Bourassa, C. (2007). Co-occurrence of interparental violence and child physical abuse and its effect on the adolescent's behavior. Journal of Family Violence, 22(8), 691 - 701.
This study surveyed Francophone teenagers in New Brunswick secondary schools to determine the impact of the co-occurrence of parent-to-child and interparental violence on their behavior. Results showed that half of all the teens who responded to the questionnaire had been exposed at least once to domestic violence within the past five years, and nearly a third had been physically abused by a parent. The co-occurrence of interparental violence and child physical abuse had a significantly greater negative impact on behavior than exposure to interparental violence only. Participants who were both abused and exposed to interparental violence exhibited internalized and externalized symptoms falling within the clinical range more frequently. Exposure to interparental violence alone also had negative impact. For example, teens who were exposed to spousal violence exhibited internalized and externalized symptoms more frequently than those who were not exposed to either physical abuse or domestic violence.
Chamberland, C., Fortin, A., & Laporte, L. (2007). Establishing a relationship between behavior and cognition: Violence against women and children within the family. Journal of Family Violence, 22(6), 383-395.
The goal of this study was to answer two questions: 1) to what extent are cognitions (mental conceptions) regarding violence against women and children within the family associated with violent actions against them? 2) to what extent does an adult with a narrow conception of violence against women also have a narrow conception of violence against children? A total of 62 parents, all born in Quebec, completed a series of assessment instruments designed to measure their conceptions of physical and psychological violence and their use of violent behavior in the home. None of the study participants had a history of severe violence towards women or children. Respondents recognized physical aggression more easily than psychological aggression, rated it more severely, and used it more often against their children than their spouses. Cognitions of violence against women and parental violence against children appeared to be strongly associated. Results suggest that the conception of violence toward women is associated with violence toward children.
Lévesque, S., Clément, M.È., & Chamberland, C. (2007). Factors associated with co-occurrence of spousal and parental violence: Quebec population study. Journal of Family Violence, 22(8), 661-674.
The objective of this study was to determine the differences between 1) families in which there is spousal violence: 2) those in which there is parental violence; and 3) those in which there is both spousal and parental violence. It also sought to document the factors associated with the three groups and develop an explanatory model for the type of violence in relation to the characteristics of the family. Data were analyzed from a population sample of 3,148 mothers, taken from the 2004 Quebec survey on family violence.
Results showed that the group in which there was both spousal and parental violence had a more pervasive history of violence in their childhoods, a lower level of education, rated their spousal relationship as less harmonious, perceived their economic situation as worse and their isolation as greater than those in the other two groups. The mothers in the group in which there was both spousal and parental violence reported the most parenting stress. At the same time, though, there was no difference between the three groups in terms of income.
There were major differences between the groups with regard to beliefs and conceptions of parental violence. For example, the mothers in the parental violence group were most likely to justify parental violence by their child's inappropriate behaviour.
Results highlight the social vulnerability of families in which multiple forms of violence co-occur and indicate that a number of co-existing variables are involved in family violence in a complex way, refuting the idea that family violence is related only to the characteristics of the perpetrator and the victim.
Mayer, M., Lavergne, C., Tourigny, M., & Wright, J. (2007). Characteristics differentiating neglected children from other reported children. Journal of Family Violence, 22(8), 721 - 732.
This study used data from the Quebec Incidence Study (QIS) to identify the characteristics that distinguish neglected children and to assess the relative importance of each of these characteristics. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to establish which factors linked to neglect were most significant. Results indicated that, when compared to children reported for other forms of maltreatment, children reported for neglect tended to be younger; were more likely to be known to youth protection services; were more likely to be experiencing chronic maltreatment; tended to come from single-parent families; and often had more siblings. In addition, children who were reported for neglect had a greater number of economic, social and psychological problems. Conclusions were that, in many ways, the situations faced by children reported for neglect are often more difficult than those experienced by child victims of other forms of maltreatment.
Nixon, K.L., Tutty, L.M., Weaver-Dunlop, G., & Walsh, C.A. (2007). Do good intentions beget good policy? A review of child protection policies to address intimate partner violence. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(12), 1469-1486.
This article, written by researchers in Alberta, reviews the research evidence on the effects on children of exposure intimate partner violence, and provides an analysis of examples of child protection policies and legislation from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Legislation or policy decisions that define child exposure to violence in the home as maltreated may further victimize women and their children and may exacerbate their problems in some situations. The authors review policies from several developed countries, showing the various ways that child exposure to domestic violence has been dealt with in child protection policy, discuss the potential implications for abused mothers and their children, and highlight numerous policy options.
Parent, C., Saint-Jacques, M.-C., Beaudry, M., & Robitaille, C. (2007). Stepfather involvement in social interventions made by youth protection services in stepfamilies. Child & Family Social Work, 12(3), 229-238.
Despite increasing acknowledgement that active parental participation improves the efficacy of child protection interventions, child welfare workers may marginalize the role of male figures in the household, particularly if they are not biological fathers of the children. This qualitative study looked at the ways child welfare caseworkers in Quebec youth centres (N=22) perceived men who were partners of women with children from a previous union. These men were termed 'stepfathers'. Analysis of social representations developed by the caseworkers showed that three kinds of stepfathers were recognized: 1) men with family member characteristics who had been a part of the family for several years and had developed emotional ties to the children; 2) men who interacted indirectly with the children as a support to the mother in her parental role, and 3) men who were in a relationship with the mother but were minimally or not at all involved with the children. Caseworkers have a variety of strategies for including stepfathers in their interventions, depending on their perception of his role as a resource figure, and the characteristics of the individual situation. The criteria raised by caseworkers in this study could help guide practitioners in deciding when, and how much, to involve stepfathers in interventions. The study highlighted the need for caseworkers to have better indicators as to how to handle situations involving stepfathers.