NCJ Number
117950
Date Published
1987
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This paper presents preliminary findings from a 1985 study of violence in a nationally representative sample of 721 Hispanic families.
Abstract
Almost one out of four Hispanic households experienced an assault between married or cohabiting partners during the year, and about one out of seven Hispanic children were severely assaulted by their parents. The violence rate in Hispanic families was much greater than the rate in non-Hispanic white families. Hispanic families in the North Central States, small towns, and rural areas had the highest child abuse rate, whereas families in the Northeast and central cities had the highest spouse abuse rate. Families with low income, low status occupation of the husband, and unemployment had child and spouse abuse rates that were considerably higher than better-off families. Respondents who experienced more than an average amount of physical punishment as children had much higher rates of child and spouse abuse. Since the survey results indicate that family violence is a major threat to the integrity and well-being of Hispanic families, efforts to change these families' situations must include services to aid and protect victims, offender treatment programs, and primary abuse prevention programs. 61 references, 6 tables, 2 figures.