Addressing Child Maltreatment and Violence

Hear the interview.

Renee McDonald

Ernie Jouriles

George Holden

Three SMU psychology professors who specialize in family dynamics and childhood abuse appeared on KERA public radio's Think program on February 24, 2010, talking about what can be done to end family violence and child maltreatment.

Professors Renee McDonald, Ernie Jouriles and George Holden, who were participating in the 2010 American Psychological Association National Summit on Interpersonal Violence and Abuse, shared their expertise and experiences with Think's Krys Boyd. Hear the interview.

McDonald's research interests focus on understanding how specific child adjustment problems, such as aggression and antisocial behavior, are associated with exposure to family conflict and violence. Understanding how violence exerts its detrimental effects on children is central to developing effective interventions.

Jouriles's research on children’s responses to marital conflict focuses on understanding why certain types of marital conflict are more detrimental to children than others. This research is conducted with an eye toward intervention and he has begun to develop and evaluate intervention programs to assist children exposed to frequent and severe interparent violence.

Holden's research focuses on understanding the determinants and significance of the parent-child relationship in development. Much of the work conducted in his lab addresses the proximate causes of parental behavior with an emphasis on parental social cognition.

The Summit was an event of the The National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan, an overarching group of organizations, agencies,coalitions and groups that embrace a national, multi-disciplinary and multicultural commitment to violence prevention across the lifespan.

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