Derek Truscott

Intergenerational transmission of violent behavior in adolescent males

The purpose of this study was to examine the intergenerational influence of experiencing parental violence on the expression of violent behavior in adolescent males and to attempt to assess the importance of psychological mechanisms in this transmission. Sixty-five consecutive male admissions to a Young Offenders Unit and 25 male high school boys were administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory, an intelligence test, and a violence questionnaire. Violent behavior in adolescence was found to be associated with experiencing paternal violence. This transmission was also found to be associated with higher levels of psychotic symptomatology. Violent behavior in adolescence was not found to be associated with maternal violence experienced or parental violence witnessed or with low self-esteem, externalizing defences, or internalizing defences. VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study by Truscott was to prove that violent male adolescents from violent families have lower self-esteem, employ fewer internalizing defenses and more externalizing defenses, and exhibit more psychotic symptoms than adolescents who did not come from violent families and non-violent adolescents who did come from violent families. This study also sought to prove that adolescents who witness or experience greater levels of familial violence are more likely to be violent themselves. METHODOLOGY: This was a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional study of 104 inpatient offenders referred to a Treatment and Assessment Unit at Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada for court assessment over an 8 month period. The control group consisted of 10th grade students from an Edmonton Catholic high school who were in psychology or law classes and who chose to participate (65%). Both the experimental and control groups completed several survey instruments. The experimental group was given Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale tests, while the control group was given the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery. All subjects completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPI), Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), and Conflict Tactics Scale. The subjects were divided into four groups: (1) violent subject, violent family (n=29), (2) violent subject, non-violent family (n=13), (3) non-violent subject, violent family (n=21), and (4) non-violent subject, non-violent family (n=27). In the experimental group, females, illiterates, and ten subjects who refused to participate in the assessment and ten others with inaccurate MMPIs were excluded. The final experimental group consisted of 65 subjects. Females were also excluded from the control group. Two males whose protocols were incomplete were also excluded. The final control sample size was 25. The two groups were of similar average age (15.7 and 16.4 years), socioeconomic status (3.5 and 3.1), and IQ (101.4 and 94.2). While none of the control group participants came from violent families, six of the subjects were violent. Subjects were defined as violent if they had hit someone with a fist or object, kicked, bit, or threatened another person with a gun or knife, or beat someone up 3-5 times in the last year. Subjects had witnessed violence if they had seen the same acts as above two or more times. Subjects had experienced violence if they had been the victim of the above acts, even if they had only been beaten up once. To test the first hypothesis, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) with the MMPI and SEI scores as dependent variables was done to determine whether violent adolescents who have experienced parental violence have more self-esteem, defense problems, and psychotic symptomology than the other three groups. To test the second hypothesis, multiple regression analyses were done with adolescent physical violence scores being entered as the dependent variable. Witnessing and experiencing parental physical violence and verbal aggression scores were the independent variables. Adjustments for age, IQ, and socioeconomic status were made. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The hypothesis that violence is transmitted intergenerationally was supported, and psychological mechanisms are a part of this phenomena. In addition, violent juveniles from violent families were found to have more psychotic symptoms than non-violent adolescents from non-violent families. However, violent juveniles who have been physically abused did not have lower self-esteem, use fewer internalizing defenses, or use more externalizing defenses. Thus, the first hypothesis was only partially supported. The second half of the study found that violent adolescents who had experienced parental violence were significantly (P KW - Foreign Countries KW - Canada KW - Domestic Violence Effects KW - Domestic Violence Victim KW - Witnessing Spouse Abuse KW - Witnessing Violence Effects KW - Intergenerational Transmission of Violence KW - Juvenile Violence KW - Juvenile Offender KW - Juvenile Victim KW - Juvenile Male KW - Juvenile Witness KW - Male Witness KW - Male Violence KW - Male Victim KW - Male Offender KW - Violence Causes KW - Psychological Victimization Effects KW - Child Abuse Effects KW - Child Abuse Victim KW - Child Physical Abuse Victim KW - Child Physical Abuse Effects KW - Child Abuse-Violence Link KW - Children of Battered Women KW - Partner Violence KW - Violence Against Women KW - Spouse Abuse Effects

Vicarious Traumatization and Burnout Among Therapists Working with Sex Offenders

Ninety-one Canadian therapists (49 women and 42 men, mean age 41 years) working primarily with sex offenders were surveyed to determine the presence of vicarious trauma, identify mitigating variables if present and assess its relationship to burnout. Participants completed a 24-item demographic questionnaire, the Traumatic Stress Institute Belief Scale - Revision L, the Impact of Event Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Contrary to expectations, participants did not exhibit significantly higher degrees of vicarious traumatization than a criterion reference group of mental health professionals. Participants who reported having a venue to address the personal impact of their work were found to be more likely to score lower on the measure of vicarious trauma than those who did not. Other variables theorized to be related to vicarious trauma were not found to be related to scores on the measure assessing vicarious trauma. Twenty four percent of the sample was found to have a moderate to severe stress r...

