Learning From Youth Exposed to Domestic Violence: Decentering DV and the Primacy of Gender Stereotypes

Abstract

Up to 8 million American children witness domestic violence (DV) every year. Since this discovery in the mid-1980s, psychologists and social service professionals have conducted research with children exposed to DV. This ethnographic study expands on existing research by examining how youth exposed to DV perceive their experiences and staff interventions. Findings show they draw on gender stereotypes for behaviors, and these frequently resist DV education and the advocates' suggestions for coping. Findings also showed the staff's formal interventions with the youth contradict gender norms and their casual interactions with the youth often inadvertently reinforce stereotypical gender identities and behaviors.

The Role of Parental Maltreatment and Parental Social Control on Self-Reported Violent Offending in Indonesia and the U.S.: Does Gender Make a Difference?

“…Gender also plays a role in how exposure to violence affects subsequent behavior. Studies have shown that youths who witness violence behave in gender-typical ways [43] where males are more likely than females to justify violent behaviors [44]. However, previous research has also shown that females tend to be more negatively affected by changes in the parent-child relationship than males [45].…”

Hope, Agency, and the Lived Experience of Violence: A Qualitative Systematic Review of Children’s Perspectives on Domestic Violence and Abuse

“…193). Phillips and Phillips (2010) also discuss gender and DVA and observe that the DVA advocates they interviewed: " . .…”

A gender-based approach to developing a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight intervention for diverse Utah women

“…Sex differences have been studied and documented for many health problems, including heart disease (Azad, Kathiravelu, Minoosepeher, Hebert, & Fergusson, 2011;Claassen, Sybrandy, Appelman, & Asselbergs, 2012;Lawton, 2011), hypertension (Beigh & Jain, 2012;Mounier-Vehier et al, 2012), diabetes (Sekerija et al, 2012), autoimmune disease (Oertelt-Prigione, 2012;Quintero, Amador-Patarroyo, Montoya-Ortiz, Rojas-Villarraga, & Anaya, 2012) and Alzheimer's disease (Sinforiani et al, 2010). The majority of studies of gender roles and norms and their impact on specific health conditions have been generally limited to reproductive health, domestic violence and mental health (Boileau et al, 2008;Collins, von Unger, & Armbrister, 2008;Ghanotakis, Peacock, & Wilcher, 2012;Kerrigan, Andrrinopoulos, Chung, Glass, & Ellen, 2008;Mantell et al, 2009;Paek, Lee, Salmon, & Witte, 2008;Phillips & Phillips, 2010;Wagner, Yates, & Walcott, 2012;Zuo et al, 2012). Less is known about the impact of gender on health behaviors, specifically in the area of obesity and lifestyle factors that influence healthy weight, such as diet (Costanzo, Musante, Friedman, Kern, & Tomlinson, 1999;Fagerli & Wandel, 1999;Frank et al, 2009;Gavin, Fox, & Grandy, 2011;Gray, Cinciripini, & Cinciripini, 1995) and physical activity (Butt, Weinberg, Breckon, & Claytor, 2011;Frank et al, 2009;Gavin et al, 2011;Langer et al, 2009;McLaren, Godley, & MacNairn, 2009;Sjogren, Hansson, & Stjernberg, 2011;…”