Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy can have a multitude of effects on both mother and child. Specifically, physical abuse instills a heavy emotional, psychological, and spiritual toll on the mother. There is not enough research dedicated to exploring physical abuse in pregnant women in the Appalachian area. The purpose of this project is to investigate the relationship between physical abuse and two aspects of religiosity: forgiveness and values. Our hypothesis for this sample is that pregnant women who experience physical abuse will score differently on measures of forgiveness and values than those who have not experienced physical abuse. A survey, which contained the Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with Harm and Screamed (HITS) Domestic Violence Screening tool, and the Brief Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS) was administered to a sample of 444 women in their third trimester of pregnancy. An independent samples t-test was conducted to assess differences in measures of religious values and forgiveness between women who did and did not experience physical abuse. Results showed no significant difference in values (t(435) = 1.624, n.s.) or forgiveness (t(439) = 0.381, n.s.) across the two groups of women. Limitations for this project include the lack of generalizability due to the specificity of the sample. The Appalachian pregnant women who participated in this study may not necessarily reflect the average Appalachian woman, due to recruitment methods. Another limitation in this study is that the measures were self-report, and given the delicacy of the topic (physical abuse) participants may not have been willing to report accurately. The results suggest that religious values and forgiveness do not differ between Appalachian pregnant women who have and have not experienced physical abuse. However, other areas of religiosity should be investigated to determine whether differences are present. Keywords: physical abuse, religion, pregnant

Data from a prospective, longitudinal study of a birth cohort of over 1000 New Zealanders was used to examine the relationships between the level of childhood physical abuse a young person is exposed to during childhood (birth to 16 years), and a range of later parenting outcomes in young adulthood. To address this issue, three questions were considered. First, the study examined risk factors that contribute to an early transition to parenthood. Second, this study investigated the current family circumstances of contemporary young parents and their families. And finally, the association between childhood physical abuse and later parenting outcomes was examined. All members of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) who had become parents by age 25 (112 women and 55 men) were included in the study. To be eligible for inclusion cohort members had to be either biological parents or actively involved in the parenting of non-biological children on a regular basis. Exposure to childhood physical abuse (CPA) was measured at ages 18 and 21 based on cohort member's retrospective reports. At age 25, a parenting interview was conducted which included the following measures of parenting: the Conflict-Tactics Scale (CTS-PC; Straus, Hamby, Finkelhor, Moore, & Runyan, 1998), Dunn scales of positivity and negativity (Dunn, Deater-Deckard, Pickering, & Golding, 1999), the Parenting Practices Questionnaire (PPQ; Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen, & Hart, 1995), HOME ratings of responsivity and avoidance of punishment (Caldwell & Bradley, 1979), and interviewer ratings of parental warmth, sensitivity, and child management (Quinton, Rutter, & Liddle, 1984). Findings showed that parents who experienced higher levels of punishment whilst growing up were more negative and less positive towards their own children, were more accepting of the use of physical discipline, and scored lower on warmth, sensitivity and child management compared to those with lower levels of exposure to childhood physical abuse. These findings contribute to our understanding of the effects of childhood physical abuse on later parenting outcomes.

