Development of Family Violence as a Field of Study and Contributors to Family and Community Violence Among Low-Income Fathers

• NCJ Number: 196850
• Journal: Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 7 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2002 Pages: 499-511
• Author(s): Robert M. Brown III
• Date Published: September 2002
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This article provides an overview of the development of family violence as a field of study and discusses selected factors that can contribute to family and community violence among low-income fathers.

Abstract

Scientific investigations of family violence in the United States have been conducted only since the 1960's. An article on child abuse by Kempe, Silverman, Steele, Droegemueller, and Silver (1962) became a catalyst for the investigation of child abuse by the scientific community. The discovery of wife abuse and woman battering by women's groups and grassroots efforts occurred during the early 1970's. What has been learned over the last several decades is that the processes and circumstance by which family violence can occur are complex, multidimensional, and cut across gender, race, and class. This article reviews the methodological approaches to the study of family and community violence, followed by an analysis of the contributors to family and community violence among low-income fathers. The link of substance abuse to family and community violence is discussed in a separate section, followed by a review of the impact of poverty on low-income fathers. The author advises that low-income fathers need to be supported financially, emotionally, and spiritually. They also need to be affirmed for the important and significant roles they play and the contributions they make in the lives of their children, as well as for the roles that they can play and the contributions that they can make. Recommendations relate to commitments to greater researcher involvement for the purpose of informing policy; resources for low-income fathers through community-based organizations and other advocacy groups; greater access for services that can reduce poverty; reinvestment in families; and the development of culturally competent treatment programs. 48 references