This presentation will highlight key concepts for ending generational cycles of familial abuse, explore how concepts from initiatives to end generational cycles for other public health issues are also relevant, explain the importance of working at this issue from both directions (separate but equally effective programs for victims and perpetrators) and identify key areas of intervention for family violence professionals (law enforcement, court systems, animal welfare, education, medical, faithbased, etc.) in efforts to end abuse in the home. Ending generational cycles of familial abuse not only results in improved health outcomes for all humans and animals who currently reside in the home, but for the generations who follow as well.

This presentation will explore academic literature, family violence data, and victim accounts of family violence (Partner Abuse, Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, and Pet Abuse) occurring in rural communities. Key barriers to reporting abuse in isolated environments will be highlighted along with innovative concepts to improve prevention and detection of this abuse. Differences in reported characteristics of family violence perpetration between rural and urban environments will be described. Pregnant partner violence (PPV) and additional barriers to assistance often experienced by abused pregnant women in rural communities will be discussed. Participants will learn of the importance of developing multidisciplinary response teams that include faith-based organizations, animal welfare agencies, school systems, libraries, and other key community agencies in efforts to improve detection and reporting of abuse in rural communities. Key lessons learned from examining efforts to reach victims of abuse isolated with a perpetrator during Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns will be discussed to improve efforts to protect at-risk and vulnerable populations residing in isolated environments.

This presentation will discuss the specific threats of physical, psychological, and emotional harm for children living in a home where partner abuse/domestic violence occurs. Common misconceptions will be addressed, including the idea that a child can be too young to be affected by abuse in the home, physically observable signs of injury are an appropriate estimator of victimization, and the idea that children who do not actually see a violent act occur are not significantly harmed by it. Other topics to be discussed include: the various forms of child emotional maltreatment, toxic stress, child-caregiver attachment, “emotionally unavailable parents”, the effects of witnessing threats or violence against animals living within the home, caregiver risk factors for domestic violence and emotional maltreatment, how to better identify victims, and what to do once victims have been identified.

This presentation will describe the many risks of harm (short-term and long-term) for children exposed to violence in their community. As rates of violent crimes continue to increase across the United States, all victim-serving disciplines must gain greater insight into the damaging effects of exposure to these incidents on the children who reside in their community. With a focus on the emotionally damaging nature of this exposure, outcome differences by race, gender, age, proximity, and frequency of community violence exposure will be discussed. In addition, this training will discuss the overlap between exposure to violence as a child, and risks for subsequent victimization or perpetration of violence in the home and/or community as an adolescent or adult. Finally, critical components of effective and efficient community-inclusive, multi-disciplinary intervention efforts will be described.

Based on the presenter’s recent publications in Social Sciences (2022), the Journal of Interpersonal Violence (2021 & 2020), Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments (2021),and book on the topic (2021), this presentation will describe the specific emotional and physical risks of harm for all children, adults, and animals residing in homes where family violence occurs. Key points of emphasis include protecting pets to best protect their humans too, improved attention to and understanding of the damaging effects of emotional abuse, and the need to expand community partnerships to include critical (often left out) organizations in the fight to end family violence. In addition to increased risk for victims, concerns for the safety of first responders at the scene of these incidents will also be addressed. Key concepts including how DV perpetrator pet abuse may signal increased risk for police officers and others involved in cases of family violence will be explored. New data from a partnership between the presenter, child welfare agencies, and law enforcement agencies in several communities will be highlighted to provide unique perspective regarding the overlapping nature of these different forms of abuse and ways different disciplines can better support one another.