Factors Influencing Law Enforcement Responses to Child to Parent Violence

A domestic violence incident perpetrated by a child toward his or her parent presents a challenging dynamic for law enforcement officers responding to these calls for service. To date, law enforcement responses to child to parent violence (CPV) have only been studied dichotomously (i.e., decision to arrest), and as a result, the associated complexities are not well understood. Here, we add to the understanding of individual, situational, and contextual factors that influence law enforcement response to CPV by examining 1,113 calls for service in a Midwestern state. In assessing the relative influence of these factors on responses using a multinomial logistic regression with cluster robust standard errors, we find evidence that the gendered nature of CPV victim-offender dyads and the presence of victim injury influences police decision to arrest in lieu of an informal, de-escalation only response. We also find officers are less likely to refer youth to social welfare agencies or arrest a youth perpetrator when CPV occurs in neighborhoods with a high level of family disruption. In these instances, the officer works to deescalate the situation, but is significantly less likely to take further action or formally refer the family to social resources. Researchers must work to better understand CPV prevention and improve system responses and resources for affected families

Impact of Maternal Incarceration on the Criminal Justice Involvement of Adult Offspring: A Research Note

Objectives: This note examines the relationship between maternal incarceration and adverse outcomes for offspring in early adulthood. Methods: Utilizing data derived from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, a series of multivariate models are conducted to examine the impact maternal incarceration has on criminal justice involvement among young adults. To control for selection effects that may be associated with maternal imprisonment, propensity score matching is utilized. Results: Respondents whose mothers had served time in prison were significantly more likely to have an adult arrest, conviction, and incarceration, even after controlling for important demographic factors and correlates of criminal behavior. This effect persisted following matching. Conclusions: Maternal incarceration had a substantial effect on the offspring’s adult involvement in the criminal justice system. These findings bolster contentions regarding the unintended consequences of maternal incarceration that include long-term collateral damage to their children

Risk factor profile of youth incarcerated for child to parent violence: A nationally representative sample

Purpose Intra-familial violence occurs in many forms yet few researchers examine child to parent violence (CPV), which occurs in almost 20% of single parent homes. Studies have neither developed a risk factor profile for youth involved in the most severe cases of CPV resulting in incarceration, nor included a comparison of gender-specific correlates. Methods Data from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) 2003, a large-scale, nationally representative sample of justice-involved youth between the ages of 10 and 20 who were survey using a multi-stage cluster sampling procedure is utilized. Results Youth incarcerated for CPV are typically white and male. Youth, particularly female aggressors, tend to have substantial histories of substance use and/or victimization. Issues of mental health, poor school performance, and other maladaptive behaviors are also common. Conclusions Relative concordance between CPV arrest and CPV incarceration risk profiles demonstrates youth who initially come into contact with law enforcement due to a report of CPV will continue and/or escalate the behaviors in a manner that will eventually result in arrest and out of home placement decisions. Interventions that focus on breaking the cycle of interfamilial violence thorough using collaborative, coordinated law enforcement and social services approaches are needed

A Comparative Analysis of Domestic Violence Shelter Staff Perceptions Regarding Barriers to Services in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States

Service provision for domestic violence (DV) survivors has been a long-standing staple of shelters in the United States. Although shelter services provide numerous benefits for survivors, barriers tied to acquisition remain a pressing concern when combatting DV. Nevertheless, there has been minimal research exploring barriers to service acquisition on a cross-national level. As such, the current research cross-nationally examines perceptions of shelter staff regarding acquisition barriers as well as the effectiveness of local agencies to meet survivor needs and differences in populations served in the United States (specifically Texas) as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Data collection stemmed from self-report surveys originally constructed in English and translated into Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian. Results underscored differences between populations served, perceptions of local agencies assisting survivors of DV, and barriers tied to cultural and financial concerns. Implications, limitations, and future directions are also discussed

The Use of Help Seeking and Coping Strategies Among Bosnian Women in Domestic Violence Shelters

Victims/survivors of domestic violence face a variety of decisions in determining whether and from whom to seek help. Although western literature on help-seeking is extensive, few studies have examined help-seeking behaviours of victims/survivors in post-war areas. The current study investigates use of help-seeking behaviours and coping mechanisms among women receiving services from domestic violence shelters in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the war. A total of 107 women across eight shelters completed pencil and paper surveys that explored formal and informal help-seeking behaviours and coping mechanisms employed to prevent and/or reduce victimisation. Help-seeking and coping strategies were organised into one of four categories based upon similar themes, including communication strategies, avoidance strategies, protection and resistance strategies, and safety planning strategies. Additionally, respondents were asked to assess what impact (that is, made the situation better, worse, or had no impact) utilised behaviours had. Communication and avoidance strategies were the most commonly reported behaviours. Safety planning techniques were less frequently reported, although victims/survivors perceived these as making their situation better, while trying to end the relationship or avoiding the abuser made the situation worse. These findings are similar to research conducted among victims/survivors residing in countries not directly affected by armed conflict. Interpretation of results, limitations, implications and future research are discussed

Healthcare professionals’ hand hygiene knowledge and beliefs in the United Arab Emirates

Background: Hand hygiene at key moments during patient care is considered an important infection prevention and control measure to reduce healthcare-associated infections. While there is extensive research in Western settings, there is little in the United Arab Emirates where particular cultural and religious customs are thought to influence hand hygiene behaviour. Aim: To examine the hand hygiene knowledge and beliefs of health professionals at a tertiary care hospital in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: A mixed methods design employed a survey followed by focus groups with nurses and doctors. Findings: A total of 109 participants (13.6%) completed the survey: 96 nurses (88%) and 13 doctors (12%). Doctors’ hand hygiene knowledge was slightly higher than that of nurses (78.5% versus 73.5%). There was no significant difference in scores on the hand hygiene beliefs scale between nurses (M = 103.06; SD = 8.0) and doctors (M = 99.00; SD = 10.53; t (80) = 1.55; p = 0.13, two-tailed). Seven categories emerged following transcript analysis. Discussion: Hand hygiene knowledge scores suggest further hand hygiene education is required, especially on alcohol-based hand rub use. Addressing doctors’ beliefs is particularly important given the leadership roles that doctors play in healthcare settings.An Unassigned Group, An Unassigned DepartmentNo Full Tex