Academic literature on the topic 'Victims of family violence – united states'

In recent months due to Covid-19 and lockdowns across the world, intimate partner violence has drawn increasing attention. In some countries, mandatory lockdowns and quarantines have been accompanied by rising rates of violence, sparking public awareness campaigns. However, intimate partner violence is a phenomenon which persists across time and cultures. This study focuses on the female Brazilian migrants who become victims of intimate partner violence and the role of social support networks, as previous research has indicated a need for research on specific communities. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 victims and professionals who work with these victims in Japan, the United States, Germany, and Portugal. The data provided examples of positive and negative social support from family and friends and suggested effective alternatives to informal social support and also how to give more effective assistance to family and friends who may be victims of intimate partner violence. The results show that Brazilian victims of intimate partner violence abroad often seek financial support from family members in Brazil; however, in the lack of such support, income from employment or government assistance may help a victim should she choose to leave an abusive relationship. In addition, the research suggests that professionals and friends can help victims by providing them with information about available social services and accompanying them to apply for these services.

WHO has conducted surveys from 2000 to 2018, revealing that out of 161 countries, at least one in three women in the world has experienced physical and/or sexual violence. Additionally, The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women states that an estimated 35% of women worldwide have experienced physical and sexual violence. The issues addressed in this research are the specific regulations on sexual violence criminal acts in Law Number 12 of 2022 concerning the Sexual Violence Crime Law and the legal protection policy for victims of sexual violence. This research adopts a normative juridical approach, utilizing a literature review as well as secondary data analysis with a statute approach. The research findings indicate that the specific regulations in Sexual Violence Crime Law can be classified based on their definitions, types, evidence arrangements, victim rights, and criminal sanctions. The victim rights encompass the right to assistance, restitution, and compensation, the right to temporary protection, the right not to appear at trial, and the rights related to handling, protection, recovery, and rights for the family of victims of sexual violence criminal. The new regulations and provisions in Sexual Violence Crime Law have introduced many new innovations, particularly in legal protection policies that are oriented towards the rights of victims. However, some aspects still need to be considered to ensure the effective implementation of these regulations. It is necessary to promptly establish further implementing regulations regarding granting victims' rights.

Law enforcement officers who witness or experience abuse in their family of origin are at higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol abuse. These trauma effects may, in turn, affect officers’ responses to domestic violence victims who call on them for help. The purpose of this study was to examine how these childhood traumas, PTSD, and alcohol abuse affect officers’ supportive responses to victims and perpetrators of officer-involved domestic violence (OIDV). We hypothesized that officers who witnessed or experienced family of origin violence would have higher levels of PTSD and abusive drinking than those without trauma. Furthermore, we hypothesized that officers with resolved trauma (i.e., no current PTSD or abusive drinking) would be more likely to support victims of OIDV than officers with unresolved trauma. Survey respondents were law enforcement officers ( n = 1661) in police and sheriff’s departments throughout the United States. Results partially supported the hypotheses regarding the separate and cumulative effects of witnessing family violence and experiencing child abuse. In addition, officers who endured these childhood traumas, but resolved these concerns reported a significantly greater average likelihood of helping an OIDV victim than those with unresolved trauma. Implications include the promotion of employee assistance programs and professional counselors to support officers with unresolved trauma, which may lead to improved responses to OIDV.

