Development of an Instrument for Risk Assessment of Generational Violence Within the Family
Project duration: 06/2024 - 05/2026
project description
Generational violence refers to intergenerational violence within the family unit. This can involve various forms of violence perpetrated by parents and grandparents against their (sometimes adult) children and grandchildren, as well as by (adult) children or grandchildren against their parents and grandparents. Despite its high prevalence and significant socio-political impact, generational violence is a little-researched criminological phenomenon for which a comprehensive risk assessment framework is currently lacking. The goal of this project is therefore the development and practical implementation of an evidence-based instrument for assessing the risk of intra-family generational violence. This instrument will be developed based on the practical experiences of Austrian violence protection centers and will be piloted using their case data. Primarily, the instrument aims to identify high-risk cases of intra-family generational violence by systematically assessing and evaluating both risk and protective factors. Based on this risk assessment, implications for managing the intensity of care or treatment affected individuals, as well as specific intervention goals, can be derived. Furthermore, the instrument will enable the tracking of changes in the risk of victimization throughout the care or treatment process, allowing for necessary adjustments in treatment planning or victim protection measures as needed.