Tarasoff in the Canadian context: Wenden and the duty to protect.

The precedent-setting 1976 US court decision of Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California established a “duty to protect” whereby psychotherapists are held responsible to protect the potential victims of their clients’ violent behaviour. The purpose of this article is to review and discuss this duty in the context of Canadian law and the 1991 Alberta court decision of Wenden v. Trikha, Royal Alexandra Hospital and Yaltho. The current Canadian interpretation of the duty to protect and guidelines for avoiding such liability are presented.

Perceptual reactance and criminal risk-taking

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differential perception of criminal risk by individuals identified as Reducers, Augmenters and Moderates according to their tendency to subjectively alter perceived size. Serious young offenders of both sexes have been found to be overly represented by Reducers. One possible explanation for this is that Reducers, who have a greater tolerance for pain, are less aware of the experiencing of pain by others, rendering them likely to perceive potentially criminal situations as less risky than do Augmenters. The Behavior Prediction Scale and Petries kinesthetic aftereffect measure of perceptual reactance were administered to 46 Ss drawn from a university undergraduate population. Reducers were found most willing to take criminal risks. Moderates unwilling to, and Augmenters least willing to. This was not due to differences in sensitivity to the experiencing of pain by others, however, contrary to expectations. The implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed. Language: en

Test of the Validity of the Vando R-A Scale

The purpose of this study was to gather evidence on the validity of the Vando R-A Scale, a paper-and-pencil measure of perceptual reactance. The Vando R-A Scale and Petries kinesthetic aftereffect measure of perceptual reactance were administered to 46 participants drawn from university undergraduates. The Vando R-A Scale was not a valid measure of perceptual reactance. The continued use of the Vando R-A Scale as an alternate measure of perceptual reactance is contraindicated.

How do Canadians rank the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists' principles?

The Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (CCEP) is organized around 4 ethical principles ranked in descending order of importance: I Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples; II Responsible Caring; III Integrity in Relationships; and IV Responsibility to Society. In situations where 2 or more principles are in conflict, psychologists are instructed to give more weight to the higher-ranked principle when deciding how to act. The current study examines how the public ranks the CCEP’s ethical principles. If Canadians endorse the CCEP’s ranking of principles, this would provide additional support for the validity of assigning them relative importance. If not, this could have implications for how psychologists are expected to use the Code. Twelve vignettes (in French and English) describing an ethical dilemma in which 2 of the 4 Principles of the CCEP were in conflict with each other were mailed to a representative sample of 322 Canadian adults, with 157 responding. Participants were asked what action they felt the psychologist ought to take in each vignette. Participants clearly favoured Principle III Integrity in Relationships above the other 3 principles. Implications and suggestions for future revisions of the CCEP are discussed. Le Code canadien d’éthique pour les psychologues (CCEP)s’ articule autour de quatre principes éthiques classés enordre décroissant d’importance : I Respect de la dignité des personnes et des peuples; II Soinsresponsables; III Intégrité dans les relations; et IV Responsabilité envers la société. Dans les situations où il y a conflit entre deuxprincipes ou plus, les psychologues doivent accorder plus de poids au principe derang supérieur lorsqu’ils décident comment agir. L’étude actuelle examine comment le public classe les principeséthiques du CCEP. Le fait que les Canadiens appuient le classement des principes du CCEP fournit un appuicomplémentaire à la validité de l’importance relative qu’on leur attribue. En l’absence d’un tel appui, cela pourrait avoir des conséquencessur la façon dont les psychologues sont censés utiliser le Code. Douze vignettes (en français et en anglais) décrivant undilemme éthique dans lequel deux des quatre principes du CCEP sont en conflit ont étéenvoyés par la poste à un échantillon représentatif de 322 adultes canadiens, desquels 157 ont répondu. On demandait aux participants de nommer la mesure que, selon eux, devrait prendre le psychologue sur chaque vignette. Les participants ont nettement favorisé le Principe III : Intégrité dans les relations, au détriment des trois autres. Les répercussions de ceci et des suggestions d’éventuelles révisionsdu CCEP sont discutées.