According to the United States department of justice, domestic violence is defined as “a pattern of abusive behaviours in any relationship that are used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner”. It involves a pattern of coercive behaviour in intimate relationships whereby the behaviour is controlled through humiliation, intimidation, fear, and often intentional physical, emotional or sexual injury. Domestic violence crosses all ethnic, socioeconomic and age groups, and is also prevalent in same sex relationships.Over six million children are severely assaulted by family members every year in the United States; a man beats a woman every twelve seconds; women who leave their batterer are at 75% greater risk of being killed by their batterer than those who stay; and one third of police time is spending on answering domestic violence calls.In domestic violence situations the intervention is frequently in crisis, where the victims “fight” for survival, and it is necessary to give proper answers according to the victim's needs. The professionals that work directly with domestic violence assume that there is a strong bond connecting the domestic violence with mental health. In the United States 90% of domestic violence survivors report extreme emotional distress; 47.5% report having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; 14.7% report anxiety; 20% depression. Mental illnesses are frequently observed in domestic violence survivors.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Violence is an extremely prevalent problem in the United States and throughout the world, and it is a major contributing factor to increased mortality and mortalityty. These facts are well documented in the recent Report on violence and Health published by the World Health Organization. This report, which is likely to become a landmark document in the public health community, defines violence broadly as: The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. This World Health Organization definition encompasses three types of violence: 1) suicide and selfharm, 2) collective violence, and 3) interpersonal violence.Interpersonal violence is defined asviolence inflicted by an individual or small group of individuals and includes youth violence, violence between intimate partners, other forms of family violence such as abuse of children and the elderly, rape and sexual assault by strangers, and violence in institutional settings such as schools, workplaces, nursing homes and prisons.

Family violence is a worldwide endemic since long even before the Coronavirus epidemic and the greatest human rights violation as per the United Nations. The vulnerability with worldwide pandemic has worsened the issue when States implemented lockdown policies caused a significant increase in domestic violence cases. The exceptional increase in domestic violence cases during Covid-19 mark an urgent call of action from the States. This study aims to examine the reasons for the increasing number of cases and the methods taken by the stakeholder in handling this issue through tracing and minimize the impact and thereafter to resolve the issue in South Asian and Fareast countries i.e. the Maldives, Pakistan and Malaysia. This paper adopts the qualitative research method in collecting data. The available data evidently specify an alarming flow in family violence cases during Covid-19. This study confirmed that the state interventions to deal with the social problem are inadequate. Growing unemployment and financial stress, increased anxiety and poor state resources have set a provoking family violence emergency. Furthermore, States faces serious challenges to tackle such issue due to lack of coordination among public departments and stakeholders. This study will recommend that strong policy initiatives are essential to address such issue when victims of violence are in quarantine.

In recent years, media attention has increasingly focused on sensationalized forms of mass murder across the United States, thereby diverting attention on the most frequent typology of mass murder events: family mass murders. The current study addresses limitations within this body of work and provides an analysis of demographic and case characteristics associated with distinct family mass murder offender types. The current study utilizes the USA Today database, Behind the Bloodshed, and public news articles to assess 163 family mass murder incidents that occurred from 2006 to 2017. Using this database, which defines mass murder as the killing of four or more victims excluding the offender, there were an average of 14 family mass murders annually, most often committed by a current or former intimate male partner using a firearm as the weapon of choice. Additional case characteristics were examined and revealed significant differences based on the gender of the offender as well as by victim-offender relationship type. Recommendations for future research include examining the impact of gun violence prevention responses in domestic violence cases and providing a comparative study of two and three victim counts to better inform law, policy, and the public about what is often hidden away as a private family matter.

In the case of sexual infringement against a minor, even if the victim muster up the courage to face the memory of past sexual violence and try to heal the wounds through legal remedies after becoming an adult, the civil statute of limitations has expired since the sexual infringement occurred long time ago. There is a problem of not being able to file a lawsuit due to the statute of limitation. In particular, in the case of sexual infringement against minors, in many cases, the perpetrator is a family member, teacher, religious person, etc. The victim, a minor, is economically and emotionally dependent on the perpetrator, so they do not easily think of filing civil lawsuits even as adults. Fortunately, South Korea established Article 766, Paragraph 3 of the Civil Act in 2020, and legislative improvements have been made so that the statute of limitations does not proceed until a minor becomes an adult in the case of sexual infringement. However, despite these good intentions, there are still limits to the relief, so this article will examine the US system. First of all, in the United States, state and federal laws operate different statute of limitations, and since the 1980s, the discovery rule has been applied so that victims can file lawsuits even after a considerable amount of time has elapsed after they become adults. For example, if the victim of a sexual assault is a minor and the victim has not yet discovered the injury after reaching adulthood, from the time he or she discovers the injury and the causal relationship between the injury and the sexual assault Legislative examples such as the requirement to file a claim for damages within four years reflect the discovery principle. However, despite these laws, there are many cases where the requirements are not met, and the relief of victims has not been smoothly carried out. Thus, California and New York State further extended the statute of limitations, and furthermore, through window legislation, even if the statute of limitations had expired, a period of one or two years was allowed to file a civil lawsuit. This legislation provides an opportunity to sue the victims of Jeffrey Epstein's decades of sexual exploitation of minors. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the Windows Act is not unconstitutional. While retroactive legislation is “an identifiable injustice”, civil actions based on sexual abuse of minors are rather reasonable in light of the injustice done to the victims. Under these retroactive legislation, some religious organizations are actively raising their own funds for the relief of victims, and are paying settlements on the condition that they do not file a lawsuit against the religious organizations. The basis for such retroactive legislation is that if society has previously borne the cost of damages incurred to the victim, the perpetrator must bear the cost.