Data from a prospective, longitudinal study of a birth cohort of over 1000 New Zealanders was used to examine the relationships between the level of childhood physical abuse a young person is exposed to during childhood (birth to 16 years), and a range of later parenting outcomes in young adulthood. To address this issue, three questions were considered. First, the study examined risk factors that contribute to an early transition to parenthood. Second, this study investigated the current family circumstances of contemporary young parents and their families. And finally, the association between childhood physical abuse and later parenting outcomes was examined. All members of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) who had become parents by age 25 (112 women and 55 men) were included in the study. To be eligible for inclusion cohort members had to be either biological parents or actively involved in the parenting of non-biological children on a regular basis. Exposure to childhood physical abuse (CPA) was measured at ages 18 and 21 based on cohort member's retrospective reports. At age 25, a parenting interview was conducted which included the following measures of parenting: the Conflict-Tactics Scale (CTS-PC; Straus, Hamby, Finkelhor, Moore, & Runyan, 1998), Dunn scales of positivity and negativity (Dunn, Deater-Deckard, Pickering, & Golding, 1999), the Parenting Practices Questionnaire (PPQ; Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen, & Hart, 1995), HOME ratings of responsivity and avoidance of punishment (Caldwell & Bradley, 1979), and interviewer ratings of parental warmth, sensitivity, and child management (Quinton, Rutter, & Liddle, 1984). Findings showed that parents who experienced higher levels of punishment whilst growing up were more negative and less positive towards their own children, were more accepting of the use of physical discipline, and scored lower on warmth, sensitivity and child management compared to those with lower levels of exposure to childhood physical abuse. These findings contribute to our understanding of the effects of childhood physical abuse on later parenting outcomes.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Zululand, 1992. / The aim of this study was : to describe the life-world of the abused child from a psychopedagogical perspective; and to determine, in the light of the findings obtained, certain guidelines according to which accountable support could be instituted in order to meet the needs of the abused child. The study initially outlines current thinking and research on child abuse, first identified as a clinical phenomenon in the 1960's. The early definition of child abuse included only physical abuse, known as "baby battering", but the definition has been broadened to include neglect, emotional abuse, failure-to-thrive, sexual abuse and cultural abuse. Furthermore, the characteristics of abusing parents and those factors that appear to pre-dispose a child to become the object of abuse are discussed. From a psychopedagogical perspective the abused child finds himself in a situation of dysfunctional education mainly because he goes through the difficult road to adulthood without the assistance and guidance of a responsible parent or adult. This results in the psychic life of the abused child being under-actualised. The lack of responsible adult intervention and guidance, which is based on the pedagogical principles of understanding, trust and authority, results in the abused child forming relationships within his life-world which are inadequate for his emancipation. The abused child thus fails to constitute a meaningful life-world. It would seem that poverty together with cultural sanctions which condone violence, stressful living conditions such as overcrowding, insufficient personal, financial and social resources, discrimination and deprivation, all interact with each other to produce fertile ground not only for abuse, but all forms of deviance. It was found that mothers were mainly responsible for abuse, particularly emotional abuse, neglect and abandonment This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that they are in the main responsible for the care of the children. The literature has shown that abusing parents have been abused themselves as children and know no other way of disaplining their children. They have not learned how to "parent". There are factors that pre-dispose the child to abuse ; prematurity, retardation, physical handicaps and the fact that the child is perceived by the parents as being "different". The review of the literature has emphasised the importance of the multi-disciplinary team in the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The role of a specialised unit in treating and preventing child abuse is recommended by some authors. Case conferences are described as a useful means of discussing cases intensively and reporting back to a committee or specialised unit. Education for family life, the outlawing of family violence, involving lay people in running community programmes, the development of better services in the community are all discussed as ways of preventing child abuse. In the light of the findings of this research, the following was recommended : * school social workers should be trained and placed at schools to assist and identify pedagogically neglected children; * that there should be a staff training programme for teachers with regard to the identification, intervention and counselling of abuse cases; * educational programmes directed at school children, parents, parents-to-be and professionals, are essential for the prevention of child abuse.

The rapid advancement of computer and telecommunications technology has made working in the home a practicality. Dubbed ?telecommuting,? this manner of work describes a circumstance where the employee, through the use of some form of telecommunications device (most often a computer with some form of modem), works at a location other than a centralized office (Hill, Hawkings & Miller, 1996). In many cases, the location of work is the home. Current estimates place the number of telecommuters in the United States at 19.6 million and growing (Swoboda & Grimsley, 2000). However, while emphasis has been placed on the positive consequences of telework, thus far little attention has been given to the latent negative consequences of telecommuting. The focus of this work is to develop a theoretical paradigm that explains how telecommuting may potentially contribute to abuse in home. The types of abuse targeted by the theoretical paradigm are: child, spouse, and elder abuse. In particular this model helps identify those telecommuters who are at greatest risk for the perpetration of abuse. This model is informed by a stress paradigm of abuse and identifies five variables that are considered to be crucial in affecting violent outcomes among telecommuters: 1.) socioeconomic status / occupational status; 2.) gender; 3.) crowding; 4.) social isolation; and, 5.) boundary control. How these variables interact within the telecommuting paradigm is described. Ultimately this work serves as a platform from which future empirical research may be conducted. / Master of Science

