Healing From Violence: Latino Men's Journey to a New Masculinity

by Christauria Welland PsyD, Neil Ribner PhD

Overview

According to the 2000 Census, Latinos accounted for 12.5% of the US population, or 35.3 million residents-the fastest growing population in the United States. The influence of this large and growing demographic can be seen throughout every academic discipline in the numerous books, journals, and societies on multicultural assessment, counseling, and research that have begun to appear. However, one area of inquiry remains largely unexplored; domestic violence within Latino families. Although it appears that such violence occurs as frequently in Latino families as in Caucasian families, little research has been done on this topic and very few counseling programs explicitly developed for Latino families currently exist.

Healing from Violence fills this void. Drawing on a research study of 150 Latino men who completed a year of court-ordered treatment in Southern California, and a four-year pilot study, the authors mix quantitative and qualitative methodology in order to provide counselors with an opportunity to hear first-hand how Latino partner abusive men think about manhood (machismo), interpersonal relationships, (respeto, personalismo, and simpatÌa), and family life (familismo). The authors then use these in-depth portraits to guide counselors in tailoring treatment plans to the specific needs of Latino men.

Voices from Healing From Violence:

"How should a Mexican man be? Respectful, understanding, loving, responsible. A good communicator. If a man had all that, and his partner too, wow! It would be great. I'd like to be like the man I just described - the ideal man, loving, respectful, all that." - Ramon

"The whole time I've been in the program I've been doing something I had never done in my life - reflecting and taking stock of my own life. Putting the good and the bad in the balance." - Raul

"One of the goals of group therapy, of any therapy, is to give hope. Even the man with the worst possible case, where he has lost his marriage and custody of his children, can learn to use respectful relationship skills at work and in a potential new relationship. He may have brought great losses upon himself, but his future is not necessarily bleak." - the Authors

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826124784
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/26/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	661 KB

About the Author

Christauria Welland, PsyD teaches the graduate course on domestic violence at Alliant International University, San Diego. Dr. Welland maintains a private practice in Solana Beach, California, and a hospital practice as a rehabilitation psychologist in National City, CA.

Neil Ribner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and director of the doctoral program in clinical psychology (PsyD) at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Alliant International University (AIU) in San Diego.

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Table of Contents

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Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments

1. What is Intimate Partner Violence?

How Serious is the Problem of Intimate Partner Violence?
Intimate Partner Violence in Latin America
About the Men Whose Voices are Heard in this Book
Summary

2. Why Do men Assault Their Partners?

Theoretical Perspectives on the Etiology of Partner Abuse
Theories of Etiology of IPV among Latinos
What Puts Men at Risk to Be Violent in the Home? Risk Factors
Other Risk Factors in Partner Abuse
Traditional Gender Roles, a Non-Risk Factor?
Protective Factors

3. Latino Culture: Approaches to Therapy

Definition of Culture
Gender Schemas and Immigration
Socioeconomic Status versus Race
The Immigration Experience
Acculturation and Acculturation Stress
Perception of Mental Illness and Attitudes Toward Treatment
Ecological Context
Family Organization
Migration History and Acculturation
Effective Therapeutic Modes for Latinos
Effective Therapeutic Techniques
Characteristics of the Culturally Aware Therapist
Therapist Credibility
Treatment of Partner Abusive Men
Does Treatment for Partner Abusive Men Work?

4. Who are the Men Being Treated for IPV? Results of a Survey

Ethnicity of Survey Respondents
Urban versus Rural Origin
Number of Children in Family of Origin
History of Abuse and Neglect
History of Witnessing IPV
Father's Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholism
Mother's Status in the Family of Origin
Religious Identification
Marital Status
Particulars of the IPV Incident
Children Witnessing IPV
Low Socioeconomic Status
Low Academic Achievement
Employment Status and Unemployment
Alcohol Abuse by Respondents
Age of Respondents
Depression
Relationship Conflict
Generalized Aggression
Extended Family and Social Support
Level of Acculturation
Summary of Survey Findings
Additional Findings from the Survey: Major Risk Factors

5. The Qualitative Method: Researching Gender Roles, History of Family Violence, and Coping Skills in Partner Abusive Latino Men

Qualitative In-Depth Interviews
Development of the Interview Schedule
Data Collection
Transcription of the Interview
Data Analysis Using the Constant Comparative Method
Communication of the Outcome of the Study
Violence as a Way of Life
Traditional Gender Roles as the Bedrock of Violence towards Women
Today's Perpetrator is Often Yesterday's Victim: Child Abuse and Neglect in the Family of Origin
Maladaptive Coping Skills
Environmental Stressors

6. Protective Factors: What is it About Latino Culture that Makes Partner Violence Unacceptable in Theory?

Positive Aspects of Male Gender Roles
Familismo
Spirituality
What Was It Like for the Men to be in Treatment for Partner Abuse?
Group Behaviors
Therapist Interventions
Organizational Factors

7. Making Decisions about Personal Change and Healing: Outcomes of Treatment

Treatment Outcomes
Contributions to the Group Experience
Overcoming Substance Abuse and Dependence
The Need for Public Education

8. Personal Transformation: Redefining Self as Person, Husband, and Father

Changes in Gender Role Perceptions
Appreciation of Gender Equality
Importance of Family and New Parenting Skills
Sharing the Information They Have Received
Culturally Specific Topics Identified as Helpful Treatment Components

9. Partner Abusive Latino Men on a Journey to Redefine Their Masculinity for the Twenty-First Century

Cultural Adaptation of Treatment for Latino Partner Abusive Men
Adaptations to the Program
The Pilot Program
Where Do We Go from Here?
Appendix A: Lessons Learned
Appendix B: Results Of Demographic And Risk Factor SurveyOf Latino Domestic Violence Group Members

References
Index"