"A thoroughly updated and expanded new edition of the bestseller, Family Violence Across the Lifespan, Second Edition helps students achieve a deeper understanding of the methodology, etiology, prevalence, treatment, and prevention of family violence. Research from experts in the fields of psychology, sociology, criminology, and social welfare is woven together to provide broad coverage of current viewpoints and debates within the field of domestic violence study. Practice and policy considerations provide new and welcome perspectives, and in addition, informal interviews with leading authorities in the field of violence add depth and clarity to the topics. Organized chronologically, chapters cover child physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; courtship violence and date rape; spouse abuse, battered women, and batterers: and elder abuse." "Family Violence Across the Lifespan, Second Edition offers a comprehensive and accessibly written introduction that is ideal for use in undergraduate and master's level courses in family violence, domestic violence, and abuse offered in departments of sociology, psychology, social work, counseling, and criminal justice."--Jacket.

Why are families violent? -- Discovering family violence: how social conditions become social problems -- Discovering child maltreatment: the historical context -- Discovering child physical abuse -- Discovering child sexual abuse -- Discovering child neglect and child psychological maltreatment -- Discovering adult victimization: the historical context -- Discovering battered women -- Discovering battered men? -- Discovering marital rape -- Discovering dating violence -- Discovering elder abuse -- International issues in the discovery of family violence -- New and emerging issues -- Gay and lesbian violence -- Cross-cultural factors -- Defining family violence: understanding the social construction of deviance definitions -- What is a family? -- What is violence? -- A definition of family violence -- Family violence and the law -- Introducing issues in practice, policy and prevention -- Prevention of family violence -- Family support and training programs -- School-based programs -- Community awareness campaigns -- Intervention strategies -- Mandatory reporting laws -- Family preservation, foster care, and adoption -- Criminal justice issues -- Shelters and hotlines -- Treating offenders and victims -- Coordinated community responses -- Summary -- Goals of the book -- Discussion questions -- Recommended readings -- Boxed insert 1.1: distinguishing maltreatment from abuse -- Boxed insert 1.2: common myths about family violence -- Boxed insert 1.3: personalizing family violence research -- Research methodology, assessment, and theories: investigating the problem of family violence -- Introduction -- Case history #2a: juanita's broken heart and broken body -- Studying family violence: a multidisciplinary effort -- Box #2a: conflicting goals of researchers and practitioners: need for collaboration -- Sociological research -- Social work research -- Criminological research -- Psychological and psychiatric research -- Medical, nursing, and public health research -- Legal research -- Expansion of federal government research -- Section summary -- Theoretical explanations of family violence -- Macrotheory: explaining patterns of family violence -- Cultural explanations -- Interview 2a: kersti yllo -- must update -- Social-structural factors -- Deterrence: low cost of family violence -- Microtheory: explaining the behavior of violent family members -- Socialization and learning theories -- Table 1: expansion of learning theories -- Individual (intrapersonal) difference theories -- Interpersonal interaction theories -- Multidimensional theories -- Section summary -- Methodology: how researchers try to answer questions about family violence -- Box #2b: issues related to family violence research -- Methodological issues in family violence -- Sources of data -- Assessment and research design issues -- Lack of theoretical foundation -- Definitional disagreements -- Populations sampled -- Comparison groups -- Longitudinal (outcome) studies -- Diversity awareness -- inclusion of minority groups -- Family violence scales and measurement issues -- Interview #2b: k. daniel o'leary -- Conflict tactics scales (cts1) -- Revised conflict tactics scales (cts2) -- Box #2c: types of questions on the cts2 -- Box #2d: types of questions on the cts-pc -- Estimating rates of family violence -- Growing recognition of psychological abuse -- Need for multiple measurements -- Cultural competence in assessment -- Statistical and evaluation matters -- Researcher training -- Univariate and multivariate designs -- Case histories and qualitative studies -- Ethical issues -- Section summary -- Practice, policy, and prevention issues -- Practice issues -- Policy implications -- Summary -- Discussion questions -- Suggested readings.