Men Raised with Sisters Have Lower Rates of Domestic Violence Assault Arrests - Research Paper Example

MEN AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Table of contents ………………………………………………………………………………….....3 Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………..4 Problem statement …………………………………………………………………………... 4 Thesis statement ….……………………………………………………………………..……5 Statement of objectives …………………………………………………………..…………..5 Research questions …………………………………………………………………………..5 Hypothesis …………………………………………………………………………..….……6 Limitations of study …………………………………………………………………..….….6 Literature review …………………………………………………………………………….6 Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………...8 Research design ……………………………………………………………………………..9 Survey tools …………………………………………………………………………….……9 Target area ……………………………………………………………………………….…10 Procedures ……………………………………………………………………………….…10 Data analysis …………………………………………………………………………….…11 Expected results ………………………………………………………………………….....12 Ethics ………………………………………………………………………………………..12 Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………………13 Abstract Domestic violence and especially so the violence directed towards the women by men have been a characteristic feature within many societies across the globe as literature shows (Padilla-Walker, Harper & Jensen (2010), Chen (2003), Brody (2004) and Renner (2012)). Governments and governance structures have been seen to lead in instituting infrastructures aimed at addressing the issue with legal frameworks being shaped to administer justice to victims of such vices while at the same time working to correct the attitudes of men towards women. However, it is seen that despite such efforts to institute soundness in relations between women and men in the society, the menace increasingly disturbs social rest and thus provoking more efforts towards establishing a solution to such. It is in such efforts that this study intends to evaluate whether the presence of sisters during a mans childhood reduce the likelihood of committing domestic violence? This study will be guided by the hypothesis that ‘men raised with sisters have lower rates of domestic violence assault arrests’ and intends to use a quantitative approach to analyze the data and subsequently establish an empirical support of the relationship being investigated. This proposal will therefore will guide on the study, which will contribute in literature on the facts about early relationship of a man and sister siblings. However, cost and time constraints may affect the effectiveness and success of the study. Introduction In psychology discipline for instance, efforts have been put towards understanding the main cause of the problem in order to champion solutions that are based on understanding. In such an effort, studies have been done revolving around the link between the childhoods of men and establishing the causality effect of early interactions in shaping and influencing their behaviors in the latter days. In such an analysis, studies have been focused on understanding the possible implications of relationships between brothers and sisters in upbringing towards influencing the attitudes of men towards women. It would therefore be thought that having had close interactions to sisters in the early days of development would have a possible implication that men are not likely to make violence towards other women such as their wives in latter days. Research studies have been done in the past and show some possible relationships between the early interaction of women and men and the latter outcome of violence, by men towards women. However, there still exists the gap in the link between early girl-boy child interactions and the interactions of the two in the latter days of life. Problem statement It is a fact that the study of possible causes and solutions towards abuse of women by men have been done extensively across the globe. Nevertheless, there has not been (at least to the best of the literature reviewed here) an empirical study that have been done concerning the implications of having sisters towards the life of a man. Therefore, there exists a gap in literature and studies concerning the influence of such interactions by brothers and sisters towards influencing the character of man towards women in later years. There are only some suppositions that men who have been brought up together with sisters have lower likelihood of becoming abusive to women as compared to men who have not been socialized with women. This therefore points to the major problem that is being addressed in this study and hence explaining this study proposal. There needs to be an empirical analysis in the link between lives of women abusers at early stages of development. Thesis statement This study will focus on predefined rational in conducting the research focusing on the number of reported domestic violence in a span of one year in a state in America through which a statistical analysis of the violence that occur from men brought up alone or at least without a sister in the family. Can we establish an empirical significant relation between violence that are meted towards women at home and early childhood of men in seclusion or without interactions with sisters? Study objectives Evaluate the role played by interactions between a man and sister(s) towards influencing his attitude on women. Establish the link between effects and types of early interactions of a man and likelihood of abusing women in the latter years. Substantiate whether a man brought up together with sisters is likely to become a women abuser or otherwise. Research questions a. How are early