The victimizing effect of violent socialization: Intimate partner use of coercive sexual practices transnationally

Research seems to focus more on examining predictors of sexual victimization rather than violent experiences predicting coercive sexual behaviors. Little research explores victim to offender associations. The present study expands current literature by exploring transnational differences in which coercive sexual behaviors manifest from childhood violence experiences. Do experiences of violence during childhood impact the use of coercive sexual behaviors? Multilevel modeling regression analysis, used on data from the International Dating Violence Study, reveal several interesting findings: (1) violent socialization from families is associated with coercive sexual behavior, (2) violent socialization from the community is associated with coercive sexual behavior, and (3) nations where violent socialization is more prevalent, the average level of coercive sexual behaviors tends to increase. Identifying predictive processes for sexual coercion is important. Sexual coercion may be represented in subtle day to day interactions that over time instill a sense of violence normality and further perpetuate victimization.

Multiple Forms of Early Violent Socialization and the Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence Among Chinese College Students

Early violent socialization has consistently been associated with individuals' attitudes toward interpersonal violence in adulthood. However, how particular types of violent socialization during childhood differently influence individuals' acceptance of interpersonal violence remains unclear. The current study examined the effect of multiple types of violent socialization on acceptance of interpersonal violence among Chinese college students in Hong Kong (N= 794). The findings of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that verbal advice regarding and witnessed experience with violence during childhood predict the acceptance of violence. In contrast, childhood experience of being a violence victim was not significantly associated with the acceptance of violence. In addition, gender moderates the relationship between verbal advice toward violence and acceptance of violence. Therefore, educational interventions related to the impact of multiple forms of violent socialization on attitudes toward violence that create a safe and stable environment for children may be beneficial for parents, teachers, and practitioners who work closely with children. The results may be also useful in informing colleges, universities, and professional practitioners as they make decisions about social awareness programs for college students to help change their attitudes toward violence.

The ties that bind

How do armed groups use violence to create social ties? What are the conditions under which such violence takes place? In this article, I describe how armed groups use one type of atrocity, wartime rape, to create social bonds between fighters through a process of combatant socialization. As a form of stigmatizing, public, and sexualized violence, gang rape is an effective method to communicate norms of masculinity, virility, brutality, and loyalty between fighters. Drawing on literature about socialization processes, I derive a set of hypotheses about individual-level factors that may influence vulnerability to violent socialization, including age, previous socialization experiences, and physical security. I analyze the support for these hypotheses using newly available survey data from former fighters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The results show the broad applicability of considering group violence as a form of social control within armed groups, suggest some of the limits of violent socialization, and have implications for both theory and policy.

The Roles of Dominance, Jealousy, and Violent Socialization in Chinese Dating Abuse

Attitude toward women and relationship violence in Chinese societies has been shaped by a history of Confucian patriarchy. Studies suggest that this patriarchal orientation continues to influence modern-day dating behaviors and rates of relationship violence. This study examined through the lens of the intergenerational transmission of violence theory the effects of dominance and jealousy on the likelihood of physical assault and how violent socialization moderates these effects. A maximum likelihood path analysis with robust standard errors was conducted for a total of 915 individuals from Beijing, Shanghai, and Taiwan who participated in the International Dating Violence Study from 2001 to 2006. Results revealed that dominance and violent socialization were significantly associated with assault victimization and perpetration. Violent socialization also significantly amplified the associations between dominance and both minor and severe assault victimization. Jealousy, however, was only associated with severe assault perpetration. Clinical implications and further research directions are discussed.

Toward a Typology of Abusive Women: Differences Between Partner-Only and Generally Violent Women in the Use of Violence

Based on previous typologies of domestically violent men ( Holtzworth-Munroe & Stuart, 1994 ), women who were referred to a treatment agency for abusive behavior ( N = 52) were categorized into two groups based on the breadth of their use of violence: Partner-Only (PO) and Generally Violent (GV). PO women were hypothesized to use reactive violence, for example, out of fear or in self-defense, whereas GV women were hypothesized to use instrumental violence, that is, in order to exert control. Self-defense was assessed in three different ways and convergent validity was demonstrated for these three new measures. GV women reported using instrumental violence more than PO women, in a variety of situations. GV women tended to report more traumatic symptoms than PO women, although they did not experience significantly more abuse. GV women were more likely to witness their mothers' physical aggression. Thus, we theorize that GV women have been socialized to believe that it is acceptable for women to use violence to resolve conflict. Trauma history and violent socialization should be addressed clinically.