopathological indexes are significantly correlated in the expected direction with scores on psychopathological scales. The results confirmed the hypotheses, indicating the need to collect psychologically healthy samples in addition to normative and nonpatient samples. Because differences were found in the comparison between Exner’s sample (2007) and the healthy group in this study regarding form quality and coping styles, the authors suggest that future research should investigate the construct validity of ambitent style and culturally specific influences on form quality. Moreover, the Rorschach scientific community needs to have more extensive form quality tables, enriched with objects that are currently not included.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Jauk ◽  
Philipp Kanske

Abstract Narcissism is a Janusian personality construct, associated with both grandiose self-assuredness and dominance, as well as vulnerable insecurity and reactivity. Central questions of intra- and interpersonal functioning in narcissism are still a matter of debate. Neuroscience could help to understand the paradoxical patterns of experience and behavior beyond the limitations of self-reports. We provide a systematic review of 34 neuroscience studies on grandiose, vulnerable, pathological narcissism, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), spanning experimental investigations of intra- and interpersonal mechanisms, research on neurophysiological and neuroendocrine aspects of baseline function, and brain structural correlates. While neuroscience has scarcely directly studied vulnerable narcissism, grandiose narcissism is associated with heightened vigilance to ego threat and stress responses following ego threat, as well as heightened stress indicators in baseline measures. Such responses are not commonly observed in self-reports, highlighting the potential of neuroscience to augment our understanding of self-regulatory dynamics in narcissism. Interpersonal functioning is characterized by deficits in social–affective processes. Both involve altered activity within the salience network, pointing to a double dissociation regarding the expression of narcissism and self/other oriented situational focus. Findings are summarized in an integrative model providing testable hypotheses for future research along with methodological recommendations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-92
Author(s):  
Sarah Shaffer ◽  
Nadja Schreiber Compo ◽  
J Zoe Klemfuss ◽  
Joanna Peplak ◽  
Julio Mejias

This study examined the experiences of law enforcement in investigating physical abuse, neglect and Abusive Head Trauma (AHT). Law enforcement ( N = 388) in the United States were surveyed regarding case characteristics, investigative strategy, interrogative approaches, frequency/content of perpetrator admissions and interagency interaction across cases of physical abuse, neglect and AHT. Results revealed that exposure rates matched those of national statistics. AHT perpetrators reported to admit guilt less often than suspects of physical abuse and neglect. Participants reported that suspects explain physical abuse and AHT by referencing poor self-control as a common cause. Lack of financial resources was commonly reported as the explanation for neglect. Potentially coercive interviewing techniques were reported across abuse types but were more frequent in cases of AHT. AHT cases were reportedly hardest to prove/prosecute partially due to conflicting medical diagnoses. Potential implications for law enforcement investigative (interviewing) policies and future research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Julie Palix ◽  
Ahmad Abu-Akel ◽  
Valérie Moulin ◽  
Milena Abbiati ◽  
Jacques Gasser ◽  
...  

Since lack of empathy is an important indicator of violent behaviors, researchers need consistent and valid measures. This study evaluated the practical significance of a potential physiological correlate of empathy compared to a traditional self-report questionnaire in 18 male violent offenders and 21 general population controls. Empathy skills were assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) questionnaire. Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) was assessed with an electrocardiogram. The RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive beat-to-beat Differences), an HRV index implicated in social cognition, was calculated. There were no group differences in IRI scores. However, RMSSD was lower in the offender group. Positive correlations between RMSSD and IRI subscales were found for controls only. We conclude that psychometric measures of empathy do not discriminate incarcerated violent offenders, and that the incorporation of psychophysiological measures, such as HRV, could be an avenue for forensic research on empathy to establish translatable evidence-based information.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Roncaglia

The aim of this paper is to present an understanding of the coping mechanisms and coping styles adopted by individuals on the Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) by looking to draw parallels with sports performance psychology and how different sources of stress and anxiety can lead to the adoption of different coping styles. Firstly, an overview of current understanding of what constitute a stressor and how this can affect an individual is presented from sport and exercise psychology literature. Secondly, a model of coping styles is illustrated with the aim to shed light at how different perceptions of levels of stress and anxiety are managed both on an individual and group level. Thirdly, within the context of this understanding, some examples about how to support individuals on the ASC will be illustrated. Finally, implications for future research and reflection will be presented by highlighting the importance of teaching and learning coping and tolerance skills as part of a comprehensive and holistic psycho-educational program.


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