childhood interactions of men and women likely to influence the attitude of men towards women in later years of life? b. Can the lack of or (presence of) sisters in life influence whether a man becomes abusive to women or not? c. Would domestic violence wholly be blamed on early development of men and the perceptions/attitudes developed especially by interacting with sisters? Hypothesis i. Men raised with sisters have lower rates of domestic violence assault arrests Limitations of the study Among other shortcomings of this study may be the limited time for the whole research project, problematic cost estimations as well as lack of statistical tests as this field is relatively new in research studies. Literature review Extensive studies in line with violence meted by men towards women have been done with great insights being established on possible causes, possible remedies as well as the psychology behind abuse of women by men in a society. Among other areas that have been much studied is early development of men as a possible contributor towards the attitudes developed on women. For instance, a study by Padilla-Walker, Harper & Jensen (2010) shows that presence of sisters in the family can very effectively inculcate a sense of respect and appreciation for all women in the hearts of any young boys who may be living in the house. A Seattle-based study by Padilla-Walker et al can be contributive to this research proposal because it demonstrates that sisters in a family play a huge role in the development of a child aged 10-14. The study proves that having a sister protects an adolescent from myriad negative feelings, which can later lead towards violence. Chen (2003) reasons that it is generally believed that men involved in domestic violence are self-centered and indifferent to women’s feelings. A person’s developmental process starts at home and those children in single-child families are more at risk of becoming self-centered than children who have siblings or kind and caring sisters. Chen’s article about the social influence of China’s one-child policy can be very useful for this research proposal because it can help to understand the difference in psychological state between children of one-child families and children who have siblings. This study explicates how young children who have no siblings are more at risk of developing those attitudes, which are typical of women abusers. Besides, Brody (2004) reaffirms that it is a fact that in most of the domestic violence complaints filed across the world, the assaults by men are directed at women. Brody’s study shows that healthy interactions of adolescent boys with their sister siblings, no matter if they are younger or older, can be very valuable for positive development of their pro-social behavior. Domestic violence is the exact opposite of pro-social behavior and sisters can promote this behavior to benefit others in their brothers. In fact, the study confirms an existing understanding that natural teachings and care giving experiences in the life of a child help a great way in psychosocial, language as well as cognitive development of the child. From the study, the interaction between the elder siblings and the younger ones prove to be basic for learning especially for the younger ones. The elder siblings prove to be the best teachers to the younger ones while they develop and this has a direct implication towards such learnt behaviors and attitudes. One would therefore assume that the interactions between a boy child with a sister, whether elder or younger would contribute greatly towards the attitude of such a boy towards women in general greatly. In another study, Renner (2012) investigated the influence of internalized behavior among children especially in exposure to violence in their mistreatment and or exposure to intimate partner violence. The study had a special focus on whether cumulative types of violence and especially the domestic violence had any effect towards the child’s learnt behavior. The results had a positive association of the increased exposure to family violence as well as the mean externalizing behaviors among which are such abuse of women at latter years. In fact, the study established a higher association of such behaviors with indirect violence towards the children like violence between partners, as against the direct violence meted on them. Accordingly, the study recommended that researchers or service providers would be more effective if they would adopt a higher approach in conceptualizing violence victimization in families and as such help in behavior change for the children. Methodology There are various and distinct methods that researchers employ while conducting research studies in the various phenomena that are studied. In this section, methodology will be used to refer to the systematic processes that will be adopted in conducting this study. It is however worth noting that research methods are part of the methodologies in any research study. The basis of choice of the various methods that are applied in this study is through first investigating through literature review, the methods that have been used in the past while studying the topic of such a related theme. This study notes that much of the past studies on domestic violence and the attitudes of men have been done through qualitative and deductive methodologies. This therefore identifies the empirical gap that exists and explains the reason for the choice of quantitative research methodology to be adopted in the study. This justifies the choice of this study to rely of statistical methodologies while investigating