Domestic violence, emotion coaching, and child adjustment.

This article addresses the question of whether parents in domestically violent homes have difficulty talking to and helping their children manage their emotions-what has been referred to as emotion coaching. Emotion coaching as a moderator in the relationship between domestic violence (DV) and children's behavior problems was also examined. Results indicated that DV was not associated with a general deficit in emotion coaching but that DV was associated with less coaching of anger and fear depending on whether the parent was the perpetrator or victim of DV. Emotion coaching also moderated the relationship between DV and children's behavior problems. Implications for the development of an intervention program to improve parental coaching of emotion in domestically violent homes is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Domestic violence, maternal parenting, maternal mental health, and infant externalizing behavior.

This study examined whether maternal functioning mediated the relationship between domestic violence (DV) and infant externalizing behavior. Participants were 203 mother-infant dyads. Support was found for a partially mediated model in which maternal functioning mediated the relationship between current DV and infant externalizing behaviors. Past DV was directly associated with infants' externalizing behavior. Results suggest the need for early intervention and prevention efforts for families living with DV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of child abuse and child neglect.

Compared data from the child welfare and the hospital files for each of 422 children identified from a hospital list as abused. The children fell into 4 categories: 62 (mean age 2.1 yrs) who were neglected, 243 (mean age 5.2 yrs) who were abused, 83 who were abused and neglected, and 34 for whom evidence of abuse or neglect was not established. Significant differences were found between the families who abused their children and those who neglected them, including differences in maternal age and socioeconomic status (SES). Abuse was more prevalent in children who had been previously separated from their parents, while children of teenaged mothers were most likely to be neglected. Data relating to the difficulties in decision making support the notion that interdisciplinary community teams might have much to offer in the development of more stringent guides for determining the nature of mistreatment and the probability of further risk to the child. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group treatment for child sexual abuse.

Describes a 12-wk group therapy program used with more than 50 preadolescent children (aged 7–12 yrs) who have experienced intrafamilial sexual abuse. A cotherapy model is used. 90-min group sessions consist of 4 parts: circle time, focused activities, diary time, and snack. Activities are designed to highlight (1) development of trust, cohesiveness, and safety; (2) identification and labeling of feelings; (3) discussion of family relationships and family changes; and (4) exploration of issues associated with the offender. Sessions also examine legal issues and concerns and focus on self-esteem enhancement, social skills development, sex education, prevention of future abuse, and termination issues. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early intervention for parents at risk of child abuse and neglect: A preliminary investigation.

An early intervention program for young parents and children who have been identified as being at risk of child maltreatment was evaluated. Thirty mother–child dyads were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (a) an information group offered by the child protection agency (which served as a control condition) or (b) a special program of behavioral parent training in addition to the agency group. Self-report measures indicated that significant improvements in parenting risk and child behavior problems at posttest and at 3-month follow-up were evident only for mothers who received parent training in addition to information groups. Home observation data were inconclusive, possibly due to the limited opportunities to observe behaviors of interest. Both groups showed improvements in their child-rearing environments and in their children's adaptive behaviors at follow-up. Caseworker ratings of clients' risks of maltreatment and abilities to manage their families at 1-year follow-up significantly favored the families who received parent training in addition to information. Methodological and treatment issues arising from this preliminary investigation of early intervention with diverse population of high-risk parents and children are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Domestic violence. Reality for some of your toughest patients

Until recently, domestic violence was considered a criminal justice or social service problem. However, physicians see victims in emergency settings and clinics with complaints and symptoms that go beyond physical injuries. A study by a Minnesota health plan shows that, on average, a victim of domestic violence costs the health care system $1,434 more per year than a nonvictim. This article discusses the prevalence of domestic violence and the variety of presentations. Guidelines for screening, what to do with a positive response, when to call the police, and how to document and code are reviewed, as are issues unique to older victims of domestic violence.     

Domestic violence: A psychodynamic approach and implications for treatment.

