Sari Lepistö

Adolescents’ experiences of coping with domestic violence

AIM This paper is a report of a study of experiences of domestic violence and coping among ninth-grade (14-17 years old) adolescents. BACKGROUND Domestic violence is commonplace and adolescents are involved in it either as witnesses or victims. Research has shown that different degrees of domestic violence play a major role in adolescent well-being and coping. METHOD A survey of ninth graders in one municipality in Finland was conducted in 2007. A total of 1393 adolescents participated, giving a 78% response rate. The survey included two validated scales, the Violence Scale and the Adolescent Coping Scale. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine coping among adolescents with and without experience of domestic violence. RESULTS Sixty-seven per cent of adolescents had experienced parental symbolic aggression, 55% mild violence and 9% serious violence. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that experiences of violence were associated with deterioration in self-rated health, life satisfaction, adolescent giving in when in a conflict situation, approval of corporal punishment and coping by seeking to belong and self-blame. Those with experience of domestic violence did not seek professional help. CONCLUSION Adolescents experiencing domestic violence do not seek help and care providers should therefore take active measures to help them. These adolescents reported that they were satisfied with life, which makes it difficult to identify their need for help. Resources should be developed to identify and help these adolescents.

Ethical issues in family violence research in healthcare settings

Research ethics is always important. However, it is especially crucial with sensitive research topics such as family violence. The aim of this article is to describe and discuss some crucial issues regarding intimate partner violence and child maltreatment, based on the authors’ own research experiences. We focus on and discuss examples concerning the definition of family violence, research design, ethical approval, participant recruitment and safety and data collection and processing. During the research process, the significance of teamwork is emphasized. Support provided by the participants to each other and support given by experienced researchers within the team is very important for high ethical standards.

Subjective Well-Being in Finnish Adolescents Experiencing Family Violence

This article describes the relationship between adolescent subjective well-being and experiences of family violence reported by a sample of 14- to 17-year-old adolescents living in one Finnish municipality (N = 1,393). Survey results found that experiences of family violence were common. The logistic regression model showed that experiences of violence were associated with adolescents’ feeling of inner disequilibrium and markedly strong relationships with friends. In additional, adolescents who experienced family violence rated their health as poorer than adolescents from nonviolent homes. They also surprisingly reported being satisfied with their life and did not necessarily identify their need for help. Although adolescents are resilient and have some resources to cope with violence, nurses and other professionals should attend more carefully to adolescents’ reports of health and behavioral problems and assess for the presence of family violence and school bullying.

Tulevien vanhempien alkoholinkäyttö raskausaikana

Tutkimuksessa kuvataan tulevien vanhempien alkoholinkayttoa raskausaikana. Tutkimusaineisto kerattiin vuoden 2012 aikana lastaan odottavilta tulevilta aideilta ja heidan puolisoiltaan. Tutkimukseen osallistui 380 perhetta. Tutkimusaineistoa kasiteltiin ristiintaulukoinnin avulla ja kuvattiin tarkastelemalla vastausten frekvensseja seka prosenttiosuuksia. Yli puolet raskaana olevista tulevista aideista kaytti alkoholia raskausaikana. Suurin osa raskausaikana alkoholia kayttavista naisista kaytti alkoholia harvoin ja pienia maaria kerralla, vaikka lahes neljannes kaytti kerralla vahintaan kolme alkoholiannosta. Runsaasti alkoholia raskausaikana kaytti lahes viisi prosenttia tulevista aideista. Enemmisto puolisoista kaytti alkoholia kohtuullisesti. Lahes puolet kaytti alkoholia korkeintaan kerran kuukaudessa ja hieman yli puolet kaytti kerralla yksi–nelja alkoholiannosta. Runsaasti alkoholia kaytti noin seitseman prosenttia puolisoista ja reilu 12 prosenttia heista oli raittiita. Tulevien vanhempien arviot toistensa alkoholin kaytosta olivat melko yhtenevaiset. Vanhempien kanssa on tarkea keskustella alkoholinkaytosta, sen vaikutuksista lapsiin ja mahdollisista haitoista lapselle ja perheen arjelle esimerkiksi neuvolassa. Raskaana olevien naisten alkoholinkayton yleisyytta tulisi myos kartoittaa laajemmin Suomessa. Olisi myos mielenkiintoista selvittaa, miksi suomalaiset naiset kayttavat alkoholia raskausaikana, vaikka virallisissa ohjeistuksissa tulevia aiteja ohjeistetaan pidattaytymaan alkoholista raskausaikana.

471 The family health, functioning and child maltreatment risk of families expecting a baby

Background The purpose of this study is to describe the family health, functioning, social support and the child maltreatment risk and associations between them in families expecting a baby. It is crucial for welfare of children, to find families needing special support before the pattern of maltreatment has been developed within the family. Methods The child maltreatment risk in families was measured using the Child Abuse Potential Scale (CAP). Health, functioning and social support were measured using the Family Health, Functioning and Social Support Scale (FAFHES). Data were collected from mothers and spouses at 30 weeks of pregnancy. Data were analysed by multivariate logistic modelling for explaining the child maltreatment risk level of families and for examining the associations between health, functioning, social support and the risk level. Results Data included 380 families, 136 of them were expecting their first baby and 78 families had an increased risk for child maltreatment. Heightened risk was associated with the age of the spouse, the mother’s education, the mental health problems of the spouse’s father, the mother’s concern about her spouse’s drinking, and the mother’s difficulties in talking about the family’s problems. Child maltreatment risk was associated with family functioning and health. Families with risk received a little less support from maternity clinics. Conclusions Families with child maltreatment risk and related factors were found. This knowledge can be applied for supporting families both during pregnancy and after the baby is born. The research continues as a part of Family Violence Research Project, by assessing the possible changes in family situation, while the baby is about 12 months of age.