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted practically every aspect of life worldwide, particularly Asia. Governments from various States work hard to prevent and mitigate the spread by instituting multiple social distancing and lockdown measures. While those measures have been effective in containing the spread, there are other negative consequences, including the risks associated with domestic violence in the family home, whether physical, psychological, verbal, sexual, or economic violence. Subsequently, there has been a significant increase in online searches for help from intimate partner violence, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Moreover, the UN Women also reported that essential services, such as shelters and helplines, have exceeded their capacity. Using a normative legal research methodology that sources are obtained from secondary data, the finding shows that thousands of women living in several Asian States experienced more abuse in domestic violence and had less resilience during the pandemic. Whether national or international, the existing regulations are insufficient to prevent violence and protect victims. Thus, remote services in various sectors, including social, health, and justice, must be further developed and institutionalized by the States to overcome such issues.

For more than half a century, Australian states and territories have criminalised the distinct offence of inciting another person to commit suicide. The maximum penalties for these offences vary and require the accused to have intended that the victim would commit suicide. In contrast, the offence of involuntary manslaughter does not require such an intention. Instead, a charge of manslaughter requires that the accused acted in a conscious and voluntary way that caused the victim’s death, and that their conduct was either criminally negligent or unlawful and dangerous. Drawing on cases from the United States and United Kingdom, this article suggests that in appropriate circumstances in Australia, especially in the context of family violence, offenders should be held criminally liable for manslaughter if they cause another person to commit suicide.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Air Force Family Advocacy Program and examine the effects that situational dynamics have on recidivism. Although, the high volume of program participants and low recidivism rate demonstrated that the Family Advocacy Program is a valuable resource for treating families referred for spousal domestic violence.

A quantitative study that examines American Muslim women's level of exposure to domestic violence, resources available to them, and the effect of domestic violence on their psychological well-being. Data was collected from 128 Muslim women from the Islamic Center of Riverside in Southern California. The key finding of the study was a significant positive relationship between depression and the use of verbal aggression. In addition, a positive relationship was found to exist between anxiety, depression and the use of violence.

This study examined the distinct effects of partner violence and psychological abuse on women's mental health over time. Latent growth modeling was used to examine stability and change over time, evaluating the course and consequences of each form of abuse. The size of women's social support network was examined as a mediator. The sample consisted of 835 African American, Euro-American, and Mexican American low-income women. Participants who completed Waves 1, 2, 3, and 5 were included in the study (n = 585). In general, partner violence decreased over time for all groups, while psychological abuse decreased over time for only Euro-American women. Whereas initial and prolonged exposure to psychological abuse was related to and directly impacted women's mental health, partner violence was only related to initial levels of mental health. Surprisingly, social support was only related to initial violence and distress and had no impact on the rate of change over time. These results have important implications for researchers and health care professionals. First, differences in the pattern of results were found for each ethnic group, reaffirming the notion that counselors and researchers must be sensitive to multicultural concerns in both assessment and intervention. For example, psychological abuse had a greater impact on the mental health of African American and Mexican American women than it did for Euro-American women, suggesting a shift in focus depending on the ethnicity of the client may be warranted. Second, this longitudinal study highlights the importance of future research to considerer individual differences in treating and studying victimized women. Understanding factors that contribute to individual trajectories will help counselors gain insight into the problem and in devising plans to prevent or reduce the occurrence and negative health impact of partner abuse.

