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PROGRESS REPORT ON... children exposed to family violence

Yuriko Riesen

Doctoral student, Department. of Educational & Counseling
Psychology, and Special Education
Faculty of Education, UBC

I have been invited to comment on developments in the research on marital violence, and possible future directions the field may take. I would like to review my own study, conducted during 1997-1998 on the self-worth and social support of children who witnessed marital violence, as an example. Especially, I would like to comment on the necessary interaction between researchers and practitioners in advancing knowledge through research collaboration. Highlights of the study's main findings include the following:

Doing well at school was most important for children to feel good about themselves. It was more important than being good-looking, behaving well, being a good athlete, and being popular.

The second most important concern for children in determining their evaluation of self-worth was being good-looking.

Support from mothers was most important in order for children to feel good about themselves; more important than support from teachers, transition house staff, counselors, friends, and siblings. The second most important support for children was from transition house staff and counselors.

While attempting to attract participants for this study, I asked transition houses and related agencies to let me meet mothers and their children. I sent my research proposal and copies of questionnaires for mothers and children to thirty-five agencies in BC. Twelve agencies decided not to participate. Five agencies did not reply. I established collaborative relationships with nine agencies during seven months of data collection, from which all participants were gathered. The remaining nine agencies indicated a willingness to allow me to contact their clients. I phoned these agencies weekly to see whether there was a volunteer family whom I might include in the project. Sometimes I received support and encouragement, however, on other occasions I received responses which indicated that, despite being provided with information packages in advance, some practitioners did not understand the nature of the research I proposed, or otherwise indicated their opposition to collaborating on the project. A few of the 35 agencies I contacted informed me that they had a policy of not participating in any kind of research. Although I understand how much those agencies care for the families in crisis they serve, I would like to suggest that research, when sensitively designed and carried out, can in fact have a very beneficial effect for everyone concerned.

One participating mother told me after the session that she had decided to meet with me because her counsellor explained the focus of the study, and encouraged her to participate. She also told me that her response might have been different prior to meeting and receiving emotional support from her counsellor. Since meeting her counsellor, this mother felt her family was being supported in the community, and she wanted to share her thoughts about that support with others.

Although I understand how busy each worker is, and how limited the funds are, it would be unfortunate if there did exist a reluctance on the part of the practitioner community to aid in social science research - keeping in mind that this is not a one-way street. How many of us knew researchers and practitioners like Dutton, Edleson, Jaffe, and Wolfe in the late 1970s, when they were still novices? Think about how much our field of concern has progressed since individuals such as these started to examine the consequences of marital violence twenty years ago. It is difficult to imagine that they could have conducted their studies without the support of their practitioner colleagues and participating families. When researchers and practitioners work together, both groups gain the opportunity to advance knowledge and understanding in the field. For example, it was not until the serious effects of witnessing violence on children were documented by social scientists and practitioners when the public finally started to understand the urgent need of providing these children with services. With this in mind, I would like to ask you to consider the importance of your contribution to research.

Author's note: I am currently conducting a study that examines counselors' experiences of providing effective intervention for children exposed to marital violence. If you work with such children and would like to share your insight into what constitutes a successful intervention, please contact me at yuriko@interchange.ubc.ca, or at (604) 737-0136.