NCJ Number
109318
Journal
Youth and Society Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (December 1987) Pages: 119-133
Date Published
1987
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article describes the characteristics of two types of maritally violent families and the children within these families.
Abstract
The study reviews literature describing the characteristics of men and women who are partners in violent marriages. The study also reviews literature describing behavioral symptoms of children who live in families characterized by marital violence. A research design is presented which is intended to generate a new theory of marital violence and its effect on children. Interviews were held with 32 parents and 23 children from maritally violent families. In addition, 22 professionals who work with maritally violent families were interviewed. The interviews provided data on 67 family members, 79 percent of whom were Anglo, 13.5 percent of whom were Hispanic, and 7.5 percent of whom were from a mixed Hispanic-Anglo marriage. Family incomes ranged from poverty-level to upper middle class. All families lived in the Denver-Boulder area of Colorado. Children interviewed ranged from 5 to 17 years. Parents interviewed ranged in age from late teens to the fifties. The study identified two distinct family types employing marital violence. Type I families relied upon a father as the ultimate authority figure and used violence to establish and maintain hierarchical control of family members. Individuals in Type I families used violence to express anger or to react to stress. These families emphasized individual identity over family identity. It is concluded that the children from these two types of families need different types of help in adjusting to their family environment and the larger social world. 27 references.