Discuss the Relative Discuss the Relative Effectiveness of Two Strategies Effectiveness of Two Strategies

for Reducing Violencefor Reducing Violence

We will focus on Intimate Partner Violence as the example of violence

Questions for Questions for DiscussionDiscussion

1. List all possible sociocultural factors for violence.

2. Consider two ways to reduce violence3. Discuss and evaluate these strategies

Intimate Partner Intimate Partner ViolenceViolence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse that occurs between two people in a close relationship.

The term “intimate partner” includes current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV exists along a continuum from a single episode of violence to ongoing battering.

Intimate Partner Intimate Partner ViolenceViolence

IPV includes four types of behavior:

• Physical abuse is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, burning, or other physical force.

• Sexual abuse is forcing a partner to take part in a sex act when the partner does not consent.

• Threats of physical or sexual abuse include the use of words, gestures, weapons, or other means to communicate the intent to cause harm.

• Emotional abuse is threatening a partner or his or her possessions or loved ones, or harming a partner’s sense of self-worth.

Understanding Understanding Domestic ViolenceDomestic Violence

• Domestic violence has been part of the fabric of many societies and cultures worldwide—it is so commonplace, in fact, that it has often gone unnoticed and failed to receive the level of concern it deserves in light of the devastating effects it can have on children and families.

IPV PreventionIPV Prevention• Prevention requires understanding

the circumstances and factors that influence violence. CDC uses a four-level, social ecological model to better understand violence and potential strategies for prevention.

• This model considers the complex interplay between individual, relationship, community, and societal factors, and allows us to address risk and protective factors from multiple domains.

IPV PreventionIPV Prevention

Theories of violent Theories of violent preventionprevention

•Individual Level•Relationship Level•Community Level•Societal Level

Individual level Individual level prevention strategiesprevention strategies

• Individual-level influences are personal history factors that increase the likelihood of becoming an IPV victim or perpetrator.

• Examples include attitudes and beliefs that support IPV, isolation, and a family history of violence.

Individual level Individual level prevention strategiesprevention strategies

• Prevention strategies at this level are often designed to promote attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that support intimate partnerships based on mutual respect and trust. Specific approaches may include education and life skills training.

Life skills trainingLife skills training• LifeSkills Training (LST) is an evidence-

based substance abuse and violence prevention program designed to be implemented in counseling and therapy sessions.

• LST incorporates age-appropriate and culturally relevant information, facilitated discussion, and structured activities in 30 class sessions across 3 years.

• LST was developed by Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin, Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry.

Life skills trainingLife skills trainingLife skills that are emphasized in this program include:

o Belief in nonviolent conflict resolution.o Effective communication skills.o Ability to negotiate and adjust to stress. o Belief in partner’s right to autonomy.o Shared decision-making.

Effectiveness of Life Effectiveness of Life skills trainingskills training

• Short-term effects found in the research studies indicate significant reductions in schemas for violent behavior (Botvin et al., 1980a; 1980b; 1990; 1997; 2001).

• In several of these studies, exposure to the LST curriculum also led to positive shifts in self-efficacy, and anti-violent attitudes and knowledge. Furthermore, the program has positive short-term effects on delinquency and violence (Botvin et al., 2006).

Effectiveness of Life Effectiveness of Life skills trainingskills training

• Long-term effects found in the research studies indicate less effectiveness over time and lapses into problematic behavior.

• Discussion point: Why would this strategy be ineffective over a long period of time?

Societal Level Societal Level StrategiesStrategies

• The societal level looks at the broad societal factors that help create a climate in which violence is encouraged or inhibited. 

• These factors include social and cultural norms. Other large societal factors include the health, economic, educational and social policies that help to maintain economic or social inequalities between groups in society.

Societal Level Societal Level Strategies ExamplesStrategies Examples

• A national media campaign including TV, radio, newspaper, and Internet methods of communication to create awareness and change the way people think about violence.• Statewide legislation that provides tax incentives to businesses that partner with school districts to provide learning-based technology and other academic resources in disadvantaged communities.

Societal Level Societal Level StrategiesStrategies

Comprehensive interventions deal with the community as a whole or with multiple subgroups of the population, have several components, and are designed to effect social change by creating an enabling environment for changing individual attitudes and behavior.

Societal Level Societal Level StrategiesStrategies

Objectives may include improvement of societal norms for communication and relationship skills, promotion of equitable gender norms and respect for rights (especially women’s rights), encouraging bystanders to speak out and act to prevent violence, and challenging the social norms and individual beliefs at the root of intimate-partner violence and sexual violence.

Effectiveness of Effectiveness of Societal Level Societal Level

StrategiesStrategiesLessons learned from community-based approaches are as follows: •Such approaches are most effective when there is community ownership, repeated exposure to ideas through multiple channels over time, and multiple components delivered in different community settings (e.g. combining media outreach with group education).

•Research also suggests that this is often the most difficult level to implement effectively.

Effectiveness of Life Effectiveness of Life skills trainingskills training

• Short-term effects found in the research studies indicate little reductions in societal schemas for violent behavior (Botvin et al., 2001;).

• Longitudinal case studies suggest that societal changes are not immediate and outcomes are rarely seen short term. (Botvin et al., 2006).

Effectiveness of Life Effectiveness of Life skills trainingskills training

• Short-term effects found in the research studies indicate little reductions in societal schemas for violent behavior (Botvin et al., 2001;).

• Longitudinal case studies suggest that societal changes are not immediate and outcomes are rarely seen short term. (Botvin et al., 2006).

Effectiveness of Life Effectiveness of Life skills trainingskills training

• Long-term effects found in the research studies indicate significant reductions in societal schemas for violent behavior (Botvin, 2001).

• It is important to note that research is limited on societal level effectiveness of violence prevention.

Discussion pointsDiscussion points• Changes in behavior at the individual level

cannot be sustained without an enabling social environment; therefore attention must be given to fostering social change and not only change in individuals.

• Much work is needed to determine the effectiveness of various policy and structural approaches, which have different characteristics to those of programs delivered to individuals and groups.

Discussion pointsDiscussion points• Prevention efforts at all levels of the

ecological model are required to produce systemic and long-lasting changes that will reduce the rates of intimate-partner violence and sexual violence.

• Cultural differences must be considered and applied at all levels in order to effectively prevent IPV.