This descriptive study explored whether women in substance abuse treatment who report a history of sexual and/or physical abuse have different drug use profiles than women who do not report such abuse. The data originated from a NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) study designed to evaluate the effects of different treatment modalities in inpatient substance abuse treatment for women. The study compared the drug profiles of women in four areas: drug of choice, frequency of use, problem severity, and level of psychological problems. The following groups were compared: 1) women who did not report abuse, 2) women who reported physical abuse only, 3) women who reported sexual abuse only, and 4) women who reported physical and sexual abuse. The study did not find significant differences in either drug choice, problem severity, or frequency of drug use. In the area of psychological problems, the study did find a significant difference in interpersonal sensitivity between participants who reported a sexual abuse history vs. the other abuse groups. This finding suggests that women with a sexual abuse history are more mistrustful in their relationships with others, and this may suggest that group treatment will be more difficult for sexually abused women than individual treatment. Overall, the findings may also suggest abused women do not need different drug or alcohol treatment approaches than non-abused women although it does not preclude attention to the effects of their abuse. / Master of Science

Research has found that dating violence is a predictor of marital violence; however, research has been unclear about what predicts dating violence. Past research has been inconclusive. Furthermore, very few studies focus on gender differences in risk factors. This study examines a variety of risk factors for male and female perpetrators of dating violence in college dating relationships. Eight risk factors were used in this study: witnessing parental violence, experiencing childhood violence, problems with alcohol, length of relationship, relationship satisfaction, anger management skills, partner’s use of physical aggression, and partner’s use of psychological aggression. Correlations and multiple regressions were run for each gender. The study found that for males, partner’s use of physical aggression, low anger management skills and high relationship satisfaction were the strongest variables associated with male’ s use of physical aggression against a dating partner. For the females, partner’s use of physical aggression, followed by partner’s use of psychological aggression were the most significant variables. The model in this study was a good predictor of male violence, accounting for 81% of the variance, however, it only accounted for 51% of female violence which indicates that other unknown factors are influential in female’s use of physical violence. / Master of Science

Domestic violence continues to destroy individuals and families, leaving generations to follow repeating the same patterns. There are several services offered to help aid in the healing and recovery process. This was a qualitative, explorative study which examined the reasons that male perpetrators commit domestic violence in heterosexual relationships. Additionally, this study evaluated the support services and coping mechanisms that the men found to be helpful and not so helpful. Five men participated in face-to-face interviews to share their personal experience with domestic violence. Most of the men believed that their domestic violence was linked to learned behavior they witnessed in their family of origin. All the men interviewed stated that most of their recovery came from their faith, and they added that counseling, praying, the support of other men, mentors, pastors, and encouragement received, all contributed to their healing. Implications for future social work research, practice, policy, and programming are discussed.

