NCJ Number
242111
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 37 Issue: 2-3 Dated: February/March 2013 Pages: 181-199
Date Published
March 2013
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the social and individual characteristics of adolescents who are violent-free despite being raised in a family with a history of violence.
Abstract
This study examined the violence and depression resilience of a group of young people who were exposed to family violence. The study found that almost 32 percent of study participants reported being affected by family violence, with being physically abused by his or her parents occurring most often. The study also found that participants from lower socioeconomic levels or who came from migrant families reported higher levels of family violence compared to those adolescents from higher socioeconomic levels or non-migrant families. In addition, the study found that, regardless of gender, resilience in adolescents was strongly linked to the personal and relational characteristics of the adolescents and their families. The resilience supportive factors identified in the study include higher emotional self-control, seeking help to avoid violence, and talking with parents or friends about violence. These findings suggest that resilience levels in adolescents exposed to family violence can be improved through the support of constructive personal and social relationships. Data for the study were obtained in the spring of 2009 from a sample of eighth grade students, n=5,149, in 4 European Union countries who completed questionnaires dealing with occurrences of family violence. The data was analyzed using logistic regression to model the different resilience levels of the participants. Study limitations are discussed. Tables and references