the link between violence at home and the childhood background of the men involved. Within the empirical context of research study, researchers identifies the overall population, decides on the observable variables and then quantification of the empirical research is done. This involves the methods of measuring the variables, estimating the respective parameters and then testing the hypothesis. The research paradigm adopted as either being qualitative or quantitative is equally very instrumental in deciding on the methodology to be applied. Qualitative and quantitative research studies depend on the major differences notable on the nature of reality, epistemology (relationships being studied), use of language, role of values as well as the overall research process (Aylward & Clarke, 2005, p.29). This study will therefore be strategic by application of analytical methods for the empirical tests in establishing the relationship as is being studied. Through testing the significance of the values gotten through regression methods, we ascertain the impact of each variable to the overall conclusions arrived at. Deductions from the statistical results will however be applicable in general context concerning domestic violence and the influence (or not) of sisters to the man in early childhood. Research design This segment describes the unique procedure that researchers intend to use to go about the data collection exercise. For the present research, the research employs the use of quantitative research methods, which means that the research design must be one that can satisfy the requirements of empirical methods. This study will rely on data collected through general surveys and structured individual surveys for sampled persons as aided through records of domestic violence by the state attorney. Analysis of the data collected will be through scientific statistical tools, which include the SPSS and the application of regression methods to establish the empirical relations being studied. Survey tools Data is to be collected from the respondents using surveys, which are self-completed as well as through general surveys, which will aid in collecting data from the attorney registry. Customized individual surveys will be used to collect primary data from victims of domestic violence as sampled from the records from the attorney. Moreover, structured questionnaires will be depended on to collect data from the defendants (the men who are reported to have abused the women) but only through one’s consent to participate in the study. Primary data will be more relevant in this study though with support of some secondary data for analysis of the past because through the firsthand data, there will be a reduction in the errors to be incorporated within the entire research study. The questionnaire is going to offer a number of advantages including the fact that it is going to make the collection of quantitative data using close-ended questions easier. What is more, while using the questionnaire, the respondents will have some time to review the questions critically before answering them. This means that unlike an interview where answers are collected outright, this research will give out the survey questionnaires and come back after a period for the responses or questionnaires will be mailed to the respondents who upon answering the questions will mail back the responses. This will ensure that there is much credibility with the answers that will be gathered from the respondents. Target Area California, as a state will be the focus of this study as is among the most populated states within the US. The better conditions of transport and communication infrastructures within the state are strategic in making data collection processes easy and realistic. However, sampling procedures will be instrumental in selection of respondents and hence ensure representativeness. Procedures Primary data will comprise data collected through general surveys and personal account of events through the structured survey questionnaires. However, not all persons as indicated to be victims of domestic violence will be involved in the study; but only sampled representatives. A sample population refers to a specified group of persons or objects from the population identified and which would be used representatively. It is acknowledged that involving an entire population in collecting data may not only be tedious but would also be very expensive. This therefore informs the use of sample in collecting representative data. Stratified sampling procedures will be employed in the choice of such individuals who will be used in this study. A sample representation of a hundred respondents from the state attorney will be the target as this would be effective to be representative as is necessary for such a study. What is the population of interest? This study targets the population of people living within California in the US and will focus on men who have been reported to the attorney over abusing women especially in domestic rows in the last one year. However, it is sure that the cases of violence within one year are so many hence the need to select a few to be representative for the study. How many people will be in the sample? A sample representation of a hundred respondents from the state attorney will be the target as this would be effective to be representative as is necessary for such a study. The hundred representative persons will be sampled from the target population and the figure will be instrumental while converting the findings into percentages. How will the sample be selected? Stratification of the defendants will