The public focus on domestic violence has been one of the most successful campaigns of the modern women's movement. This success was achieved in part through the creation of strategic alliances among agencies and organizations responding to partner violence. One of the most contested of these alliances involved partnering with the criminal justice system. While representing an advance in holding police accountable in protecting all citizens (Coker, 2006), this alliance has had problematic consequences, particularly as it has extended state power into the lives of women of color (e.g. Richie, 2005). This problem is exacerbated by new collaborations between law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Federal mandates like the Secure Communities program bring together local law enforcement and ICE throughout the United States, to increase deportation rates (Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2009). As a result, many recommendations by domestic violence advocates to survivors now potentially include the presence of ICE in that referral. This dissertation explores how domestic violence advocates within the tri-county area of Portland, Oregon are responding to law enforcement-ICE partnerships. Advocates remain understudied in the domestic violence literature, in spite of the complexity of their roles. This dissertation fills this research gap in examining the processes advocates employ in responding to dilemmas faced by marginalized survivors. A total of twenty-five advocates from three separate agencies participated in the study, which centered on focus groups carried out in the agency settings. The dissertation pursues three research questions: 1) How do advocates work through a key dilemma that has emerged in their practice? 2) What are the discursive strategies enlisted by advocates in addressing a dilemma at the border of domestic violence and immigration politics? 3) What is the relationship between each group's proximity to working with undocumented survivors and their decision-making process? A case study methodology was used to evaluate proximity to work with undocumented survivors and the organizations' general orientation to domestic violence work. Transcripts of the focus groups were analyzed using a discursive method centered on identifying how the groups worked through a set of dilemmas presented in the focus groups, which involved a crisis call scenario involving an undocumented woman and an agency practice common to many domestic violence service providers. In the analysis of discursive strategies of the groups, a key finding centered on the groups' use of a decision-tree heuristic to work through dilemmas of practice presented in the two scenarios. This discursive strategy facilitated the process of group decision-making at points where the actions required were clear and concrete. However, as more complexity, ambiguity or ambivalence were introduced, the limitations of the decision-tree strategy become more apparent. Findings related to the agency's proximity to undocumented workers suggest that this affinity was less important than was the agency's working relationship to the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Closeness to the CJS was associated with reliance on a discourse that places the police at the center of services for all survivors of domestic violence, regardless of documentation status, and a heightened focus on the risk of lethality to rationalize the risks associated with referrals involving law enforcement-ICE collaborations.

Studies on spouse abuse have typically focused on the frequency of the violence, the individual characteristics of abusers and victims, and the sociocultural aspects of the problem. Many of the current findings remain isolated. A comprehensive model explaining the causes of spouse abuse is lacking. The present study tested the premise that spouse abuse is a multidimensional problem, resulting from several factors in combination with one another.Two hundred nineteen students, faculty, and staff from a midsized university were surveyed regarding: (a) family of origin relational patterns: (b) childhood exposure to violence; (c) current anger expression; (d) attributions for abuse; and (e) current relationship violence. Based upon the existing theoretical literature, the variables formed a conceptual model describing relationship conflict behaviors. It was hypothesized that: (1) family of origin relational patterns and childhood exposure to violence would predict current anger expression and attributions for abuse: (2) current anger expression and attributions for abuse would predict current relationship conflict behaviors; (3) the relationships in (1) and (2) would be stronger than other possible relationships.Analyses were completed in two stages. First, the latent variables in the conceptual model were described through factor analysis of the measured variables. Composites representing measured factors containing the latent variables were placed into the hypothesized model. Second, canonical analysis evaluated the significance of the hypothesized and alternate relationships between factors.The hypothesized model was confirmed with some revision. The results indicated that violent behavior between men and women was most directly linked to current anger expression. Attributions about spouse abuse were not found to be related to current relationship violence. Anger expression appeared to be influenced by the family of origin relational patterns, childhood exposure to non-spousal violence, and a history of committing violence against adults during adolescence. Abuse between parents was not directly related to anger expression or relationship conflict. Abuse between parents was only influential when combined with an exposure to non-spousal violence during childhood. A revised model, which included a new factor called sociopathic features, was developed. It was concluded that relationship violence is best explained by a combination of these psychosocial factors. Implications for practice with spouse abuse are also presented. Given that anger expression appears to be the major factor, the most appropriate treatment may be that which focuses on anger expression and control. Future research is needed to evaluate this revised model of spouse abuse, and to identify potential ways of intervening in this developmental process.
Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Nigerian immigrants have been largely excluded from studies on issues relating to immigrants living in American society. This study examines the perception of domestic violence among Nigerians and their help seeking counseling for behavior problems.

