<p> Research on bystanders&rsquo; willingness to intervene in intimate-partner violence (IPV), particularly among young adults, is lacking. Thus, a survey regarding bystander intervention willingness was administered to 318 college students at a large, public university. Various individual and contextual factors were analyzed to understand what makes college students more or less willing to intervene. Participants generally reported high intervention willingness when the IPV incident included the following: a female victim, a friend or acquaintance as the victim, disclosed or suspected IPV behavior, and a private setting. In general, participants were more willing to directly intervene; however, female participants were more willing to offer the victim emotional support. Therefore, bystander intervention willingness depends on gender (victim and bystander); setting (public vs. private); closeness to the victim (friend, acquaintance, or stranger); bystander&rsquo;s level of awareness (IPV disclosure, suspicion, or observation); level of involvement (direct vs. indirect); and intervention response (direct vs. emotional support). Colleges should implement comprehensive programs that improve guardianship, bystander competency, and collective efficacy by focusing on how and when college students can help (e.g., identifying IPV signs, clarifying common misconceptions, and offering resources, and modifying social norms).</p><p>

<p> While there is considerable research on active shooters, civil liberties, and security in school, there is only limited research that focused upon the parent&rsquo;s perceptions. Parent&rsquo;s perceptions affect children&rsquo;s success in learning and influence children&rsquo;s perceptions on feeling safe in school. The purpose of this study is to use a quantitative correlational study to evaluate the parent&rsquo;s perceptions as they relate to sacrificing civil liberties for increased school security. A specific focus is upon parents with children in high schools within the United States. The theoretical basis for this study is the decision making theory which assumes rational behavior. The study required the creation, validation, and testing for reliability of the sacrificing civil liberties for security survey instrument. The sampling of 254 parents from throughout the United States was completed utilizing a web-based survey. The results of this study identified a significant relationship between every subscale of sacrificing civil liberties (SCL) and both predictors Trust in Government (TIG) and Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA). No relationship was found between educational levels and SCL. A relationship with the predictor age was found with the SCL subscales active monitoring and passive monitoring. Finally, a relationship with the predictor gender was found with the SCL subscale active monitoring. These findings indicate that parents are willing to sacrifice some of their children&rsquo;s civil liberties within certain constraints. Based upon the results of this study, a conclusion can be drawn that parent&rsquo;s perceptions are influenced by many of the predictors. The largest relationship was with the predictors TIG and RWA. School officials, law enforcement, and government officials can use these results to assess the acceptability of their actions of increased security while carefully limiting the impact upon student&rsquo;s civil liberties.</p>

In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty police officers. The interviewing process used a phenomenological approach which focused on the meaning that police officers made of their work. "Meaning" relates to the personal interpretations and evaluations that officers make of their work experiences. The interview process consisted of three ninety-minute interviews with each participant. The first interview centered around the question, "How did you come to work as a police officer?" The second interview focused upon the question, "What is it like for you to work as a police officer?" And the third interview asked, "What does it mean to you to work as a police officer?" The interview were audio-recorded and later transcribed. After significant transcript material had been identified, it was then synthesized in two ways: first, as profiles of the participants; and second, as excerpts from the interviews which were woven together with emergent themes that connected the stressful experiences of the participants. Eighteen themes relative to occupational stress emerged from the data. Themes associated with autocratic management practices of police organizations were the most frequently perceived occupational stressors by the participants of this study. The author suggests that police work is no more stressful than other high-stress occupations, though police work seems to be very stressful because autocratic management practices intensify other stressors. Management reform seems to be an important task for the future well being of police officers. If police management styles become more democratic and supportive, there could be an across the board reduction in the negative affects of many occupational stressors. Officer health and job performance could subsequently improve. The author suggests that stress plays a critical role in the meaning that police officers make of their work. Stress has become the currency through which officers exchange meaning. Stress is the psychic Purple Heart of policing and validates an officer's experience.

Research on the cessation of violence is important in light of the dramatic increase in public and scientific interest on family violence. Although the marital violence literature more than tripled during the eighties, much of the work has focused solely on the correlates and determinants of marital violence, ignoring the issue of how couples eliminate violence from their relationships. This is an exploratory study of the cessation of men's use of violence against their female partners. Longitudinal survey data were used to evaluate cessation rates, the relationship between demographic characteristics and risk factors for wife abuse and cessation, and the help seeking behavior of partners who ceased the violence. In depth interviews with two couples who had ceased the use of violence were used to elucidate the characteristics of the cessation process. It was found that contextual factors such as financial hardship, increased number of children at home, increased levels of marital conflict, and inadequate conflict resolution skills were negatively related to the cessation of violence. On the other hand, cessation was associated with immersion into a social network that supports nonviolence, development of alternative ways to resolve conflict, and the partners' commitment to the relationship.

