Violence and Abuse Issues: Cross-Cultural Perspectives for Health and Social Services

260 Pages·2009·3.44 MB·English

by  Lee Ann Hoff

Violence and Abuse Issues
After centuries of being considered a private matter in most societies, violence and its profound
effect on the health, mental health, and social well-being of victims and their families, as well
as on the assailants themselves, has started to take center stage as a public issue of worldwide
concern.
Health and social service providers are in pivotal positions to provide preventive and
restorative services to those affected by violent and abusive behaviour. This comprehensive
textbook presents theoretical background and practical strategies for doing so, providing a solid
knowledge base for good practice in this area. It emphasizes the interdisciplinary aspects of viol-
ence and victim/survivor care and addresses violence over the life span, covering:
• child sexual and physical abuse
• sexual assault of adults
• battering and emotional abuse of intimate partners
• elder abuse
• perpetrators of violence and abuse
• violence in learning and work environments
• vicarious trauma and self-care
• interconnections between various forms of violence, including socially approved violence
in the media and in war.
This text is an essential resource for qualified practitioners wanting to learn more about this

area and for students starting out in health and social care. Each chapter includes case studies
and thinking points, and suggestions for application in practice settings. A companion website
provides materials for students and educators, enabling the inclusion of violence issues in an
already busy curriculum.
Lee Ann Hoff is a nurse-anthropologist and crisis specialist. She has published widely and is
the author of the award-winning textbook People in Crisis. She has extensive experience as an
educator, consultant, clinician, and crisis service manager.

Violence and Abuse Issues
Cross-cultural perspectives for health and social
services
Lee Ann Hoff with contributions from
Bonnie Joyce Hallisey, Magueye Seck
and Marilynne Bell
First published 2009
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
© 2010 Lee Ann Hoff. Individual chapters, their contributors
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter in-
vented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hoff, Lee Ann.
Violence and abuse issues : cross-cultural perspectives for health and social service / by
Lee Ann Hoff ; with contributions from Bonnie Joyce Hallisey, Magueye Seck and Marilynne Bell,.

p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Violence—Cross-cultural studies. 2. Offenses against the person—Cross-cultural studies. I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Violence. 2. Cross-Cultural Comparison. 3. Sex Offenses. HM 1116 H698v 2009]
HM1116.H64 2009
362.88—dc22 2008054631
ISBN 0-203-87562-1 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0-415-46571-0 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978-0-415-46571-7 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0-415-46572-9 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978-0-415-46572-4 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0-203-87562-1 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978-0-203-87562-9 (ebk)
To victim/survivors, their advocates, and professionals worldwide: May you never
abandon the mission of violence prevention, but also take care of yourselves as you
stay the course on advancing the right of all to be free of violence and abuse from
intimates, family, strangers, and the state.

Contents
List of illustrations xiv
Acknowledgements xv
Preface xvii
PART I
Overview, theoretical perspective and essential content 1
1 Violence prevention and victim/survivor care: an international
public health issue 3
Background and overview 4
Purpose and scope 6
Disciplinary and interdisciplinary issues 8
Unresolved issues in global perspective 9
Cross-cultural approach to education on violence issues 10
References 13
2 Theoretical framework and assumptions 15
LEE ANN HOFF AND MAGUEYE SECK
A psychosociocultural perspective 15

Definition of violence 17
Violence as a human rights violation 18
Violence in and beyond the family 19
Victims and survivors 20
Violence, values, and culture 20
Victim-blaming 22
Clients’ experience and empowerment as base 24
Incidence of abuse: facts/myths 24
Violence and learned behavior 25
Social theory and constructs of gender and race 25
Conflict analysis, gender roles and male liberation 26
Critique of feminist philosophies: relevance to violence
prevention 26
Social support in victim/survivor care 28
viii Contents
Understanding racial violence 28
Teamwork and preventive focus 30
Collaboration in building theory, public health policy, and responsive health services 30
References 32
3 CORE content: essential knowledge, attitudes, and skills 36
The concept of CORE content 37
Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention 37
Primary prevention 38
Secondary prevention 38
Tertiary prevention 39
General and specific functions of health professionals 39
Knowledge 41
Attitudes 42
Skills 44
Illustration of CORE content 45
References 46
PART II
Illustrations of violence issues across cultures: life stories and applications to
clinical practice 49
4 Intimate partner and gender-based violence 51
International perspective 52
The PAHO study – Central and South America 52
Key concepts and practice implications 53
Case example: wife abuse, child custody, the “Final Blow” (Israel) 55
Key concepts underpinning practice 55
Case example: marriage, abuse, and coping (China) 56
Key concepts underpinning practice 57

Commonalities and differences cross-culturally 58
The power of values and beliefs, and policy implications 59
Practice implications for early identification and prevention 60
Case example: opening the door (Australia) 61
References 62
5 Sexual assault and physical abuse during childhood and adolescence 64
Overview: child abuse from ancient to contemporary times 64
Case example: physical battering, neglect, and abuse – Bobby and his mother (Canada) 65
Case example: Amelia with disabilities (Australia) 66
Key concepts and practice implications 66
Complexities and prevention focus 67
Case example: violence and abuse in dating relationships – Jennifer
(Canada) 71
Contents ix
Key concepts and practice implications 72
Case example: neglect and violence in late adolescence – Kendall
(the Caribbean) 73
Sociocultural factors contributing to child neglect and abuse 74
Hope and growth potential vs. pathologizing wounded and alienated youth 74
The Circle of Courage 74
The ROPE program: Rite Of Passage Experience 76
References 77
6 Sexual assault of adults: intimate partner and war victims 78
Overview: sexual assault – worldwide prevalence 79
Rape as the spoils of war 80
Rape legacy from Rwanda genocide 81
War survivors: Women for Women International 82
Rape survivors in Portugal – a qualitative study 82
Participatory study method and collaborators 83
Rape and Portuguese culture 83
Legal definition and types of rape in Portugal 84
The consequences of rape: individual and socioeconomic 85
Myths about rape affecting Portuguese survivors 86
Reporting rape: the police, court, and health systems 87
Study conclusions and implications for service to survivors 90
Case example: a lesbian survivor of rape and childhood sexual abuse
(Canada) 90
Key issues and concepts 92
Values and diversity issues 93
Related violence and abuse issues 93
Clinical practice implications across cultures 93
Interdisciplinary, generalist, specialist, and student roles 94
The SANE program: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners 94
Preventing rape and sexual assault 95
References 96
7 Abuse and neglect of older adults 98
BONNIE JOYCE HALLISEY
Elder abuse: overview 99
Elder abuse, family situations, and violence 99
Caregiver issues 101
Self-neglect and coercive intervention 102
War as violence and abuse 103
Risk factors for elder abuse 104
Protective factors against elder abuse 107
Society’s services 108
Case example: a Haitian immigrant 109