Abused women are frequent users of health care services. Yet, battered women often do not identify the health care delivery system as a resource. The present study surveyed 155 female associate and baccalaureate degree nursing students from three mid-Atlantic universities in order to examine how selected personal and relationship variables affected their attitudes toward battered women. It was hypothesized that those students who had an early exposure to family violence combined with high levels of egalitarianism and perceived control over life events would be more sympathetic toward battered women than those who did not. Instruments used to measure the chosen variables included the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale, the Conflict Tactics Scale, the Family Violence Scale, the Perceived Control Scale, and the Inventory of Beliefs about Wife-Beating. Data were collected via anonymous self-report questionnaires and analyzed through the use of correlation and hierarchical regression procedures. Nursing students with more egalitarian sex role beliefs and perception of control over their life events were more sympathetic to battered wives than those students with more traditional sex role attitudes and less perceived control over their life. Sex role egalitarianism was found to be the best predictor of attitudes toward victims of domestic violence. Contrary to expectations, there appeared to be little relationship between the level of violence experienced by students in their families of origin or in their current relationships and sympathy for battered wives. Findings from this study will add to the current nursing knowledge base regarding attitudes of one group of health care professionals toward victims of domestic violence by exploring those attitudes and by identifying which of the chosen variables was most predictive of those attitudes. Implications for nursing education include an examination of the impact of gender issues on personal and professional behavior as well as the importance of empowering nursing students through the use of a competency based practice model.
Ed. D.

This study explores the manner in which leaders working in the domestic violence field in the US have or have not adopted a human rights framework and what impact this has had on domestic violence policy and intervention. Participants included leaders from national domestic violence and human rights organizations. These organizations are instrumental in developing policy and in framing the issues of domestic violence and human rights, many of which also work with specific racial and ethnic populations. Some of the primary research questions included: If the human rights discourse is being put to practical use within the US, how does it meet the needs of women of color, immigrants, and other women who have been marginalized? Does bringing the issue of domestic violence into a human rights framework reinscribe hegemonic feminism in ways that are either ineffectual or oppressive and colonizing to women of color, immigrants and/or women in marginalized groups in the US and if so, in what ways? Additional research objectives include assessing whether there is active resistance to adopting a human rights framework and benefits and challenges to using the framework. This research uses the critique and experiences of women of color as a focal point. Through the use of critical ethnography and autoethnography, this study examines the manner in which the power to frame and define social problems unfolds. Findings suggest a limited dialogue to date between national domestic violence and human rights organizations with a range of thoughts regarding potential benefits and barriers to reframing domestic violence as a human rights violation. Barriers include lack of resonance/U.S. exceptionalism, power of the State to direct funding and focus, and reluctance to shift status quo based in part in white privilege. Benefits of cross-organizational dialogue include expanding focus, building coalitions, and engaging diverse communities in addressing domestic violence issues. Intersectional issues related to gender, race/ethnicity, immigration, and sovereignty are also explored. This research suggests that social workers need to continue to critically assess the application of human rights to social justice issues and the role that privilege plays in social movements and social policy formation.

