Understanding Family Violence: Treating and Preventing Partner, Child, Sibling and Elder Abuse

290 Pages·1998·37.93 MB·English

by  Vernon R. Wiehe

UNDERSTANDIN G
FAMIL Y
VIOLENC E

UNDERSTANDIN G
FAMIL Y
VIOLENC E
Treating and
Preventing
Partner, Child,
Sibling, and
Elder Abuse
Vernon R. Wiehe
SAGE Publication s
Internationa/ Educational and Professional Publisher
Thousand Oaks London New Delhi
Copyright © 1998 by Sage Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduce d or utilized in any form or by
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wiehe, Vernon R.
Understandin g family violence: Treating and preventing
partner , child, sibling, and elder abuse / by Vernon R. Wiehe.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographica l references and index.
ISBN 0-7619-1644-X (cloth: acid-free paper)
ISBN 0-7619-1645-8 (pbk.: acid-free paper)
1. Family violence—United States—Prevention . 2. Family
violence—Treatment—Unite d States. 3. Family social work—United
States. I. Title.
HV6626.2.W53 1998
362.82'927'0973--<idc21 98-8982
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
98 99 00 01 02 03 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acquiring Editor: C. Terry Hendrix
Editorial Assistant: Dale Grenfell
Production Editor: Michele Lingre/Astrid Virding
Editorial Assistant: Lynn Miyata
Designer/Typesetter: Janelle LeMaster
Copy Editor: Joyce Kuhn
Cover Designer: Candice Harman
Content s
Preface viii
Chapte r 1: Aggression 1
Definition of Terms 1
Theoretica l Perspectives of Aggression 2
Summar y 14
Chapte r 2: Child Abuse IS
Definition of Terms 17
The Extent of Child Maltreatmen t 19
Historical Perspective 23
Understandin g Child Physical Abuse 27
Factors Associated With Emotional Abuse 32
Factors Associated With Child Sexual Abuse 33
Four Precondition s of Child Sexual Abuse 38
Feminist Perspectives on Child Sexual Abuse 41
Responding to Child Abuse 42
Effects of Abuse on the Victims 48
Treatin g Child Abuse 53
Treatmen t of Adult Survivors 62
Megan's Law 63
Treatmen t of Offenders 64
Treatmen t Issues Relative to Race and Cultur e 66
Preventin g Child Abuse 68
Summar y 71
Suggested Reading 72
Chapte r 3: Partne r Abuse 73
Definition of Terms 75
Marita l Rape 76
Partne r Abuse in Gay and Lesbian Relationship s 79
Battered Husband s 80
Incidence of Abuse 81
Understandin g Partne r Abuse 85
The Cycle of Violence 90
Effects of Abuse on the Victim 91
Impact of the Abuse on Children 94
Response Pattern s of Abused Women 97
The Perpetrator s 102
Treatmen t of Perpetrator s 105
Evaluation of Treatmen t Program s 110
Services for the Victim 112
Preventin g Partne r Abuse 123
Summar y 125
Suggested Reading 126
Chapte r 4: Elder Abuse 127
Definition of Terms 130
Abuse in Nursing Homes 135
Incidence of Abuse 141
Theoretica l Factors for Understandin g Elder Abuse 144
The Victims 146
The Perpetrator s 149
Assessing and Intervenin g in Elder Abuse 151
Preventin g Elder Abuse 162
Summar y 165
Suggested Reading 165
Chapte r 5: Sibling Abuse 167
The Research Participant s 169
Incidence of Abuse 169
Physical Abuse 170
Emotional Abuse 174
Sexual Abuse 181
Survivors' Responses to Their Sexual Abuse 187
Sexual Curiosity 189
Parenta l Awareness of Sibling Abuse 190
Parenta l Reactions to Sibling Abuse 192
Understandin g Sibling Abuse 194
Effects of Abuse on the Survivor 199
Distinguishing Abusive Behavior From Normal Behavior 204
Problem Solving as an Interventio n in Sibling Abuse 209
Treatin g Survivors 210
Preventin g Sibling Abuse 214
Summar y 217
Suggested Reading 217
References 219
Index 259
About the Author 278
Prefac e
Violence in the family is a serious in an empirically based practice where their
problem. Daily, the media present intervention s flow from their theoretica l
accounts of partner , child, or elder understandin g of the problem will find the
abuse. Another type of family violence, sib- book's contents helpful in working with
ling abuse, shown by research to even be abusive individuals and families.
more prevalent than partner and child abuse, Heavy emphasis is placed in the book on
is rarely mentioned but often is excused as research because I often find individuals
"norma l sibling rivalry" (Straus, Gelles, & working in the field of family violence who
Steinmetz, 1980). do not have a sound empirical understandin g
The purpose of this book is to acquaint of the problem but, rather , are "flying by the
reader s with a theoretica l understandin g of seat of their pants." In some instances, these
family violence, the various ways the prob- individuals are attracte d to the work because
lem is being treated , and how each type of of their own past history of being a victim
family violence may be prevented . The book of abuse from a parent , mate, or sibling.