Dating violence (DV) is a common experience among college-age Canadians, affecting between one quarter and one third of both men and women. A significant predictor of DV perpetration and victimization is childhood physical abuse (CPA). While there is evidence of an intergenerational transmission of violence from CPA to both victimization and perpetration of DV in young adulthood, there remain gaps in our understanding of what factors influence these relationships throughout an individual’s development. Using survey data collected from a convenience sample of 660 University of Manitoba students, this study analyzed the strength of a model of violence development from CPA to DV including the mediating effects of personality symptoms and attachment security. The current study suggested partial support for theoretical frameworks that have been applied to the understanding of the relationship between CPA and DV, namely social learning theory, the criminological framework, and attachment based theories. CPA was correlated with DV perpetration and victimization. However, in multivariate analyses, witnessing interparental violence, rather than experiencing CPA, was a direct predictor of DV perpetration and victimization. CPA predicted DV indirectly through witnessing interparental violence. More severe dating violence items were significantly predicted by other variables in the model. Antisocial personality symptoms increased odds of severe DV perpetration and victimization while borderline personality symptoms increased odds of severe DV victimization. Attachment insecurity had the strongest impact on dating violence perpetration in the female subsample. These findings, suggesting a number of distinct pathways in the intergenerational transmission of violence, should be further tested in larger and more diverse samples. It would be beneficial to include additional risk and protective variables in future research in order to understand what impacts each distinct pathway to dating violence, under what circumstances, as well as the influence of these variables at different points in individuals’ development. This research is valuable for understanding the impact of childhood abuse on young adult attachment, personality, and dating violence. Further, it is hoped that this research will be helpful for establishing appropriate and comprehensive DV interventions which take into account mediating influences from the intergenerational transmission of violence.

Children less than one year of age are a vulnerable population. Injury, and child abuse and neglect (child maltreatment) are causes of morbidity and mortality in this population. The literature suggests that the family characteristics of both sub-populations are similar and they may be the same sub-population (Peterson and Brown 1994). Large scale studies have revealed that there are multiple risk markers that are predictive of child abuse and neglect (Browne 1995, Sidebotham et al. 2001, 2002). There is mixed evidence as to whether home visiting can have an impact on preventing injury and child abuse and neglect. This study aims to show that children who are injured and maltreated are the same sub-population. The study also examines the impact of child, family and societal risk markers on the likelihood of a child presenting for an injury or child maltreatment, and the effect of home visiting on the outcomes of injury and/or child maltreatment. This study is a retrospective cohort study using administrative data from three administrative data systems. The data from these systems were merged as part of a work project and de-identified. The de-identified data set contained data at an individual child level and formed the study sample. There were 11,821 children in the sample who lived within the Royal Children's Hospital Health Service District. Variables included demographic data, family characteristics, service contacts which included injury and Child Advocacy Service contacts (a proxy for child maltreatment). The main results of the study indicate there is a small cross-over of the sub-populations and these children are an extremely at-risk sub-population with a very high prevalence of risk markers. The research found that for children less than one year of age the 4.1% of the study sample presented for an injury contact and 1.1% of the study sample has a Child Advocacy Service (CAS) contact. There was 5.17% of the injury sub-population, compared to 0.93% of the non-injured population who had a CAS contact. Nineteen percent (19 %) of children who had a CAS contact also had an injury contact. The study also found that sole parents, mothers with an intellectual disability, and mothers who live in temporary/rental housing are predictors of injury and child maltreatment. Another finding is that an injury contact is a significant predictor of child maltreatment. A child who had an injury was 9 times more likely to attend for a CAS contact than a non-injured child (AOR 9.087 significant at 95% confidence interval (CI), (4.863-17.073). The introduction of home visiting into the model was examined and it was found that more than one home visit has the potential to reduce the likelihood of a child having child maltreatment contact if the mother is a sole parent, less than 20 years of age, abused as a child, lives in a family violence situation, has a mental health problem, is intellectual disabled or uses illicit substances. Whilst the results show a reduction, the impact clinically would be that home visiting as a single strategy will not prevent a CAS contact. The service implications of the study revealed that, there is a high usage of Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM) of Triage Category 4 and 5 clients. This presents an opportunity to look at alterative service model for these clients. Not all CAS clients were seen by the Primary Care Program, this also presents an opportunity to develop a pathway back to preventative health care services for this vulnerable group. The practice implications are that further research is required to identify the decision making process within DEM for injury presentation to identiy the indicators that DEM staff use to make a referral to the CAS. The identification of risk by Child Health Nurses requires further research to identify if the low occurrence of family risk variables in the study sample is a result of interview skills or data recording. The study has identified that there is a cross-over sub-population of injured and maltreated children. The research findings will provide information not previously available in the Australian context. At a service level the findings provide data to improve practice and service delivery.