Andrée Fortin

Taking Child Abuse and Mothering Into Account Intersectional Feminism as an Alternative for the Study of Domestic Violence

Feminist scholars have been engaged in an ongoing debate to determine which theoretical perspective offers the best framework for understanding domestic violence, and this debate has been crystallized around two pole positions: radical and postmodern feminism. This article presents a journey throughout the development of a theoretical perspective for the study of domestic violence, child abuse, and mothering. It argues that the intersectional feminist perspective has much to offer these debates and that it constitutes a promising theoretical framework for understanding domestic violence that takes into account issues of child abuse and mothering.

Preventing the Psychological Maltreatment of Children

Psychological violence and other forms of psychological abuse constitute the most frequent type of child maltreatment within the family setting. To effectively prevent psychological maltreatment, answers to four questions must be provided: First, what is the nature and scope of the problem (what to prevent)? Second, toward whom should intervention be directed (who is at risk)? Third, in what situations or milieus is the problem most likely to be observed (where should intervention be targeted)? Finally, which preventive strategies are the most effective (how to intervene)? This article addresses these questions and identifies both the challenges and resources available for intervention, primarily by focusing on the risk and protection factors associated with the psychological maltreatment of children.

Children's Appraisals as Mediators of the Relationship between Domestic Violence and Child Adjustment

This study examines the relationships among variables that were likely to mediate the effects of exposure to domestic violence on children’s internalizing problems (i.e., children’s appraisals of domestic violence and their perceptions of family relationships). The study was conducted with 79 children exposed to domestic violence, including 41 boys and 38 girls, aged between 9 and 12 years old. Indicators used for children’s appraisals of violence were attribution of blame and perceived threat. Children’s perceptions of family relationships were based on their levels of parentification and the degree of their loyalty conflicts. A path analysis was used to verify the predictive model’s pathways and to test the multiple mediator effects. Findings confirm the contribution of mediating variables and also reflect the association between self-blame and children’s parentification. The results stress the relevance of evaluating the combined role of different potential mediators to provide a better understanding of the impact of domestic violence on children.

Men's recognition of violence against women and spousal abuse: Comparison of three groups of men

Our goal was to assess whether men in the following three groups differ in their ability to recognize and judge the severity of diverse forms of aggressive behavior: (a) men who reported being physically aggressive toward their spouses and who were entering treatment for domestic violence; (b) men who, after participating in a treatment program, were no longer physically violent; and (c) men who reported never having been physically violent towards their spouses (NPV group—non–physically violent). All 81 men in the study reported being verbally aggressive toward their spouses. Men who had been in treatment for spousal abuse and who had not been physically violent toward their spouses since finishing the program were better able than the other two groups to recognize emotionally abusive behaviors.

Establishing a Relationship Between Behavior and Cognition: Violence Against Women and Children within the Family

The goal of our study is to determine whether a person’s cognitions regarding violence against women and violence against children within the family are associated with recourse to violent behavior toward them; and (2) the extent to which an adult who has a narrow conception of violence against women also has a narrow conception of, tolerant attitudes toward, and biased attributions with regard to violence toward children. Thirty men and 32 women took part in the study. Generally speaking, respondents more easily recognized physical aggression than psychological aggression, rated it more severely, and used it more often against their children than their spouses. Further, cognitions regarding violence against women and of parental violence against children appear to be strongly associated. Our results also suggest that the conception of violence toward women is associated with violence toward children.

Minimal Modeling Input and Progress towards Conservation Mastery

Summary Conservation learning when modeled judgments were not supplemented with justifications was studied as a function of acquisition criteria, models statements, and activity requested from observers. Seventy-two noncon-servers (5.9–7.5 years, from both sexes) observed a model adding to or not adding to conservation judgment acknowledgement of perceptual differences and judgment repetition. During observation Ss had to justify or not justify modeled judgments. Immediate and seven-week delayed posttests followed. Models statement and observers activity yielded equivalent but limited and unstable generalization. Higher acquisition correlated with the ability to justify modeled judgments during observation. Results are attributed to differential prior mastery of cognitive competencies related to conservation.