April Chiung-Tao Shen

Predictors of Dating Violence Among Chinese Adolescents: The Role of Gender-Role Beliefs and Justification of Violence

In Chinese societies, violence among adolescent dating partners remains a largely ignored and invisible phenomenon. The goal of this study is to examine the relationships among gender-role beliefs, attitudes justifying dating violence, and the experiences of dating-violence perpetration and victimization among Chinese adolescents. This study has used self-reporting measures to collect data from a probability sample of 976 adolescents (mean age = 15.9) in three Chinese societies: Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Research results reveal a high prevalence of dating violence (including physical violence, sexual violence, and controlling behavior) among Chinese adolescents with dating experience: the perpetration rate is 27.3% and the victimization rate is 39%. Study results demonstrate that adolescents who endorse traditional gender-role beliefs tend to view dating violence as acceptable behavior. Boys’ endorsement of traditional gender roles, boys’ attitudes justifying boy-on-girl violence, and boys’ attitudes against girl-on-boy violence predict boys’ actual sexual-violence behavior. Moreover, boys’ attitudes justifying boy-on-girl dating violence is the strongest predictor of boys’ perpetration of physical and sexual dating violence. This study also shows that boys’ hostility is a significant predictor of boys’ controlling behavior. Programs for preventing dating violence should include components designed to challenge traditional gender-role beliefs and attitudes justifying dating violence.

Cultural Barriers to Help-Seeking Among Taiwanese Female Victims of Dating Violence

This article presents a qualitative analysis regarding the help-seeking behaviors of female dating-violence victims from a cultural perspective. A semistructured, in-depth interview was used to collect data from 10 female victims (aged 20-28). Findings indicate that Taiwanese dating-violence victims tend to seek informal help rather than formal help. Culturally structured help-seeking experiences center around six primary themes: (a) self-reliant culture, (b) personal and family shame, (c) secretive and sexual dating relationships, (d) fear of negative reactions from others, (e) unfamiliarity with available resources, and (f) revictimization in seeking help. Understanding cultural meanings and barriers encountered in help-seeking behaviors is an important step in effectively assisting victims of dating violence.

Associations between child maltreatment, PTSD, and internet addiction among Taiwanese students

This study examines (1) the associations between multiple types of child maltreatment and Internet addiction, and (2) the mediating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on these associations. We collected data from a national proportionately stratified random sample of 6233 fourth-grade students in Taiwan in 2014. We conducted bivariate correlations and sets of multiple regression analyses to examine the associations between multiple types of maltreatment (5 types in total) and Internet addiction, and to identify the mediating role of PTSD. The results reveal that being male and experiencing abuse (psychological neglect, physical neglect, paternal physical violence, sexual violence) were associated with increased risk among children of developing PTSD and Internet addiction. Moreover, PTSD mediated the associations between multiple types of maltreatment (except maternal physical violence) and Internet addiction. This study demonstrates (1) the effects of multiple types of maltreatment on the PTSD and Internet addiction of children and (2) the importance of early prevention and intervention in addressing related public-health concerns. Being male and multiple types of maltreatment were associated with PTSD and Internet addiction.PTSD mediated the associations between multiple types of maltreatment and Internet addiction.Maternal and paternal physical violence work differently on childrens risk for Internet addiction.Internet addiction can be a maladaptive coping strategy for children who suffered from maltreatment and PTSD.

Physical Conditions and Special Needs as Risk Factors of Peer Victimization Among School Children in Taiwan

Students with physical symptoms and diseases may be at an increased risk of peer victimization. This study examined the associations of several medical conditions (obesity, asthma, allergy, epilepsy, and diabetes) with experience of physical, verbal, and relational victimization among children. A sample of 6,233 fourth-grade students from 314 elementary schools in Taiwan was recruited for the analysis. The mean age of the sample was 10.5, with an even distribution of gender (50.3% male and 49.7% female). Children with asthma, allergy, and epilepsy reported higher frequencies of peer victimization. Those who took daily medications or received treatment were also at a higher risk of being victimized. Diabetes and obesity were not found to be associated with peer victimization. The findings highlighted that children with physical conditions suffer maltreatment from peers. Sensitivity training should be provided to school health professionals, so they can evaluate the risk of victimization among students with special needs during assessment.

