Geneviève Lessard

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.

Coping Strategies Among Couples Adjusting to Primary Breast Cancer

Abstract In psychosocial oncology social support is a recognized factor in facilitating adaptation to cancer. Spouses are often the first source of support for each other. However, the adaptation process of couples dealing with cancer has been little explored. This article presents the results of a qualitative study carried out with 16 couples, in each of which the woman had breast cancer. The goal of this study was to better understand the manner in which the couple as a dyad deals with the disruptions and demands related to the disease and its treatments. This report highlights the principal issues that confront couples in the first year after diagnosis and the adjustment strategies they use to deal with these issues. A theoretical understanding of the adjustment process of couples dealing with breast cancer emerges as a result of this study.

Co-occurrence of intimate partner violence and child sexual abuse: prevalence, risk factors and related issues

This article proposes a review of the scientific literature on the cooccurrence of intimate partner violence and intrafamilial child sexual abuse. The review of these two types of violence has evolved in distinct research fields and their cooccurrence has rarely been examined. The objective of this article is to examine the existing knowledge about this cooccurrence. A systematic examination of the scientific literature in several relevant databases was conducted using combinations of 20 keywords so as to identify scientific articles, published between 2003 and 2013, that investigated this cooccurrence. The final sample comprised 10 studies. These studies revealed the presence of much heterogeneity regarding the prevalence of the cooccurrence for intimate partner violence with sexual abuse and other maltreatment (from 12% to 70%). The review also highlighted a greater risk for children to be victims of sexual abuse or other maltreatment when exposed to intimate partner violence. The implications of these results and the ensuing recommendations for practice and future research are considered in the discussion section.

From Victimization to Criminalization: General Strain Theory and the Relationship Between Poly-victimization and Delinquency

ABSTRACT Although it is well established that victimization and delinquency are related, it is not clear how this relationship works, and victims and offenders are still often studied and treated as two distinct groups. General strain theory views victimization as a form of injustice, which can give rise to anger and eventually lead to delinquency. The authors examine victimization, in particular polyvictimization, as a criminogenic factor. Based on a sample of 1,400 youths 12–17 years old in Quebec (Canada), they examine polyvictimization in relation to delinquency as well as negative emotions that can result from victimization namely anger, depression, and posttraumatic stress. The findings show support for general strain theory and highlight the importance of anger for the relationship between victimization and juvenile delinquency.

Violence sexuelle en période de guerre: une revue des études empiriques

This article reviews the state of knowledge from studies of sexual violence during armed conflict as well as their different methodologies. It reviews the existing theoretical and empirical literature on this problem, using a mix of qualitative and

Enfants et adolescents venus d'ailleurs : la violence vécue dans leur société d'accueil et les effets sur leur santé, une recension des écrits

RésuméOBJECTIF: Cette recension des écrits integrative vise à dresser un portrait global de la violence sociale vécue par les enfants et adolescents immigrants de première génération ainsi que ses effets sur leur santé et leur bien-être.MÉTHODE: Une recherche bibliographique francophone et anglophone a été réalisée dans huit bases de données, sans restrictions de dates de publication. Trente études ont été retenues. Les résultats ont été synthétisés selon trois aspects: 1) formes de violences vécues par les jeunes immigrants; 2) conditions dans lesquelles cette violence survient; 3) effets de cette violence sur leur santé et leur bien-être.RÉSULTATS: Les jeunes immigrants peuvent subir différentes formes de violence physique, verbale ou relationnelle. Elle semble être instiguée surtout par leurs pairs et a été principalement étudiée sous l’angle de la discrimination. La victimisation varierait en fonction de certains facteurs comme la composition ethnique des écoles ou le temps de résidence dans la société d’accueil. La violence serait associée à la fois à une plus grande Symptomatologie psychopathologique et à une santé mentale plus fragile. Enfin, elle serait reliée à une attitude plus négative des jeunes immigrants envers leur société d’accueil ainsi qu’une attitude plus positive envers leur propre communauté d’origine.CONCLUSION: En plus d’avoir de nombreux effets indésirables sur leur santé et leur bien-être mental et social, la violence peut s’avérer être un facteur clé dans l’expérience de marginalisation des jeunes immigrants. Nous proposons quelques pistes de recherche à explorer.AbstractOBJECTIVE: This integrative literature review aims to present a comprehensive portrayal of social violence experienced by first-generation immigrant children and adolescents, and its effects on their health and well-being.METHOD: A French and English languages literature search was conducted in eight databases, without restrictions on dates of publication. Thirty studies were selected. Results were summarized according to three aspects: 1) types of violence experienced by young immigrants; 2) conditions under which this violence occurs; 3) effects of such violence on the health and well-being of young immigrants.SYNTHESIS: Immigrant children and adolescents can experience various forms of physical, verbal, and relational violence. This violence seems to be mostly instigated by their peers and it has mainly been studied in terms of discrimination. Victimization may vary depending on factors such as ethnic composition of schools or time of residence in the host society. Violence may have many effects on mental health of immigrant youth: it is associated with both increased psychopathological symptoms and poorer mental health. Finally, the experience of violence is related to a more negative attitude of young immigrants toward their host society and a more positive attitude toward their own cultural community.CONCLUSION: In addition to its having numerous adverse effects on their mental and social health and well-being, violence may prove to be a key factor in the experience of marginalization of immigrant youth. We propose certain research avenues to explore.