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Intimate partner violence: Persistence of myths and implications for intervention

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ehrensaft, MK
Published in: Children and Youth Services Review
January 1, 2008

Since the issue of intimate partner violence first penetrated the realm of academia and policy some 30 years ago, the public has responded with the creation of hundreds of treatment centers, policy groups, advocacy groups, and public health campaigns [Pleck, J.H. (1987). The contemporary man.In,M. Scher,M. Stevens, G. Good, & G. Eichenfield, (Eds). Handbook of counseling & psychotherapy with men. (pp. 16-27). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications]. Almost all such programs are based on the first set of theories that lifted the problem of IPVinto the public realm; these center on the role of patriarchal social norms in the etiology and maintenance of partner violence [Dobash,&Dobash, (1979).Violence against wives: The case against the patriarchy. NewYork: Free Press.;Walker, L. (1989). Psychology and violence against women. American Psychologist, 44(4), 695-702]. Yet, new data accumulating from numerous rigorously designed studies challenge existing theories, and are largely overlooked or discounted. This article reviews evidence that accumulating data countering the traditional theories is not penetrating the field in several critical arenas: 1) A developmental approach to partner violence is omitted from the field's mainstream lexicon; 2) The intersection of partner violence with other forms of family and non-family violence is underrepresented; 3) Partner violence prevention programs have limited effects, because they do not integrate accumulating data on relevant risk factors (mental health, poverty, etc.), focusing instead on universal prevention and gender-based interventions. The article overviews a program of research using longitudinal research methods to test prevailing theories and assumptions about partner violence. We draw from this evidence to recommend new directions for IPV research, and urge dissemination of the most recent, and often controversial, basic research findings to practitioners and academics. © 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Published In

Children and Youth Services Review

DOI

ISSN

0190-7409

Publication Date

January 1, 2008

Volume

30

Issue

3

Start / End Page

276 / 286

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Work
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 4409 Social work
  • 1607 Social Work
  • 1402 Applied Economics
 

Citation

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Ehrensaft, M. K. (2008). Intimate partner violence: Persistence of myths and implications for intervention. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(3), 276–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.10.005
Ehrensaft, M. K. “Intimate partner violence: Persistence of myths and implications for intervention.” Children and Youth Services Review 30, no. 3 (January 1, 2008): 276–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.10.005.
Ehrensaft MK. Intimate partner violence: Persistence of myths and implications for intervention. Children and Youth Services Review. 2008 Jan 1;30(3):276–86.
Ehrensaft, M. K. “Intimate partner violence: Persistence of myths and implications for intervention.” Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 30, no. 3, Jan. 2008, pp. 276–86. Scopus, doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.10.005.
Ehrensaft MK. Intimate partner violence: Persistence of myths and implications for intervention. Children and Youth Services Review. 2008 Jan 1;30(3):276–286.
Journal cover image

Published In

Children and Youth Services Review

DOI

ISSN

0190-7409

Publication Date

January 1, 2008

Volume

30

Issue

3

Start / End Page

276 / 286

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Work
  • 4410 Sociology
  • 4409 Social work
  • 1607 Social Work
  • 1402 Applied Economics