Murray A. Straus - Böcker

This unique volume attests to the coming of age of research on family violence. Leading authorities in this interdisciplinary area--including psychologists, sociologists, social work researchers, and physicians--provide a comprehensive survey of current studies and controversies. They offer useful insights into such ongoing concerns as wife battering and child neglect and abuse, and criteria for distinguishing when child abuse or marital violence have actually taken place. They also explore relatively new areas of research such as child sexual abuse and marital rape. Representing the best of a decade of empirical, theoretical, and clinical work, this book should be required reading for academics, professionals, and students who are interested in--or must deal with--family violence. "Many of the most widely-recognized and respected researchers on family violence contributed to this state-of-the-art volume. . . The Dark Side of Families presents a multitude of perspectives and research approaches useful to service providers, policymakers and researchers. This collection presents information and insight that will be valuable to all who are interested and concerned about the problem of family violence." --Response "Represents the 'state of the art' in theorizing about and researching family violence. . . . Will supplant earlier volumes of collected papers such as Joanne Cook and Roy Tyler Bowless's Child Abuse (1980)." --Choice "The style of presentation is scholarly, indicating greater theoretical and methodological sophistication in research on family violence and abuse than in the past." --Planned Parenthood "An essential reference for the serious researcher, containing brief reports by many of the major family violence researchers in the country. . . . The major contribution of the book is its methodological contributions. Many of the papers in the book deal with measurement techniques and other methodological concerns. It is in this domain that marital-violence and child-abuse researchers have the most to offer one another. Careful reading of these papers would be essential for anyone seriously studying family violence." --Contemporary Sociology

In this pioneering study, sociologists develop a State Stress Index that provides a quantitative measure of stress for each state and region in the United States.

The marriage license as a hitting license, child abuse, sibling war is the powerful message of "Behind Closed Doors". The book is grounded in the unprecedented national survey of the extent, patterns, and causes of violence in the American family. Based on a seven-year study of over 2,000 families, the authors provide landmark insights into this phenomenon of violence and what causes Americans to inflict it on their family members. The authors explore the relationship between spousal abuse and child abuse as well as abuse between siblings, violence by children against their parents, and the causes and effects of verbal abuse. Taken together, their analysis provides a vivid picture of how violence is woven into the fabric of family life and why the hallmark of family life is both love and violence. This is a comprehensive, highly readable account of interest to both the professional and the lay-person on an important topic, which concerns the social well-being of us all.

The marriage license as a hitting license, child abuse, sibling war is the powerful message of "Behind Closed Doors". The book is grounded in the unprecedented national survey of the extent, patterns, and causes of violence in the American family. Based on a seven-year study of over 2,000 families, the authors provide landmark insights into this phenomenon of violence and what causes Americans to inflict it on their family members. The authors explore the relationship between spousal abuse and child abuse as well as abuse between siblings, violence by children against their parents, and the causes and effects of verbal abuse. Taken together, their analysis provides a vivid picture of how violence is woven into the fabric of family life and why the hallmark of family life is both love and violence. This is a comprehensive, highly readable account of interest to both the professional and the lay-person on an important topic, which concerns the social well-being of us all.

A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2014!Why do parents hit those they love? What effect does it have on children? What can be done to end this pattern? These are some of the questions explored in The Primordial Violence. Featuring longitudinal data from over 7,000 U.S. families as well as results from a 32 nation study, the book presents the latest research on the extent to which spanking is used in different cultures and the subsequent effects of its use on children and on society. Evidence that shows the relationship between spanking and the subsequent slowing of cognitive development and increase in antisocial and criminal behavior is shown. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are explored in an accessible fashion. An abundance of high quality research has produced findings that are highly consistent from study to study which show that spanking is a risk factor for aggressive behavior and other social and psychological problems. Because of these findings, the authors argue for policy changes and recommend a drastic reduction in the use of spanking. Policy and practical implications are explored in most chapters. The Primordial Violence highlights:The benefits of avoiding spanking such as the development of better interpersonal skills and higher academic achievement;The link between spanking and behavioral problems and crime;The extent to which spanking is declining and why despite the unusually high level of agreement between numerous studies which found harmful effects from spanking, most parents continue to spank.Part 1 documents the worldwide use of spanking and why parents spank. The possible adverse effects of spanking on children’s behavior and academic achievement, and the potential for violence and criminal behavior in later life, are explored in Parts 2, 3, and 4. Part 5 examines trends in spanking, and suggests what can be done to lower the percent of parents who spank. Contradictory opinions about whether to spank are explored. The book concludes with a call for change in this aspect of parenting which will have profound benefits, for the children and families involved, and society as a whole. Intended for a general audience of readers who are interested in child development and parenting and for advanced undergraduate and/or graduate courses in child abuse, family violence, juvenile delinquency, criminal behavior, social development, sociology of the family, or parenting and family relations taught in psychology, human development, family studies, criminology, education, social work, sociology, and social policy.