WAVE Report 2005: Violence and What to Do About It
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The WAVE Report 2005 Violence and what to do about it First published in 2005 by WAVE Trust Cameron House, 61 Friends Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 1ED England Tel: 020 8688 3773 Fax: 020 8688 6135 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.wavetrust.org Authors: George Hosking ISBN-10: 0-9551615-0-9 Ita Walsh ISBN-13: 978-0-9551615-0-6 Price £20.00 Design by DTW 01227 454023 The WAVE Report 2005 Violence and what to do about it Authors: George Hosking Ita Walsh The WAVE Report 2005: Violence and what to do about it 3 WAVE Trust is an international charity dedicated to advancing public awareness of the root causes of violence, and the means to prevent and reduce it in our society. WAVE’s particular focus is reducing child abuse and neglect because these are the major sources of the development of teenage and adult violence; they underlie much emotional suffering in adults who may never be violent; and violence and abuse are entirely preventable through implementing known, economically viable, and effective programmes to break the cycle of violence. © WAVE Trust 2005 All rights reserved. Any part of this publication may be reproduced but must acknowledge the identity of the copyright holder. First published in 2005 by WAVE Trust Cameron House, 61 Friends Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 1ED England Tel: 020 8688 3773 Fax: 020 8688 6135 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.wavetrust.org Registered charity number 1080189 Chief Executive: George Hosking ISBN-10: 0-9551615-0-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-9551615-0-6 Design by DTW 01227 454023 4 The WAVE Report 2005: Violence and what to do about it Introduction This is an important and timely Report. What it tells us about an epidemic of violence in society today is deeply depressing and sad – and yet the Report also offers a message of hope for a better future. The rising tide of violence in the UK, and elsewhere, is neither inevitable nor universal. Violence is a preventable disease. While it is one that is difficult to cure, prevention is relatively simple. Children who are loved well in infancy do not become violent teenagers or adults. Violence and what to do about it offers specific solutions designed to foster parental attunement to the needs of children, and the development of empathy in children towards the feelings of others. WAVE’s research shows that the recommended interventions make a real and beneficial difference. A society that ignores such findings must be bent on self-destruction. The social costs of violence are some £20 billion a year – and countless damaged lives. This is a social evil that demands attention. This Report says what needs to be done, and who should do it. Read it, reflect on it, and join us in calling for effective action – now. Sir Christopher Ball Chairman of WAVE Trust, and author of Start Right: the Importance of Early Learning (RSA, 1994) The WAVE Report 2005: Violence and what to do about it 5 Contents Introduction by Sir Christopher Ball . .5 Empathy: a key to understanding violence . .22 Preface . .8 Lack of empathy – further on the road to violence . .23 Terms of reference . .9 Parental discipline methods . .24 WAVE’s key objectives . .9 Behavioural effects . .24 Methodology . .9 Parents unwittingly train violence . .24 Damaging discipline . .24 Executive Summary . .10 Section 4 – The role of social factors . .27 Section 1 – Violence: the current situation .11 The contribution of social factors . .27 Trends in violence . .11 Adolescents: the source of rising violence . .27 Trends in serious violence . .12 Diminished social control of adolescents . .28 Serious sexual offences . .12 Rising teenage alcohol consumption . .29 Family violence . .13 Growth of television viewing, modelling violence . .29 Estimates of recent levels in family violence . .13 Huge expansion in territory young males cover, much Violence against children . .14 reduced supervision . .30 Section 2 – The nature of violence . .15 Reduction in stable marital relationships to provide consistent parenting . .31 Is violence inevitable? . .15 Growing drug consumption . .31 Two interactive components: propensity and triggers . .15 Defining the propensity to be violent . .16 Section 5 – The cost of violence in the UK .33 Genetics/birth factors . .16 Estimate of the cost of violence in the UK . .33 Institute of Psychiatry report . .33 Section 3 – The roots of violence . .17 Ratio of government expenditure . .34 Minus 1 to 3: the key period . .17 Early damage . .17 Section 6 – Early intervention is cost The Dunedin Study . .17 effective . .35 UK Research: behaviour age 3 and adult criminality . .17 Early intervention is cost-effective and saves resources . .35 Pregnancy . .18 Farrington and Coid . .35 The infant brain . .18 Macleod and Nelson studies . .35 The infant brain . .18 Barnett studies . .36 Infant trauma . .18 Tremblay and Japel experiments . .36 The significance of “sensitive windows” . .19 Rand Corporation economic evaluations . .36 Early emotional experience . .19 Syracuse study . .37 Attunement and empathy, keys to non violence . .20 Other studies . .37 Attunement and empathy . .20 Section 7 – Interventions that work . .39 Attunement: the core of emotional understanding . .21 The core of WAVE’S message . .39 The benefits of attunement . .21 Evaluation matrix . .39 Lack of attunement – beginning on the Global search for highly effective, practicable road to violence . .22 programmes . .40 6 The WAVE Report 2005: Violence and what to do about it Section 8 – An early prevention strategy . .41 Section 9 – PTSD: linking childhood abuse and WAVE’S Early Intervention Recommendations . .41 violence . .57 Roots of empathy (www.rootsofempathy.org) . .41 The role of PTSD in maintaining violence . .57 PIPPIN (www.pippin.org.uk) . .43 PTSD and the completion principle . .57 Nurse Family Partnership The dangers of re-enactment . .58 (www.nursefamilypartnership.org) . .44 PTSD reflexes can by-pass the thinking mind . .58 Circle of Security (www.circleofsecurity.org) . .45 Abuse during childhood can cause PTSD and violent Second-tier of attractive interventions . .46 behaviour . .58 Brief 3 – session sensitivity-focused intervention A high proportion of violent prisoners and addressing secure attachment . .46 ex-prisoners suffer from PTSD . .59 UCLA Family Development Project . .47 Recognition and treatment of PTSD . .59 Parenting Partnership . .46 Conclusions . .60 Parent Advisor . .48 Section 10 – First steps to reduce Third-tier of attractive interventions . .48 violence . .61 Front-pack baby carriers . .48 Programmes for pilot studies . .61 Infant Massage . .48 Three recommended thrusts for action . .61 The Community Mothers’ Programme . .49 Select a town or city for intensive implementation . .62 The Incredible Years . .49 Can an early prevention strategy be implemented? . .62 The Sunderland Infant Programme . .50 The status quo . .62 The Buffalo Shaken Baby Prevention Project . .50 A national agency to oversee and Other interesting programmes . .51 coordinate prevention? . .62 Syracuse Family Development Research Program . .51 Specific first steps . .63 Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme) . .51 References . .65 The Family Partnership Model . .52 Family Links Nurturing Programme . .52 Appendices . ..