AbstractAccording to the United Nations (UN), at least 258 million people are moving across countries around the globe, consciously or unconsciously, in search of a safe and dignified life (IOM 2019; UN 2017). The international attempt to regulate these movements through the so-called Compacts seems unlikely to provide effective solutions. Often criticised as being non-binding instruments but with great potential in shaping states’ future behaviour (Türk 2018), the Compacts are not explicit in including SOGI minorities in the measures to be adopted through international cooperation for improving the management of migration and refugee flows, while respecting their human rights. It is noticeable that objective no. 7 (‘Address and reduce vulnerabilities in migration’) of the Global Compact related to migration refers to ‘victims of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence (…) [and] persons who are discriminated against on any basis’ as examples of vulnerable groups and, more generally, advances the development of gender-responsive migration policies (Atak et al. 2018). Equally, the Global Compact on Refugees pays attention in all fields to ‘sexual and gender-based violence’, while calling upon states to strengthen international efforts to prevent and combat it (paras. 5, 13, 51, 57, 59, 72 and 75). Yet, although this wording may be inclusive of SOGI, the Compacts avoided any specific reference or commitment in relation either to migrants who identify themselves as LGBTIQ+ or to SOGI claimants, perhaps owing to the need for the widest possible consensus among UN member states to secure the Compacts’ adoption. This represents a missed opportunity to raise awareness of SOGI asylum claimants’ needs at the universal level and speed up multilateral solutions to the movements across countries of people fleeing homophobia and transphobia.

AbstractThe authors describe the plight of sex workers, a particularly disadvantaged community that is highly marginalized and vulnerable. Sex workers were hard hit by the pandemic. The authors examine the impact of COVID-19 on sex workers’ lives and livelihoods, their response to the crisis, and the strategies that they employed to battle the pandemic.During the lockdown, female sex workers lost their livelihoods which plunged them and their families into extreme poverty. Even when unlock measures were announced, the business of sex work did not return to normal. Sex work, by its very nature, demands physical proximity—not physical distancing. Consequently, sex workers had to innovate to find work to survive. Loss of livelihoods also brought forth hidden mental health problems. Gripped by anxiety and depression due to the uncertainty about when the pandemic would end, sex workers went into despair. Some even attempted suicide. Violence in the family increased significantly. For sex workers living with HIV, there was the added anxiety about the continuation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Community-based organizations (CBOs) took on the responsibility of providing drugs to sex workers by developing a unique supply chain. The CBO members collected the drugs from the health centers and deliver them to sex workers at a mutually convenient place, thereby ensuring confidentiality.The authors draw attention to sex workers who are invisible in most discourses. This vulnerable, marginalized community was seriously affected by the pandemic. Sex workers were victims but were also the first responders to the pandemic. Sex worker collectives formed to fight HIV, were by their very nature, well-equipped to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The government’s announcement to provide rations to the poor was a welcome move, but it was not of much help to sex workers as they did not possess ration cards. The sex worker collectives valiantly fought this battle and won. The Supreme Court of India directed the states to provide sex workers with dry rations without insisting on any proof.The stories of the lives and resilience of sex workers, narrated in this chapter, are inspiring. The authors discuss the plight of female sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The community of sex workers was missing from all government policies and welfare schemes. The sudden lockdown robbed them of their livelihoods. Basic necessities like food and shelter became elusive. The authors relate the stories of the struggles of sex workers from different parts of the country.They discuss how despite uncertainty, stigma, and loss of livelihoods, sex workers emerged strong. The resilient spirit of sex workers should be celebrated. The stories of sex workers have a common thread of resilience, resourcefulness, grit, and determination in the face of unsurmountable challenges.