be done on the basis of age, race as well as the geographical location in order to have an equal representation of young and old persons, mixed races as well as to cover the entire state in the sample. Stratified sampling techniques will therefore be depended upon while selecting then representative sample for use in the study. If the sample will be assigned to groups, how will the people be assigned to those groups? Primary data will comprise data collected through general surveys and personal account of events through the structured questionnaires. This therefore shows that certain persons will have to meet with the respondents. Classification of persons from different regions will assist in assigning different persons to collect data from particular respondents from the different regions of the state depending on proximity and convenience of reaching the respondents. A direct screening survey is to be used for collecting the primary data from the sampled populations as well as for the control persons. Whereas the sampled population will be for those that have been reported to have been directly involved in domestic violence, the control group will be chosen randomly from general populations to assess the opinions on domestic violence. However, the control group used must be strategically sampled not to incorporate other persons who have directly or indirectly been women abusers. The survey instruments to be used in collecting data from the target population as well as the one used for control group should contain details on order of birth, name and details to parents, outline the number of children with their gender and whether the respondent was ever abused while young. It would also be necessary to clarify whether the respondents had ever witnessed direct domestic violence in upbringing. Nevertheless, the information offered by the respondents through the survey should be verified along the secondary data with the attorney to ascertain the authenticity of the data as collected. Sample Questionnaire to be used As shown in the methodology section, the relevant information that will be sought from the respondents through questionnaires include personal biography, order of birth, name(s) and details of parents, the number of children with their gender and whether the respondent was ever abused while young. The frequency of occurrence of gender violence at home while being brought up may be by elder siblings and or by parents would also be instrumental in the study. Following is therefore a sample questionnaire that will be used in collecting the data as guided by sample questionnaires on gender domestic violence by Grohol (2013, para 1-6). Section 1: Personal and Parental biography Respondent: Name Age Gender Married Yes ( ) No ( ) Divorced ( ) If yes: For how long Name of spouse …………………………………………………….. How many children ( ) Level of education Primary ( ) Secondary ( ) Tertiary ( ) Occupation Parents: Father/ Gurdian: Name Age Gender Married Yes ( ) No ( ) Divorced ( ) If yes: For how long Name of spouse …………………………………………………….. How many children ( ) Level of education Primary ( ) Secondary ( ) Tertiary ( ) Occupation Mother/ guardian: Name Age Gender Married Yes ( ) No ( ) Divorced ( ) If yes: For how long Name of spouse …………………………………………………….. How many children ( ) Level of education Primary ( ) Secondary ( ) Tertiary ( ) Occupation Section 2: family background Have you been brought up by both of your parents? Yes ( ) No ( ) How many siblings do you have? One ( ) More than one ( ) Names of siblings and their gender (should follow the order of birth from the first to the last and indicate your position in the list). Name of sibling Position in order of birth( first, second, third….etc) Gender Have you ever witnessed violence by your parents during upbringing? Yes ( ) No ( ) If Yes, who was the victim of the violence? Mother ( ) Father ( ) both ( ) How often would violence occur? Countable times ( ) Very often ( ) What was the main cause of the violence?........................................................................... Did you ever had any violent confrontation with your opposite gender sibling? Yes ( ) No ( ) If Yes, How often and what caused the confrontation? .......................................................................................................................................................... How did this affect your relationship with the rest of your siblings? ............................................... Section 3: Life experience in marriage Do you experience issues in marriage that lead to violence? Yes ( ) No ( ) Do you experience and how often does domestic violence occur in a period of one year? No Sometimes Regularly Do you feel anxious or nervous when you are around your partner? No Sometimes Regularly Do you watch what you are doing in order to avoid making your partner angry or upset? No Sometimes Regularly Do you feel obligated or coerced into having sex with your partner? No Sometimes Regularly Are you afraid of voicing a different opinion than your partner? No Sometimes Regularly Does your partner criticize you or embarrass you in front of others? No Sometimes Regularly Does your partner check up on what you have been doing, and not believe your answers? No Sometimes Often Is your partner jealous, such as accusing you of having affairs? No Sometimes Often Does your partner tell you that he or she will stop beating you when you start behaving yourself? No Yes Have you stopped seeing your friends or family because of your partners behavior? No Yes Does your partners behavior make you feel as if you are wrong? No Sometimes