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Experiences of Domestic Violence as a Child and Career Choice

  • EXPERIENCES OF CHILD VICTIMS OF AGGRESSION
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Abstract

Moving past descriptions of the amount and nature of domestic violence, researchers in the area of childhood violence now explore a variety of outcomes of experiences of domestic violence as a child. This includes the effects on various outcomes in adulthood though little research so far has explored career choice. In the current study, we examine whether experiencing domestic violence as a child increases the chance that an individual will choose a human services profession as a career and if individuals in the human services professions who report experiences of domestic violence as a child have lower rates of being a victim of domestic violence as adults than those who do not. The findings suggest that experiences of violence as a child do not significantly affect the choice of human services as a career. Those who choose human services as a career, however, are less likely to experience domestic violence as an adult.

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Notes

  1. As is usual when research includes human subjects, this project was reviewed by the Institutional Review Board. Both the survey instrument and the procedure for administering it were reviewed and approved.

  2. To assist with this assessment, we present the bivariate correlations in Appendix B. We did not present these in the text because the dependent measure is dichotomous.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

    Ruth Triplett

  2. Department of Justice Administration, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    George Higgins

  3. Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Brian K. Payne

Authors
  1. Ruth Triplett
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  2. George Higgins
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  3. Brian K. Payne
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruth Triplett.

Appendices

Appendix A

Measures used in the study

Childhood Victimization

  When I was less than 12-years-old, I was spanked or hit a lot by my mother or father.

  When I was a kid, I saw my mother or father kick, punch, or beat up their partner.

Partner Violence

  My partner and I argue often.

  My partner has used physical force against me to get his or her way in the past year.

  I have used physical force against my partner to get my way with him or her in the past year.

Self-Control

  I devote much thought and effort to preparing for the future.

  I am more concerned with what happens to me in the long run rather than in the short run.

  I frequently try to seek out projects that I know will be difficult.

  I often act on the spur of the moment without stopping to think.

  When things get complicated, I tend to quit or withdraw.

  The things in life that are easiest to do bring me the most pleasure.

  I like really hard tasks that stretch my abilities to the limit.

  Sometimes I will take a risk just for the fun of it.

  I find no excitement in doing things for which I might get in trouble.

  Excitement and adventure are more important than security.

  I almost always feel better when I am on the move rather than sitting and thinking.

  I like to read or contemplate ideas more than I like to get out and do things.

  I try to look out for others first, even if it means making things difficult for myself.

  I'm very sympathetic to other people when they are having problems.

  I don’t lose my temper very easily.

  When I’m really angry, other people better stay away from me.

  When I have a serious disagreement with someone, I can usually talk calmly about it without getting upset.

Appendix B

Correlation Matrix

Measures

  Social work

1.00

      

  Partner violence

−0.11*

1.00

     

  Self-control

0.28**

−0.07

1.00

    

  White

−0.03

−0.12

0.07

1.00

   

  Age

−0.24**

−0.06

0.06

0.17**

1.00

  

  Marital status

−0.17**

−0.10**

0.06

0.16**

0.07

1.00

 

  Childhood victimization

−0.07

0.28**

−0.03

−0.04

0.02

0.03

1.00

  1. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01

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Triplett, R., Higgins, G. & Payne, B.K. Experiences of Domestic Violence as a Child and Career Choice. J Fam Viol 28, 289–297 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-013-9499-8

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