NCFR—November, 2004 Michael P. Johnson Alison Cares Penn State Effects and Non-effects of Childhood Experiences of Family Violence on Adult Partner Violence NCFR—November, 2004 Michael P. Johnson Alison Cares Penn State Photos from Donna Ferrato, Living with the Enemy. Gender, Control, and Domestic Violence

What Are the Effects? Mixed Opinions “…the most widely accepted risk marker for the occurrence of partner violence” (Kantor & Jasinski, 1998) Metaphors of “intergenerational transmission” & “cycle of violence” JMF decade review refers to non-transmission (Johnson & Ferraro, 2000) Mixed findings of meta-analysis (Stith et al., 2000) Average effect sizes quite small (.10) Larger effects for agency samples (.30)

Core Research Question Are the effects of childhood experiences of family violence different for different types of adult partner violence?

Types of Intimate Partner Violence Intimate Terrorism Power and control Violent Resistance Resisting the intimate terrorist Situational Couple Violence Escalation of situational conflict Mutual Violent Control Two intimate terrorists

Hypothesized Effects of Childhood Experiences on Adult Partner Violence Strong effects only for intimate terrorism IT is a function of general orientations VR is a response to partner violence SCV is a reaction to immediate situation Strong effects only for men Successful same-sex model Reinforced by patriarchal social context Strong effects only for parental partner violence Similarity to adult behavior

Sample Pittsburgh, 1978 (Frieze, 1983) Married women from shelters and courts, matched with married women living on the same block Face-to-face interviews with wives (n=272) Data on self and husband, reported by wives Lots of missing data on husbands’ childhoods

Measures Types created from data regarding both partners’ violence and non-violent control behaviors Violence: Has he ever actually slapped or pushed you or used other physical force with you? Control scale: 11 items; alphas = .76, .45; dichotomized on basis of cluster analysis Childhood parental partner violence Single item: Was there ever any physical violence between his parents that you know of? Childhood parent-child violence Scale: 4 items; alphas = .82, .76 “When you and your husband go places together, who decides where you will go?” “If you disagree [about the type of people you like], which people do the two of you spend more time with?” “Does your husband know where you are when you are not together?” “Are there places you might like to go but don’t because you feel your husband wouldn’t want you to?” “Do you generally do what your husband asks you to do?” “Who decides how the family money will be spent in terms of major expenses?” “Does he ever try to get what he wants by doing any of the following? (Emotionally withdraws, Restricts your freedom, Stops having sex with you, Threatens to leave you)” “But first let us look at non-physical means of persuasion in your sexual relations…. Has your husband ever pressured you to have sexual relations?” “Was your husband ever spanked as a young child?” “Was your husband ever spanked as an older child (6 to 12)?” “Was your husband ever hit or spanked with an object?” “Was your husband ever beaten or abused as a child?” Gender, Control, and Domestic Violence

Situational couple violence Gender Symmetry/Asymmetry by Type of Violence (Violent husbands and wives only) Husbands Wives N Intimate terrorism 89% 11% 81 Violent resistance 15% 85% 61 Situational couple violence 55% 45% 167

Effects of Parent-Child Violence on Adult Partner Violence (Odds ratios from full model) Men Women OR (n) Intimate terrorism 1.54 39 1.41 15 Situational couple violence .75 35 1.74* 46 Violent resistance 1.29 11 1.39 64 Non-violent -- 56 116 *p < .05; **p < .01

Effects of Parental Partner Violence on Adult Partner Violence (Odds ratios from full model) Men Women OR (n) Intimate terrorism 7.51** 39 1.33 15 Situational couple violence 2.40 35 1.95 46 Violent resistance 2.84 11 2.78** 64 Non-violent -- 56 116 *p < .05; **p < .01

We make big mistakes if we don’t make big distinctions. Different types of partner violence have… Different causes, including gender and childhood experiences of family violence Other research shows that they also have: Different developmental trajectories Different effects Different types of successful intervention strategies We make big mistakes if we don’t make big distinctions.

Support Your Local Shelter Safety Support Information Advocacy Safety (shelter, safety plan): undermines his restriction of alternatives through violence Support (counselor, support groups, shelter ): undermines restriction of alternatives though psychological abuse, undermines social pressure by adding new voices, exposing the children to other families with similar problems Information (counselor, support groups): undermines restriction of alternatives through lack of information about services, models of women who’ve done it, termination procedures seem more manageable, undermines his threats to take the children Advocacy: OR DO YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON THE WHEEL?? Philadelphia, PA Gender, Control, and Domestic Violence

Intimate Terrorism/Domestic Violence Adapted from Pence & Paymar, 1993 Gender, Control, and Domestic Violence