Abstract Physical violence between partners in the context of an intimate relationship (referred to in this chapter as partner violence) is a prevalent problem in the United States (Schafer, Caetano, & Clark, 1998; Straus & Gelles, 1990; Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998). Although women may be the most obvious victims of such violence, it has become increasingly clear that the impact of partner violence extends to children as well. In fact, children of battered women (women who have experienced frequent and severe partner violence) appear to be at considerable risk for a wide range of adjustment difficulties (Jouriles, Norwood, McDonald, & Peters, 2001; Margolin, 1998; Wolfe & Korsch, 1994). Given the large number of children in the United States projected to be exposed to partner violence, there is a growing concern about the effects of such violence on children (Holden, Geffner, & Jouriles, 1998). In this chapter, we discuss several key aspects of the empirical literature on partner violence and children. We first review some of the epidemiological findings on partner violence and children, including estimates of the number of children in the United States exposed to partner violence. We then review findings suggesting that children’s exposure to partner violence is associated with short- and long-term adjustment difficulties. The focus of our chapter, however, is on gaps in our knowledge pertaining to children’s exposure to partner violence. These include the disconnect between studies on the prevalence of partner violence and those on the link between partner violence and child problems, the lack of knowledge on processes linking partner violence with child problems, and the dearth of research on interventions for children in families characterized by partner violence.

Victims of gender-based violence (GBV) who are non-citizens of the United States face unique challenges when seeking support from family and service providers. These challenges may be due to their sociolegal status in relation to their abusers and concerns regarding family ostracism and fear of deportation. In this chapter, the authors provided a detailed overview of pathways to obtain lawful residency in the United States and how they intersect with disadvantages when seeking services and legal support. The discussion also addresses victimisation experiences by non-citizens in rural areas and the challenges and barriers when considering rurality. Legal policy has been discussed to propose a better immigration relief process to support immigrants who experience GBV in the United States.

Understanding why people commit mass shootings in the United States is perplexing and discerning perpetrators' motivations is difficult because there have been a fairly limited number of shootings. In addition, there is incomplete research on mitigating historical evidence about the perpetrators. Thus, this chapter takes a broader approach to understanding why these shootings may have happened by reviewing the empirical literature to identify possible correlations from childhood and adolescent trauma experiences (and subsequent mental health problems) to later adult violence. This review supports a hypothesis that these experiences are potential links to explaining mass shooting outcomes. The trauma experiences that are identified to be most impactful include maltreatment, poverty, witnessing violence, domestic violence, deaths (violent and non-violent) of family and friends, and adolescent bullying.

As gang activity in the United States continues to steadily increase, adolescents and young adults living in low-income neighborhoods are at disproportionate risk for violence offending and victimization. As research on youth violence has generally focused on males, scholars know much less about the females in these contexts who are particularly vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization given their connection with delinquent gang-involved young men. For these adolescent females, their victimization experiences are established and reinforced by the street-oriented gang environment to which they have been exposed. Further, scholars know very little about the nature, extent, and patterns of these young victims’ help-seeking behaviors. Research indicates that for Latinas, rates of disclosing victimization and underutilization of services are affected by cultural factors including gender roles, belief in preserving the family unit, shame, and patriarchal structures. Nevertheless, the extent of what scholars know about Latina victims remains limited. Using data from a fifteen-year longitudinal study of Mexican American women who were affiliated with male gang members as adolescents, the authors highlight young Latina women’s help-seeking response (social, legal, and health services) to their victimization experiences.

In the paper, the author points to the constant increase in domestic violence. This phenomenon has been particularly intense in the last few decades and represents a very significant problem. First of all, women and children are exposed to this violence, but for almost two decades, men have also suffered from domestic violence. We meet this phenomenon in the Republic of Serbia, as well as in other countries of the world. This problem is particularly expressed in the United States of America. The Republic of Serbia is trying to solve this problem by passing appropriate laws and adopting the National Strategy for the Prevention and Suppression of Violence. That is why domestic violence has become the subject of wider social discussion and scientific research. It was also characterized as a criminal offense by the adoption of the Criminal Code and the Family Law from 2005. Our society's answer is unambiguously, because the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia from 2006 guarantees every person equal legal protection without discrimination. This one, the highest general legal act, guarantees to every citizen of our country, the dignity and free development of personality, the inviolability of mental and physical integrity. That is why, in our country, there are numerous authorities responsible for preventing domestic violence and providing protection and support services to victims. Numerous legal and natural persons and associations, as well as non-governmental organizations, have a significant role in the provision of these services. Special attention is dedicated to the protection of minors and the realization of their rights, safety and security. Finally, a large increase violence against men is evident in the last decade. In order to protect, support and provide services to victims of violence, regardless of gender and age, there is an increasing number of safe houses, as shelters for vulnerable persons.

