November/December 1995

As 1995 draws to a close, I hope it has been a productive year for you. And, I wish you all a very happy and successful 1996. Please be pro-active with families under stress and crisis. Give consideration to being a wellness network that will assist Cooperative Extension in creating sustainable families by becoming pro-active in reducing family violence. Contact your local Extension Educator for Details.

PERVASIVENESS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE

Violence is pervasive in our society. It manifests itself in TV programs, movies, on the streets, in the schools and in our families. The rate of interpersonal violence is higher in the U.S. than in any other industrialized country. Almost half of American households have guns, and students carry an estimated 270,000 of them to school each day. Last year, Sweden had 60 gun deaths, Australia had 12 and the U.S. had nearly 14,000. Teenagers are more than twice as likely as persons over age 20 to be assaulted, and most violence occurs close to schools. Except for rape, violence is more likely to be directed toward boys than girls. On the average, children and adolescents watch 20-25 hours per week, and on some programs, see 20-25 violent acts per hour.

Family violence is the intentional creation of pain, threat or psychological distress perpetrated on family members. It is the leading cause of injuries to women--more common than

automobile accidents, muggings and rapes combined. Nationally, domestic violence perpetrated on women results in 21,000 hospitalizations, 100,000 days of hospitalization, 29,000 emergency room visits, and 40,000 visits to physicians each year. While research studies show women are just as likely to assault their partners as men, most acts are in retaliation or self defense, and tend to use less dangerous forms. Women are 11 times more often than men to be seriously injured in domestic violence situations. More than 3 million children are reported each year for child abuse

or neglect. This does not include the millions that are not reported, or who may suffer from emotional and verbal abuse.

UNDERSTANDING AND OVERCOMING STRESS

Stress is your body's internal alarm. It alerts you to immediate danger and prepares you mentally for the fact that you may have to fight or flee an aggressor. But stress that is caused by long-term threats--such as difficulties at work or at home--can cause internal damage. The standard challenges of daily activities cause one of every five apparently healthy individuals to experience extreme and destructive surges in blood pressure that rival those experienced by someone involved in mortal combat.

Why do we experience stress? When you are being threatened and no longer feel in control, your brain releases two powerful chemicals. Cortisol raises your blood pressure slowly and steadily. Adrenaline raises your blood pressure in a more violent fashion. Both chemicals also release high-energy fats and blood-clotting agents into your bloodstream. Ultimately these blood-clotting agents etch chinks in the walls of your blood vessels, setting the stage for a variety of health complications. These agents can impair your cardiovascular, respiratory or immune system or your gastrointestinal tract. Heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes can also be

related directly to your stress levels and responses. The most common symptoms of stress are:

* Sleeplessness. If you fall asleep easily but wake after a few hours, you are probably anxious or unable to control some unfinished mental business. This may be caused by poor time management, which can be symptomatic of unclear values and future direction.

* Inability to control anger. The biggest causes of uncontrollable anger are perfectionism, unassertiveness and a lack of clear values and objectives..

* Perfectionists have difficulty delegating and are driven by a fear of failure rather than a desire to succeed.

* Unassertive people are afraid to say no... afraid to commit as part of a team...feel disenfranchised... are out of the loop.

Despite the fact that they're unassertive, they may have mercurial tempers.

* Values help you to get where you want to go in life. If your values are out of sync with your lifestyle, you may experience great stress. Here are some ideas for overcoming stress:

1. Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt. Start by pinpointing the major things that bother you. Major stress-producers include: (1) Lacking a strategic plan for your professional career, (2) Not being adaptable in your work, (3) Being unclear about your personal aspiration, and (4) Having troubled family and social relationships.

2. Put your values in sync with your lifestyle. A firm understanding of your own values--what you prize and esteem, what defines the direction and boundaries of your life--allows you to set priorities and manage your time effectively. Values help you avoid fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Strategy: Write down six value-based goals on an index card. To make sure you're heading toward your goals, review them two or three times daily, including when you're feeling under stress.

3. Work on your marriage, friends and spirituality. When all three are in harmony, they make up a magic health capsule that will keep your stress levels in check. Studies show that people who are satisfied with their marriages, friendships and spiritual feelings live more fulfilling lives. When they are able to connect with people, they have a sense of belonging.

Strategy: Practical interim steps might include taking more three-day weekend vacations with your mate to improve your identity as a couple. . .or sharing more experiences and hobbies with friends.

4. Balance your identity portfolio. Develop as many of your talents as possible. Otherwise, you will be frustrated, which in turn causes bad stress. Taking on new challenges can produce good stress. Developing your talent prepares you for change and opportunities. Take your personal development as seriously as you take your careers.

5. Drop your negative "self-talk." We use these automatic internal conversations to interpret events. They are learned responses and can be healthy--or unhealthy. Self-talk is the way some people mentally review their mistakes, problems and conflicts. If this self-talk is negative and self-punishing, it provokes stress. Example: Negative self-talk in a traffic jam would be, I hate this. Healthful self-talk would be, I'm not going to let a traffic jam upset me...or, Now I can listen to that tape I just bought.

Source: Dr. Robert S. Eliot, Institute of Stress Medicine,

Bottom Line Personal, Vol. 16, Number 7, April 1, 1995

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND VIOLENCE

Two types of aggression--rape and domestic violence--seem closely linked because both commonly target women. But a study by criminal justice expert Ellen G. Cohn showed distinct

differences in the environmental circumstances associated with the two. Using all calls for help relating to rape and domestic violence fielded by the Minneapolis Police Department in 1985, 1987, and 1988. Cohn studied the relationship of aggression to such variables as light, weather

conditions, and major holidays.

She found that these variables apparently affect domestic violence, with assaults occurring more frequently during better weather and after dark. In the cases of rape, however, these variables are less closely connected because rape is often planned in advance and so is not as affected by external influences.

However, one external factor shared by both types of violence is their tendency to occur under cover of night. Darkness may produce feelings in the perpetrator of reduced inhibition, anonymity, and isolation from the victim. Also, the level of testosterone (the male hormone often linked to aggressive, antisocial behavior) peaks at night. An understanding of these differences may help authorities better predict staffing needs to handle the fluctuating level

of domestic violence complaints.

Source: The Menninger Letter, Vol. 2, No. 3, March 1994

Dr. Herbert Lingren