<p> Limited research on creativity in delinquents concluded they were generally not creative, and delinquents who <i>were</i> creative tended to express creativity in the domains of crime and violence. None of this research examined creativity in delinquents with testing validated to measure both the divergent-exploratory and convergent-integrative thinking processes, now considered essential and interdependent elements of creative thinking. Further, no studies empirically examined creative products for violent and criminal content. The present study used archival data from an adapted Evaluation of Potential Creativity (EPoC) to analyze the creative potential of adolescents in a juvenile detention center relative to a reference group of adolescents in the general population. The adapted EPoC assessed creative potential in the graphic and verbal domains of divergent-exploratory thinking and the graphic domain of convergent-integrative thinking. Drawings from the adapted EPoC were also analyzed for presence and level of unsolicited violent content. </p><p> Delinquents demonstrated lower levels of creativity than adolescents of the general population in the graphic domain of both divergent-exploratory and convergent-integrative thinking. However, there was no difference in level of creativity between delinquents and adolescents of the general population in the verbal domain of divergent-exploratory thinking. In addition, delinquency did not moderate the relationship between creativity and production of unsolicited violent content in drawings; high levels of creativity in both delinquents and adolescents of the general population were associated with the production of high levels of unsolicited violent content in drawings. </p><p> The finding of no difference in levels of verbal creativity between delinquents and adolescents of the general population may suggest both groups share a common deficiency in verbal creativity due to environmental and pedagogic factors; specifically, an art bias equating creativity with graphic but not verbal creativity, and a teacher preference for students oriented toward the visual arts. The finding associating high levels of creativity with high levels of unsolicited violent content in drawings for both delinquents and adolescents of the general population may be related to the observed tendency of all creative adolescents to draw a greater volume of content overall, indicating drawing violent content is commonplace and disassociated from delinquency.</p>

<p> Federal correctional officers&rsquo; and licensed psychologists&rsquo; five personality traits were evaluated to see if there were any differences in their traits and how they perceived the following: mental illness in general, mentally ill inmates, and each other. There were 97 federal correctional officers and 45 licensed psychologists who participated in this study. Federal correctional officers and licensed psychologists were found to differ in their perceptions toward mental illness in general, mentally ill inmates, and each other. Federal correctional officers were found to perceive mental illness in general and mentally ill inmates more negatively than licensed psychologists. Federal correctional officers and licensed psychologists perceived each other in a negative light. Licensed psychologists were found to have significantly higher extraversion scores in comparison to federal correctional officers. Specific personality traits were found to be influential factors in the way federal correctional officers and licensed psychologists perceive mental illness and each other. In addition, the way federal correctional officers&rsquo; perceived mentally ill inmates were influenced by their traits while licensed psychologists&rsquo; traits did not.</p><p>

<p> On any given day, one in 28 children loses a parent to incarceration, creating a higher risk for mental health concerns and antisocial and criminal behavior. This study examined negative outcomes, such as antisocial behavior and criminal behavior, of children who have experienced a parent&rsquo;s incarceration. A closer look was taken at the effects of mix timing incarceration, in and out of prison, on children. There was also an analysis on the influence of intergenerational criminal behavior on a child&rsquo;s wellbeing and long-term outcome. The results of this study indicated that a parent incarcerated with mix timing during their children&rsquo;s childhood and adolescence leads to a higher risk of mental health concerns in the minors. Depression was significantly higher in children with a history of parent imprisonment (<i>M</i> 54.6, <i>SD</i> 14.8) in comparison to children with a stable household (<i>M</i> 46.3, <i>SD</i> 9.6). All effect sizes showed that parental imprisonment with mix timing was associated with higher rates of child mental health concerns. Furthermore, findings showed that parental imprisonment was associated with higher rates of antisocial or criminal behavior among children. Children with imprisoned mothers reported being convicted for criminal activity at more than double the rate of the control group. Meanwhile, a significantly higher proportion of inmates had a history of paternal imprisonment (39%) than the control group (7%). As for aggressive and antisocial behavior, the odds ratio for children with parental imprisonment was 2.2 (<i> CI</i>= 1.6-3.0) for boys and 1.7 (<i>CI</i>= 1.3-2.4) for girls. The results of the study provide insight and awareness of the increasing numbers of children falling into a pattern of intergenerational incarceration, as well as mental health concerns and antisocial or criminal behavior. This dissertation provides evidence of the need for resources, awareness, and further prevention.</p><p>

