Child Abuse Expert Murray Straus to Lecture at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Internationally renowned sociologist Murray Straus will deliver a lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in Room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center. Straus' lecture, entitled "Corporal Punishment by Parents: The Cradle of Violence in the Family and Society," is free and open to the public.

Straus is a member of the faculty at the University of New Hampshire. He is co-director of its Family Research Laboratory and co-developer of the Conflict Tactics Scales, a method of measuring the extent of violence in the home on the basis of information gathered by asking family members how they resolve conflicts.

The author or co-author of 19 books and 212 papers, many of Straus' recent works explore the impact of corporal punishment on children's behavior. His research shows that children exposed to verbal abuse or physical violence, such as spanking, are more likely as adults to abuse alcohol and drugs, experience depression or commit suicide.

Straus' visit is sponsored by the Peace and Conflict Studies concentration and the Sociology and Anthropology department.