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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study by Giller was to investigate the incidence of violence among Jewish families within the context of conflict between ideals of what should be and the realities of what actually exist in family life as an ongoing source of tension and potential violence in the American Jewish family.
METHODOLOGY:
A non-experimental exploratory design was employed using secondary data based on a study from 1980 of Jewish Family Violence, under the auspices of Hebrew Union College and the University of Southern California. A survey of active members of L.A. synagogues was the basis for the study. There were 209 respondents. Violence was defined to incorporate the entire range of family violence, including sibling violence, spousal abuse, and child abuse. Demographic variables used to determine the distribution of violence included income, gender, education, marital status, country of origin, and whether the subjects were orthodox, reform, or conservative. Frequencies were reported and clinical implications addressed.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
From 209 respondents, a total of 22 spousal abuse and 118 child abuse cases were revealed. Four cases of sexual abuse and 11 cases of social isolation were reported. There were 129 incidents of siblings striking one another. Findings indicated that the high level of violence which exists in the general community also occurs in the Jewish community. Also, violence was not a phenomenon confined to any one segment of the Jewish community. No difference was found in the amount of violence reported by reform, orthodox or conservative Jews. Variables including gender, education, marital status, and country of origin revealed no differences between those who were involved in the violence and those who were not. The only demographic information which showed a difference was income. It was found that those respondents with higher incomes were more likely to be involved with intrafamilial violence. It was found that there was a high correlation between violence done to the respondent with violence done by the respondent. In addition, when violence done by the respondent was correlated with violence done by other family members to one another, an equally high association emerged. This indicated that Jews transmit family violence from one generation to the next. Additionally, the psychosocial stressors that impact a family also had a powerful impact on generational transmission of family violence. (i.e. the Holocaust) As a direct result of this study, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles initiated The Family Violence Project, a program to reach out to and treat Jews involved with Jewish family violence.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
Implications of the study, according to the author, included addressing issues of physical safety for the woman and her children. Jewish components of the problem must also be addressed. The use of individual therapy, both supportive and psychodynamically-oriented, is also indicated. Groups for woman that include other Jewish women can help clients to lessen the shame, isolation and stigma induced by societal stereotypes. Services for abusers and children must also be provided. Initial interventions with abusive men must be behavioral. Services to children of abused women should be included, making the therapist available to validate the children's experience and help them to label it. Family intervention and groups are also useful tools for children. Couples therapy is not indicated until each partner has been in group treatment and controls have been put in place to allow for protection from violence. Communication problems must be addressed, as well as issues stemming from families of origin, especially if they were violent or abusive. In general, authors conclude that violence intervention must be informed by the cultural context of Judaism.
EVALUATION:
The contribution of the article is clearly practitioner-oriented. The specific suggestions for Jewish women and families could prove helpful in the Jewish context, but the general message of cultural situatedness of approaches to violence intervention is also a point that should be taken. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - California
KW - Religious Factors
KW - Jewish
KW - Domestic Violence Causes
KW - Spouse Abuse Causes
KW - Violence Against Women
KW - Sibling Violence Causes
KW - Child Abuse Causes
KW - Child Physical Abuse Causes
KW - Psychosocial Factors
KW - Ethnicity
KW - Sociocultural Factors
KW - Family Ideology
KW - Domestic Violence Perceptions
KW - Spouse Abuse Perceptions
KW - Child Abuse Perceptions |