PAAR
Phenomenology of Adolescent Affect Regulation (PAAR) Study
Mechanisms of Intergenerational Family Violence Perpetration Transmission: The Phenomenology of Adolescent Affect Regulation
The capacity to regulate affect has been linked to both maltreatment victimization and subsequent family violence perpetration. Supported by stress physiology research, the current project explored affect regulation as a key mechanism of the transition from child victim to adult perpetrator of family violence by examining the construct of affect regulation in adolescents with maltreatment histories. We conducted 16 in-depth phenomenological interviews with youth age 15-24 to collect rich descriptions of the physical sensations, feelings, and thoughts related to experiencing elevated emotional states and impulses to aggressive and violent behaviour. Specifically, the study explored the understanding of and capacity for regulating affective reactions in situations when youth felt like they might “lose it,” as described by adolescents exposed to family violence (victim of child abuse and/or as a witness to caregiver partner violence). Given the link between childhood maltreatment and adult violence perpetration, it is essential that we gain knowledge of how the transition from victim to perpetrator happens. The study findings contribute to our knowledge of the lived experience of affect regulation for family violence-exposed youth. The study is the first step in a broader research agenda to reconceptualize the transition from victim to perpetrator of family violence with the goal of improving our intervention and prevention strategies for maltreated children so that they do not have to perpetuate the cycle of family violence of which they are themselves victims.
Co- Investigator:
Dr. Lucyana Lach, School of Social Work, McGill University
Collaborators:
Dr. Delphine Collin-Vézina, School of Social Work, McGill University
Dr. Heather MacIntosh, School of Social Work, McGill University
Dr. R. Philip Buckley, Philosophy/East Asian Studies, McGill University
This project is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant. The study received research ethics approval from the McGill REB (File #229-1016) and the McGill University Hospital Corporation (AARP/2018-3385).
Publications:
Maurer, K. (2020). Exploring resilience in the affect regulation of family violence-exposed adolescents: « des fois ça marche, des fois, ça [ne] marche pas ». International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 7(1), 195-210. https://ijcar-rirea.ca/index.php/ijcar-rirea/article/view/87/161
Presentations:
Description:
Pratiques prometteuses et probantes au service du bien-être des enfants et des jeunes
Dans la foulée des travaux de la Commission spéciale sur les droits des enfants et la protection de la jeunesse (CSDEPJ) et au moment où entre en vigueur la Loi modifiant la Loi sur la protection de la jeunesse (PL-15), différents « chantiers de transformation » ont été entrepris au Québec. Si certains concernent surtout le cadre législatif ou les modes de gouvernance, d’autres visent directement la qualité des services offerts. Ainsi, compte tenu de l’ampleur de ces réformes, des pratiques appropriées, durables et adaptables au contexte local, mais reposant également sur des bases scientifiques solides sont de mise.
Dans un tel contexte, les milieux de la recherche ont assurément des propositions à formuler. En ce sens, le Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles (CRUJeF) et l’Institut universitaire Jeunes en difficulté (IUJD) organisent conjointement deux journées scientifiques les 23 et 24 novembre 2023. Cet événement se tiendra à l’Hôtel Omni Mont-Royal à Montréal et entend permettre un échange autour de résultats de recherche et de pratiques prometteuses ou probantes portant sur ce qui, au cours des prochaines années, constituera quatre grands axes de travail collectif.
Les journées scientifiques sont destinées aux personnes provenant de la recherche, la gestion, l’intervention ou aux études et qui sont intéressées par ces questions. L’événement est découpé en quatre demi-journées thématiques.
Intergenerational Transmission of Family Violence (ITFV) Study
An Examination of the Dynamics of Intergenerational Transmission of Family Violence as Mediated by Affect Regulation Capacity
Intergenerational transmission of family violence (ITFV) construct theorizes that children exposed to parental violence, either as victims or witnesses, are likely to commit violence in adulthood against their partners and children or to be victims of partner violence. The current study revisited the ITFV hypothesis with an adolescent sample to address two noted gaps in the literature: the need for rigorous longitudinal intergenerational prospective data collection with a gender-inclusive general population sample; and the need to test ITFV as a mediated process to better understand the variance in ITFV outcomes. The purpose of the study was to examine: (a) the relationship between a person’s exposure to family violence in adolescence and the likelihood he/she will be a perpetrator and/or victim of family violence in adulthood, and (b) whether a person’s ability to regulate his/her affect influences this relationship. ITFV is an important pathway to examine in order to better inform efforts to prevent and reduce family violence perpetration.