Family Violence Across the Lifespan: An Introduction

by Ola W. Barnett, Cindy L. Miller-Perrin, Robin D. Perrin

The most comprehensive research-based text on family violence – now more accessible and visually inviting than ever before Streamlined and updated throughout with state-of-the-art information, this Third Edition of the authors′ bestselling book gives readers an accessible introduction to the methodology, etiology, prevalence, treatment, and prevention of family violence. Research from experts in the fields of psychology, sociology, criminology, and social welfare informs the book′s broad coverage of current viewpoints and debates within the field. Organized chronologically, chapters cover child physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; abused and abusive adolescents; courtship violence and date rape; spouse abuse, battered women, and batterers; and elder abuse.

Genres: Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Family, Nonfiction, School

896 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 1996

Reviews

[Laila Collman]

This is a college textbook, which one of my old uni friends who studied sociology recommended when I asked him what the most impactful lecture he took was.

(Disclaimer: this textbook is from 2005, so there is probably a more up-to-date resource on the topic.)

This book presents an overview of the different types of family violence that occur, along with a detailed analysis on the data related to each of these categories. It also asks a series of important questions related to care and treatment for both victims and perpetrators.

Readers are encouraged to analyze the information and ask: what does the data tell us about the perpetrators of abuse, and about the circumstances in which victims are most likely to be abused? What resources are most effective for mitigating violence? How can our studies on abuse gather the most accurate information? How can we advocate for more effective policy changes?

“Family violence is the most widespread form of violence in the United States and is the leading cause of injury and death among women and children.”

[Aubrey]

I finished this a while ago and can honestly say that I read most of it. I think that's pretty good for a textbook. It is an incredible resource with a lot of information, but at the same time it was very frustrating. The field of domestic violence can be grey, so the authors had to be ambiguous at times, which is understandable, but complicated too.