Presents a conceptualization of the etiology of physical abuse between 2 adult partners. Case notes collected over 4 yrs from a counseling center for domestic violence illustrate that rage and resulting physically abusive behavior are complex phenomena and that attempts to define these phenomena in terms of anger, control, or psychopathology are misleading. Because abusive episodes appear to be individual in nature, a dynamic interpretation of particular interactions and their context is important for treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary prevention of child abuse.

Following a discussion of the ecological theory base for the study and design of child abuse prevention programs, the authors examine 3 categories of primary programs: competency enhancement, preventing the onset of abusive behavior, and targeting high-risk groups. Programs that enhance competencies of families focus on parent skills, child development information, and coping strategies to reduce stress. Programs that prevent the onset of abusive behavior involve media campaigns; information, crisis, and referral services; and social networks at the community and neighborhood levels. Programs that target high-risk groups (e.g., low-SES, single parents, complicated pregnancies) focus on therapeutic strategies. Methodological problems in evaluating child abuse prevention include the lack of appropriate comparison groups, poor choice of outcome measures, and the failure to measure proximal programmatic objectives and distal prevention goals. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent–child interaction, television violence, and aggression of children.

Summarized and integrated results of 2 large-scale longitudinal studies (L. D. Eron, see PA, Vol 38:2452; Eron et al, in press). The relationship between TV violence and aggression in Ss was corroborated in 2 different geographical areas of the US and was found to hold for both boys and girls. The causal effect is circular, with TV violence affecting S's aggression and aggressive Ss watching more violent TV. Contributing increments to a S's level of overt aggression were popularity, intellectual ability, aggressive fantasy, extent of physical punishment, rejection by parents, and the tendency of parents to endorse attitudes and behaviors often seen in sociopathic individuals. It is shown that it is possible to intervene to attenuate the relationship between TV violence and aggression with simple tuitional procedures that supercede the influence of the parent variables studied. Important intervening variables in the TV violence–aggression relationship are S's identification with aggressive characters and the extent to which S believes TV portrays reality. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of the first child predict the parents' probability of having another child.

In a sample of 7,695 families in the prospective, nationally representative British Millennium Cohort Study, this study examined whether characteristics of the 1st-born child predicted parents' timing and probability of having another child within 5 years after the 1st child's birth. Infant temperament was assessed with the Carey Infant Temperament Scale (Carey, 1972; Carey & McDevitt, 1978) at age 9 months, childhood socioemotional and behavioral characteristics with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 2001), and childhood cognitive ability with the Bracken School Readiness Assessment (Bracken, 2002) test at age 3 years. Survival analysis modeling indicated that the 1st child's low reactivity to novelty in infancy, high prosociality, low conduct problems, and high cognitive ability in childhood were associated with increased probability of parents having another child. Except for reactivity to novelty, these associations became stronger with time. High emotional symptoms were also positively associated with childbearing, but this was likely to reflect reverse causality—that is, the effect of sibling birth on the 1st child's adjustment. The results suggest that child effects, particularly those related to the child's cognitive ability, adaptability to novelty, and prosocial behavior, may be relevant to parents' future childbearing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of parent training on infant sleeping patterns, parents' stress, and perceived parental competence.

First-time parent couples from childbirth classes were randomly assigned to a 4-session training group (n?=?29) or a control group (n?=?31). Members of the training group were taught behavioral strategies to promote healthy, self-sufficient sleep patterns in their infants, whereas the control group received the same amount of personal contact without the behavioral training. Six sleep variables were derived from a daily infant sleep diary completed by parents at 2 time points. Results show that at age 6–9 wks, infants in the training group displayed significantly better sleeping patterns than did control infants. Training group parents awakened and responded less often to infant signaling and reported greater parental competence. By contrast, control group parents indicated increased stress over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Referral, intervention, and outcome in Canadian child abuse cases.

