The role of mental health problems in explaining violent behaviors in children and adolescents over the lifecourse: An exploratory study

Juvenile violence is a phenomenon that consistently garners great attention in the media, the public, and across a multitude of academic disciplines. A growing body of literature in developmental and lifecourse criminology has called for innovative research to further investigate the causes and correlates of serious juvenile offenders. Toward this end, the present study uses prospective, longitudinal data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study (PYS) to gauge the temporal impact of childhood and adolescent mental health problems on the development of serious offending behaviors in boys. Borrowing largely from the work of Achenbach and colleagues (2001), data from parent and teacher reports of psychopathological problems were used to create DSM-oriented scales for Oppositional Defiant, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity, Anxiety, and Affective Problems. These scales offer a more continuous form of measurement than DSM diagnoses and allowed for distinctions between normal, borderline, and clinical levels of mental health problems. Forward-step logistic regression analyses indicated that three different teacher-reported DSM-oriented mental health problems emerged at three different stages of development as significant predictors of serious violence over the lifecourse. The significant substantive, methodological, and public policy implications of the study are discussed

Commentary on Campbell et al.\u27s Creating a University Strategic Plan to Address Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct : Sustainability and Replicability Concerns

Campbell et al. provided a candid summary of a long-term strategic plan to address relationship violence and sexual misconduct (RVSM) at Michigan State University (MSU). Coming in the aftermath of a national scandal and public outcry regarding MSU\u27s lack of response to RVSM on its campus, the authors describe a coordinated university community response to understanding the prevalence of RVSM on campus, developing policy to respond to RVSM, and reestablishing community and survivor trust. In this commentary, we explore the innovations and sustainability of MSU\u27s strategic plan and its potential replicability at other institutions of higher learning

A test of social learning and intergenerational transmission among batterers

This research examined the direct and indirect transmission of family-of-origin violence among a sample of male domestic violence offenders. Intergenerational transmission of violence was tested by examining the effects of childhood corporal punishment experiences and witnessing inter-parental physical violence on the odds of reporting minor and severe intimate partner violence perpetration in adulthood. Social learning mechanisms were applied to examine the relationship between abuse experiences and the incidence of minor and severe forms of intimate partner violence. Use of a sample of 204 male domestic batterers attending court-mandated family violence intervention programs in an urban setting revealed considerable variation in minor and severe intimate partner violence. Results from logistic regression models suggested intergenerational transmission and social learning provided distinct mechanisms for both minor and severe forms of intimate partner violence.

An Examination of Title IX Training and Knowledge At a Public University

Title IX prohibits sex-discrimination in colleges in the United States. While colleges must provide training on Title IX, little is known about its effectiveness. This study examined the campus climate and effectiveness of Title IX training among 2,393 college students at a medium-size public university in the south-central region of the U.S. Results indicated 68% of students reported they understood Title IX, yet only 14% correctly understood Title IX prohibited sex-discrimination and 16% correctly understood reporting procedures. Regression analyses found few significant effects for demographics, academic characteristics, satisfaction with the campus, and beliefs about university support on training participation, training knowledge, and help seeking for sexual assault survivors. Positive perceptions of campus climate increased participation in training, efficacy of training, and confidence in helping sexual assault survivors. However, participation in training was negatively impacted by perceptions of faculty support. Age, asexual identity, and Asian identity affected training participation and efficacy

Coordinated Community Response: Toward a More Systematic Response To Domestic Violence In an Urban Setting

Purpose – Presents metrics and policy recommendations from the Dallas Domestic Violence Task Force (DDVTF) concerning the systemic response to domestic violence (DV) within this community. Design/methodology/approach – In June 2017, 47 private citizens, nonprofit, criminal justice, social service and religious organizations, and governmental officials who participated on the task force were invited via email to participate in an electronic Qualtrics survey. Findings – Both general annual metrics are offered as well as detailed monthly metrics and long-term trends for shelter and advocacy providers, police, the district and city attorney’s offices, and courts. In 2016–2017 alone, roughly 15,000 people were educated on DV, 246 victims were sheltered in emergency beds each night on average, roughly 8,000 victims were turned away due to lack of space, over 15,500 DV-related calls were handled by police, 11,000 county criminal cases were filed, and 7 intimate partner homicides occurred within the city of Dallas. Policy recommendations are offered. Originality/value – The DDVTF annual report is one of the largest and most comprehensive reports of its kind in the United States, with over 3,000 variables collected across the partners. Now in its third reporting year, this chapter offers an overview of key findings and policy recommendations and highlights the work of this coordinated community response team

College students’ beliefs about domestic violence: A replication and extension.

In recent decades, significant effort and money have been spent to change social and legal responses to domestic violence and affect public perceptions. A small body of research has examined individuals’ opinions about what behaviors are considered domestic violence. Using a sample of college students, the present study examined a modified version of a somewhat popular instrument used to measure beliefs about domestic violence, extending previous work done by Carlson and Worden. Results indicated beliefs about domestic violence are multidimensional, depending on the nature of the behavior and, in part, the gender of the perpetrator. Opinions about the lawfulness of these behaviors fit the same factor structure as beliefs about domestic violence. Demographic characteristics, current relationship status, secondhand experiences with domestic violence, and perceived prevalence of domestic violence in the community are generally not related to beliefs about domestic violence or the lawfulness of these behaviors. However, attributions of blame on the victim are negatively related to domestic violence beliefs and lawfulness. Moreover, lawfulness is a key covariate for domestic violence beliefs. In addition, results also indicate that the gender of the perpetrator is an important variable affecting student’s beliefs about sexual assault behaviors. Results from this study support the prevailing ideas behind the Battered Women’s Movement that enacting policies and educational programs deeming domestic violence socially, morally, and legally wrong could shift long-standing sociocultural beliefs about men’s use of violence against women. Implications of this study for research and policy specific to college students are discussed