<p> Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is experienced by Latinas (Villavicencio, 2008; Gonz&aacute;lez-Guarda, Peragallo, Vasquez, Urrutia, &amp; Mitrani, 2009) at comparable and higher rates to women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds (Black et al., 2011; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2011). Young Latinas, in particular, appear to be disproportionately affected by IPV in comparison to young non-Latina white women (CDC, 2011). The negative outcomes associated with IPV in women, including Latinas, range from physical health issues (e.g., death, injuries including broken bones and concussions), and illnesses (e.g., gastrointestinal issues, headaches, and cardiovascular problems), to mental health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, and negative interpersonal relationship patterns) (Caetano &amp; Cunradi, 2003; Krishnan, Hilbert, &amp; VanLeeuwen, 2001; Brown et al., 2003). Despite these negative outcomes, women do engage in and navigate new relationships. It is unknown, however, how they approach these subsequent dating experiences. Understanding dating/relationships among Latinas following adolescent IPV is particularly important as the literature indicates adolescence marks a critical time for the initial development of interpersonal romantic relationship behaviors and dynamics, which can form lasting patterns (Makepeace, 1986; Lerner &amp; Galambos, 1998; Glass, 2003). </p><p> The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to explore how adolescent IPV influences subsequent, new dating experiences among Latinas. Grounded theory research methodology (Corbin &amp; Strauss, 2008) was utilized to examine this topic. Eleven adult Latinas participated in interviews during which they were asked to discuss their dating, partner, and relationship expectations and behaviors subsequent to adolescent IPV. </p><p> Results revealed that Latinas who experienced adolescent IPV underwent changes that led to an increased focus on self-protection, which was incorporated into subsequent partner/relationship expectations (e.g., less traditional gender roles, which also influenced other expectations including partnership; emotional support/space; self-expression/communication), relationship goals (e.g., a desire for an IPV-free relationship; monogamy; companionship) and new behaviors in dating/relationships (e.g., period of being single; cautious, slower approach to dating/relationships). Additionally, results indicated that most of the participants had entered subsequent satisfying, IPV-free relationships. Discussion of the findings, implications, and limitations of the present study are included. Directions for future research are also provided. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the occupational stress on law enforcement officer relationships and if there is a positive or negative impact. Researchers suggest that law enforcement officers carry occupational stress and work- related behaviors home, which may cause negative impacts on their relationships. To accomplish this task a mixed method study examined occupational stress as perceived by law enforcement personnel assignments throughout the Tri-cities of Richmond Virginia to include the County of Henrico and the City of Richmond to determine the existence of stress experienced and relationships. There is not enough known about the difficulties officers experience in their relationships with their loved ones resulting from occupational stress and whether such factors have negative or positive impacts on their emotions and behaviors when at home. A qualitative method of research included one-on-one interviews with 15 full time active law enforcement officers from various ranks, genders, and assignments. Additionally, quantitative methods of research included the usage of Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op and PSQ-Org) to measure both operational and organizational stress, and the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) to measure the influence on relationships of the officers. These surveys were administered to 89 full time active law enforcement officers from various ranks, genders, and assignments from the City of Richmond and the County of Henrico. </p><p> The conceptual themes endorsed by the law enforcement officers were (1) impact of occupational stress, (2) communication and stress (3) whether occupational stress is negative or positive, and (4) resources and support system for significant others. The differences in how the law enforcement officers perceived their stress and the implications on their relationships include (1) lack of resources for significant others, (2) officers finding ways to manage stress, (3) significant others finding ways to manage stress, (4) officer need to communicate with significant other, (5) providing informational and educational sessions for significant others (6) support system for significant others and family members and (7) department providing a support system of resources to manage stress for officers. </p><p> The results found suggest implications for law enforcement departments to implement several items to assist with officer occupational stress and their significant relationships. The results of the study described the need for programs, services and resources for officers and their significant others. This includes (1) orientation for officer significant others to assist with understand work schedules and work demands of officers, (2) provide counseling sessions and peer network groups for significant others, (3) provide appreciation and reward to officers that will create a positive work environment, (4) improving training programs to assist officers with physical, emotional and psychological stressors, and (5) intervention measures to assist officers to perform at their highest level and reduce a stressful home environment for their families reducing strain on relationships. </p><p> The law enforcement officers perceived that their departments should do more to assist their significant others in understanding their work demands. Additionally, officers explained the departments must do more to ensure that their significant understand what to do if the officer is experiencing occupational stress or a traumatic incident. The officers expressed that their occupational stress have both negative and positive implications in their significant relationships. The officers explained the importance of communication with their significant other as it relates to occupational stress and their relationships</p><p>

The epidemic of violence now occurring in the United States constitutes one of the nation's most important social problems. Each year the boundaries of violence extend. Because its effects now touch all areas and populations, violence has been officially declared a major pubic health issue. The intent of this study was to explore the root causes of violence as reported by the violent offender. The study contains a review of the literature which looks at violence from a historical, biological, psychological, sociological, and psycho-social point of view. However, because the majority of research does not include direct interview or the perspective of the perpetrator, this study was designed to gather this absent information present it in their own voice. Twelve men from three different correctional facilities were interviewed. Each interview was conducted face-to-face in a private setting within the prison. Each participant was asked to talk about their life experience, history of violence, understanding of their violent activities, and finally based on their insight, offer recommendations for intervention. Additionally, they were asked to complete a powerlessness survey that queried their sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy at the time of their violent offense. In order to give the reader an opportunity to hear the voice of the participants, their stories are crafted in their own words and presented in narrative form. A number of interconnected thematic characteristics emerged from the interviews and survey. In addition to illuminating and verifying many of the speculations presented in the literature review, the findings suggest the presence of deficient, inadequate, or damaging conditions which occurred during critical developmental periods in the lives of the participants. Commonality of experience was noted within the following areas: lack of safety, lack of stable relationships, lack of education, lack of power and resources, lack of respect, lack of self-esteem, lack of self-worth, lack of self-efficacy, lack of coping skills, and lack of meaning. In this study, these deficits appear as significant predictors of eventual violent behavior. Based on the above findings, implications for clinical practice, programmatic development, and future research is suggested.