Regularly Does your partner threaten to harm you? No Sometimes Regularly Do you try to please your partner rather than yourself in order to avoid being hurt? No Sometimes Regularly Does your partner keep you from going out or doing things that you want to do? No Sometimes Regularly Do you feel that nothing you do is ever good enough for your partner? No Sometimes Regularly Does your partner say that if you try to leave him or her, you will never see your children again? No Yes Not applicable Does your partner say that if you try to leave, he or she will kill himself or herself or you? No Sometimes Regularly Is there always an excuse for your partners behavior? ("The alcohol or drugs made me do it! My job is too stressful! If dinner were on time, I wouldnt have hit you! I was just joking!"Or anything related to past interaction with own siblings?) No Sometimes Regularly Data analysis plan This study will use the data collected through questionnaires and the surveys from the sampled persons from the attorney records as have been involved in domestic violence over the last year. The number of violent cases will be regressed against the number of persons who had experience with sister siblings in their upbringing, those who had not sisters but brothers, those who were brought up as single children as well as the number of occurrences of domestic violence in the year. Scientific statistical tools like SPSS will be use in the statistical analysis of the data as shown. In order to evaluate the contribution of various factors (each showing their significance level hence the overall significance of our model) the study employs a scientific production function model Q formulated as; Q =f (k, l,m…) (1) Where q = occurrences of domestic violence and (k,l,m…) are explanatory factors as identified above The model resembles the economic ‘Cobb-Douglas production function model’ to explain and identify the trend on the significance of sisters in the life of a man in shaping his attitudes towards women. The Cobb- Douglas Production function; Q= A Kα Lβ (2) Where α + β =1 α = indicates the share of sister siblings in shaping attitudes of men to women β = indicates the share of other factors like being brought up as lone kid, being brought up among brothers only and other domestic factors A indicates attitudes of men towards women Thus combining equation 1 & 2 above, overall likelihood of a man to become abusive to women would be given as; Log q= log A +αlogK +βlogL +ηlogM+… (3) Where logs’ are natural logarithms meant to reduce error variances (homoscedasticity) across the observations or the predictor variables. This implies that a man’s likelihood to be abusive to women would be a weighted sum of rates of his attitudes and perceptions of women as shaped by being brought up among sisters, brothers alone, alone or even influenced by other related domestic factors. Expected results The study would expect negative relationship between bad attitudes of men towards women and having been brought up among sisters. The other factors should give relatively low influence to the overall attitude of men towards women when compared individually. Ethics: As part of academic and professional practice, a number of ethical considerations are made in the conduct of a research. These ethical considerations are made with reference to both the qualitative and quantitative methods of the research. For instance, ethical approval from a governing body on involving human subjects within a study is necessary in upholding ethics (Spinuzzi, 2002). This study will seek for approval of the ethics committee from school besides, getting a written permission from the attorney’s office in order to use the data from the records. Besides, this study understands the necessity for the respondents to be on voluntary base while giving the information being sought. Personal consent will therefore be sought through the consent form, which every respondent will be required to fill before commencing on giving the information being collected. Conclusion This study would be very instrumental in establishing an empirical relationship between bad perceptions of men who abuse women and their childhood as indicated by interactions with sisters. Despite the challenges pointed out, the overall success of the study may have great significance to the psychological discipline of behaviors especially in understanding domestic violence as a social vice. References Aylward D. & Clarke R. (2005). Research models and methodologies. HDR seminar series. Faculty of commerce spring session 2005. Retrieved from:[Accessed 24, March, 2014]. Brody, G.H. (2004). Siblings’ direct and indirect contributions to child development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13, 124–126. Chen, X. (2003). The social impact of china’s one-child policy. Harvard Asia Pacific Review, 74-76. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/lipoff/www/hapr/summer03_security/CHEN.pdf Grohol J. M. (2013). Domestic Violence Screening Quiz. Retrieved from: http://psychcentral.com/dvquiz.htm Padilla-Walker, L.M., Harper, J.M., & Jensen, A.C. (2010). Self-Regulation as a mediator between sibling relationship quality and early adolescents’ positive and negative outcomes. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 419-428. Renner L. M. (2012). Single Types of Family Violence Victimization and Externalizing Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents. J Fam Viol 27:177–186 Spinuzzi, C. (2002). Toward integrating our research scope: A sociocultural field methodology. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 16(1), 3-32 Read More