Dating Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Taiwanese College Students: The Roles of Cultural Beliefs

This study has examined the effects that young adults’ experience of dating-violence victimization can have on their manifestation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. This study has also examined the possible roles that cultural beliefs can play in dating-violence experience, coping choices, and PTSD symptoms. This study has used self-reporting measures to collect data from a nationally stratified random sample of 1,018 college students in Taiwan. Results demonstrate that college students who had experienced dating-violence victimization reported higher levels of PTSD symptoms than those who had not. The results reveal that psychological-violence victimization and cultural beliefs have direct and indirect effects on PTSD symptoms via the mediation of young adults’ use of emotion-focused coping strategies. Greater frequencies of psychological-violence victimization were associated with a greater use of emotion-focused coping, which was in turn associated with increases in PTSD symptoms. This study illustrates that traditional Chinese beliefs have played significant roles in exacerbating the risk for dating violence and PTSD, and in shaping victims’ coping choices with dating violence.

What Really Matters: The Demographic Versus Relationship in Marital Satisfaction

This study aims to examine the relative importance of demographics and relationship predictors of marital satisfaction among Taiwanese couples. Quantitative data was collected from a probability sample of 226 married couples from eight major cities in Taiwan. The hierarchical multiple regression analyses confirmed the hypothesis that subjective marital relationship evaluations are more powerful predictors of marital satisfaction than are the demographic characteristics among Taiwanese couples.

Beliefs about wife beating among social work students in Taiwan

Based on an integrative framework, this study addresses the beliefs that a group of social work students from Taiwan had about wife beating. A self-administered questionnaire was filled out by 790 students (76.5% female, 23.5% male) spanning all 4 years of undergraduate studies. The results show that male students exhibited a greater tendency than their female counterparts to justify wife beating and to hold battered women responsible for violence against them. This tendency was also found among students who held traditional attitudes toward women, students who held patriarchal expectations of marriage, and students who had witnessed interparental violence in childhood. In addition, male students and students with traditional attitudes toward women exhibited the strongest tendency to believe that wives benefit from beating. Conversely, female students expressed more willingness than their male counterparts to help battered women, as did students who held liberal attitudes toward women and students who held egalitarian expectations of marriage. Furthermore, female students and those with liberal attitudes toward women tended to hold violent husbands responsible for their behavior, and to express support for punishing violent husbands. This article concludes with a discussion of the study’s limitations and the results’ implications for future research on the topic.

Who Gets Protection? A National Study of Multiple Victimization and Child Protection Among Taiwanese Children

This study aims to examine the prevalence of multiple types of child victimization and the effects of multiple types of victimization on children’s mental health and behavior in Taiwan. The study also examines the child-protection rate and its correlates among children experiencing various types of victimization. This study collected data with a self-report questionnaire from a national proportionately stratified sample of 6,233 fourth-grade students covering every city and county in Taiwan in 2014. After calculating the 1-year prevalence of child victimization, the study found that bullying was the most prevalent (71%), followed by physical neglect (66%), psychological violence (43%), inter-parental violence (28%), community violence (22%), physical abuse (21%), and sexual violence (9%). As the number of victimization types increased, children were more likely to report greater posttraumatic symptoms, psychiatric symptoms, suicide ideation, self-harm thoughts, and violent behaviors. Gender, neonatal status, parental marital status, and other family risks were significantly associated with elevated incidences of the victimization types. Only 20.6% of the children who had experienced all seven types of victimization had received child protective services. A child was more likely to receive child protective services if he or she had experienced sexual violence, community violence, inter-parental violence exposure, higher family risks, higher suicidal ideation, or living in a single-parent or separated family. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the cumulative effects and the harmful effects that children’s experience of multiple types of victimization can have on the children’s mental health and behavior. The present findings also raise alarms regarding the severity of under-serving in child-victimization cases. These results underscore the importance of assessing, identifying, and helping children with multiple victimization experiences.

Same Marriage; Two Realities: Gender Differences in Marriage

This study aimed to examine gender differences in marriage among Taiwanese couples. Quantitative and cross-sectional data were collected from a community sample of 100 married couples in Taiwan. In general, the Taiwanese participants (85%) expressed satisfaction with their marriage, with men reporting higher satisfaction levels than women. Moreover, the correlation between husband and wife on how they view their relationship in various aspects of their marriage was significant, but it was a low or moderate correlation. This study echoes with previous western findings and demonstrates that there are gender differences in marriage. Husbands and wives have different levels of marital satisfaction.