Understanding the cycle of violence: A risk and resilience model of men's perpetration of violent crime
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine a risk and resilience model of the intergenerational transmission and non-transmission of violence. Structural equation modeling was used in a secondary data analysis to examine the relationships between positive parenting, peer relationships, attachment, affect dysregulation, access to resources, and family chaos and three outcome variables: later violence against women, later crimes against property, and all later crimes. A series of models was fit. First, the direct effects of the predictor constructs were investigated for each of the three outcome variables, and it was found that affect dysregulation significantly predicted all three outcome variables. Additionally, access to resources significantly predicted later crimes against property and all later crimes. Next, a model with affect dysregulation mediating the effects of positive parenting, attachment, and family chaos, while also including the direct effects of peer relations and access to resources, was investigated for all three outcome constructs. Attachment and family chaos significantly predicted affect dysregulation, which significantly predicted each outcome construct. In addition, access to resources continued to have a direct effect on later crimes against property and all later crimes. Then, multi-group comparisons of this mediated model were conducted between those who were verbally abused only, and those who were both verbally and physically abused. Positive parenting significantly predicted affect dysregulation for the verbal abuse group, while family chaos significantly predicted affect dysregulation in the verbally and physically abused group. However, none of the predictors significantly predicted the outcome variables in these comparisons. The last step was a multi-group comparison between resilient and criminal subsamples. The only significant difference between these groups was that the positive parenting construct had a higher level of variance in the resilient group. Family chaos was the only significant predictor of affect dysregulation in either group. While this model fit the criminal group well, it fit less well for the resilient group.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Keiley, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Criminology
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