is directed to undergraduat e and graduat e Their knowledge is largely based on their
students in fields of study such as psychol- personal experiences, which may not be
ogy, sociology, nursing , social work, family typical. In other instances, those working in
studies, and pastora l counseling. I will col- the field are often so overburdene d with the
lectively refer in the text to these students in demand for services that they cannot keep
these various fields of study as "menta l abreast of the research that is occurring . In
health professionals." Although the book is still other situations, an understandin g of
not intended to be a "how to" guide for family violence may be based on the por-
clinicians working with perpetrator s and trayal of the problem in the media, which
victims of family violence, those engaging may overdramatiz e certain aspects of the
viii
Preface ix
problem. A sound theoretica l understandin g Here is where theory enters the picture. Re-
based on research must be the foundation of search or the application of scientific meth-
our understandin g of the various types of odology enables us to identify factors that
family violence, of our intervention s in may be related to or associated with a prob-
treatin g the problem, and of our efforts to lem. Two levels of theory are presented in
prevent it. the text. In the opening chapter , several gen-
Here I digress a bit to discuss the impor- eral theories of aggression are presented be-
tance of theory in understandin g a social cause family violence is aggression of one
problem such as family violence. I liken the person against another . In subsequent chap-
use of theory to the function of a magnifying ters, as the various types of family violence
glass. Imagine that you have a piece of paper are discussed—child, partner , elder, sibling
in front of you with such very small print abuse—mor e specific theories in the form of
that when you attempt to read the message factors identified from research that are re-
on the paper, the paper becomes a blur of lated to each of these types of abuse are
ink. However, when you look at the small identified.
print through a magnifying glass, the blur of What purpose do these theories serve?
ink begins to take the shape of letters and the First, theories help in understandin g human
combination of letters forms words and the behavior, or in this instance, the various
words come together in sentences that pre- types of family violence; and second, theo-
sent to you a message that you can both read ries provide clues for interventio n and pre-
and understand . vention. Remember the example of the mag-
Theory acts in a somewhat similar fash- nifying glass. Reading about an incident of
ion. Human behavior is very complex. Situ- an adult male sexually abusing a child may
ations of family violence—for example, an be revolting and disgusting. Your sense of
adult male sexually abusing a small child— decency and respect for others may cause
reflect the complexity of human behavior. you to say, "How could someone do this to
Unfortunately , when we experience the dis- a small child?" Your response may cause you
sonance of trying to understan d a problem, to lash out in anger against the perpetrator .
such as child sexual abuse, we often resort Viewing this same incident from a theoreti-
to "myths" or stereotypica l ways of thinking cal perspective helps you begin to under-
about the problem that may cause us to in- stand the incident. Do not confuse under-
correctly understan d the problem or to inap- standing the problem with condoning the
propriatel y intervene. A theoretica l under- problem. Your attempt to understan d the fac-
standing of the problem based on research tors contributin g to a perpetrato r sexually
can help prevent this from occurring . Thus, abusing a child does not mean that you ap-
a heavy emphasis has been placed on theory prove of the behavior. Thus, the first purpose
in this book. that theory serves is to enable us to under-
stand complex human behavior. (This
What is theory? I like to think of theory
understandin g changes over time as new re-
as a framework , as a foundation for under-
search occurs. Thus, it is importan t for men-
standing human behavior. In the social sci-
tal health professionals to stay curren t in
ences we avoid the use of the word cause
their knowledge of family violence by read-
when trying to understan d human behavior
ing journal s and attendin g professional con-
because of its complexity. Rather than trying
ferences.) The second purpose that theory
to identify what causes, for example, child
serves is that as we develop a theoretica l un-
sexual abuse, we prefer to talk about factors
derstandin g of a problem or become aware
related to or associated with the problem.