Violence is an evil that surrounds today's society because Humana beings are violent by naturally due to their Needle to protection and defend themselves. Violence in the EDUCATION field is understood as the intentional harmful action or omission carried out between members of the EDUCATION community (students, teachers, parents, administrative staff, others EDUCATION actors) and which takes place in the physical premises of the Educational Unit (school infrastructures), or in other spaces directly related to the school (around the Educational Unit or places where extracurricular activities are carried out). It is a phenomenon that must be jointly assumed by EDUCATION authorities, teachers, parents, and students themselves who have the right to exercise their voice _ _ establish preventive rather than corrections actions. From an early age, children learn that violence is a brave way to resolve various personal conflicts, especially if they have suffered in the home, either as victims of bullying or as witnesses. Violence is gradually becoming the usual way of expressing different emotional states, such as anger, frustration or fear, a situation that is not limited exclusively to the family, but will invariably drink have reflected in the interaction of each family member with society. The teacher in the EDUCATION field shows the opportunity to identify and even preventively risky situations for students, being able to relationship to the child and his family, thus favoring prevention in the EDUCATION community. The family is very important for the prevention of violence in the EDUCATION system because they become role models for their children.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.

Introduction: The United States is responsible for the highest rate of incarceration globally. The impacts of incarceration extend beyond those incarcerated and can result in adverse outcomes for chosen romantic or life partners and the family unit. This study aimed to explore the impact of partner incarceration on maternal substance use and whether the relationship between partner incarceration and maternal substance use is mediated by financial support, emergency social support, or neighborhood cohesion. Methods: Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal cohort following new parents and children, this analysis quantifies the relationship between paternal incarceration and maternal substance use (N=2246). Responses from mothers at years 3 (2001-2003), 5 (2003-2006), 9 (2007-2010), and 15 (2014-2017) were assessed, restricted to mothers who responded across waves. The exposure, partner incarceration, was operationalized as mothers reporting their current partner or child’s father to be ever incarcerated at year 3. The outcome, substance use in the past year (yes vs. no), was assessed at each time point. Respondents were asked whether they used marijuana, sedatives, tranquilizers, amphetamines, prescription painkillers, inhalants, cocaine, hallucinogens, or heroin. Three mediators were investigated at years 5 and 9: neighborhood cohesion, financial support, and emergency social support. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to construct support-related mediators. Counting on someone to loan $200, providing a temporary place to stay, and providing emergency childcare were hypothesized to load onto one factor (emergency social support) and counting on someone to loan $1000, co-sign a bank loan for $1000 and co-sign a bank loan for $5000 were hypothesized to load onto a separate factor (financial support). Items were weighted by factor loadings and responses were summed to create a scale for financial support and emergency social support, with a higher score denoting greater degree of support. Impact of partner incarceration and maternal substance use was modeled using multilevel modeling to account for repeated measures, adjusting for appropriate confounders (age of mother at child’s birth, race, education, employment, and history of intimate partner violence). Results: Nearly half (42.7%, N=958) of participants reported partner incarceration. Among mothers who described partner incarceration, the odds of reporting substance use are 96% (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 1.96; 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.56-2.46) greater in comparison to those who reported no partner incarceration. Financial support at year 5 mediated 17% of the relationship between partner incarceration at year 3 and substance use at year 9 (p-value = 0.006); financial support at year 9 was not a significant mediator of the relationship between partner incarceration at year 3 and substance use at year 15. Neither emergency social support nor neighborhood cohesion were significant mediators at either year 5 or year 9. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that partner incarceration impacts maternal substance use. Financial support acts as a partial mediator in the short term, which has important implications for families disrupted by mass incarceration.