Investigated the course of referral, intervention, and outcome in Canadian child abuse cases by examining the characteristics of 422 cases seen at a hospital and known to the Children's Aid Society from 1973 to 1977. Through discriminant function analyses, variables that correctly predicted outcome were identified. Subsequent abuse was predicted by variables such as child behavior problems, parents having been abused as children, abuse of a sibling, and severity of the child's injury. Reasons for using caution in clinical applications of these predictors are discussed. Comparisons of the present study to the few previous Canadian ones are reported, and all were similar in 2 respects: Bruises were the most common injury type, and abusers were rarely taken to criminal court. Differences in the findings appeared to be due primarily to the ways the samples were selected and differences in available services and hospital or agency practices. (French abstract) (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Substantiation of child abuse and neglect reports.

A representative sample of 796 sexual abuse, 198 physical abuse, and 880 child neglect reports in New York State in 1985 was examined to identify case factors that predict the substantiation of the reports following an investigation by child protective services. This issue has taken on added significance as the number of child maltreatment reports continues to rise, whereas the percentage of those being substantiated declines. Regression analyses revealed that reports from professionals were substantiated at a significantly higher rate than reports from nonprofessionals for all types of maltreatment. These analyses further revealed that part of the effect of source of report was due to differences between professional and nonprofessional reports in the types of actions taken after the report was received. The most important predictors of substantiation, after source of report, were the variables that reflected the case investigatory process. The data also showed that background characteristics, such as the child's ethnicity or the number of children in the household, had some impact on the outcome of the investigation and that this varied as a function of the type of maltreatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Domestic violence: legal, practice, and educational issues

Domestic violence is a recognized and growing public health concern in the United States. Health care professionals have a duty to improve the identification of victims of domestic violence, intervene effectively, and advocate for better education to break the cycle of abuse.     

Unemployment rates, single parent density, and indices of child poverty: their relationship to different categories of child abuse and neglect

An arrangement of the seven transmembrane alpha-helices of the G protein-coupled Secretin receptor family is proposed. The helices of 27 homologous receptor sequences were plotted as helical wheels. The solvent inaccessible portion of each helix was used to assign relative orientations. They were arranged according to two criteria: 1) conserved, hydrophilic residues and aligned positions with restricted volume changes face the other helices and 2) aligned positions with low identity and large volume change face the lipid. The positive inside rule confirms the assumption that loops connecting transmembrane helices I-II, III-IV, V-VI and the C-terminal part of the receptors are intracellular. Our model approach was tested using the Bacteriorhodopsin family. The use of volume changes at each position in the transmembrane helix was crucial for the good correlation of the orientation of the helices using the model approach and the structure of bacteriorhodopsin solved by electron microscopy [Grigorieff N, Ceska TA, Downing KH, Baldwin JM, and Henderson R (1996) J Mol Biol 259 393-421]. The tests of our modelling approach showed that six helices were within a 15 degrees derivation in the orientation and five helices were within a horizontal derivation of two residues. The largest orientational derivations of a helix were 40 degrees and the largest horizontal displacement was four residues. A long stretch of side chains predicted to possess low resistance to movement in helix V of the Secretin receptor family suggests an involvement in receptor activation. Comparison of the Secretin receptor family and the larger G protein-coupled Rhodopsin family showed many similarities, despite the lack of obvious sequence identity.     

The psychological assessment of risk for crime and violence.

This article provides an overview of the current practices and challenges in psychological risk assessment for crime and violence. Risk assessments have improved considerably during the past 20 years. The dismal predictive accuracy of unstructured professional opinion has largely been replaced by more accurate, structured risk assessment methods. Consensus has not been achieved, however, on the constructs assessed by the various risk tools, nor the best method of combining factors into an overall evaluation of risk. Advancing risk assessment for crime and violence requires psychometrically sound evaluations of psychologically meaningful causal risk factors described using nonarbitrary metrics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clarifying the effects of parental substance abuse, child sexual abuse, and parental caregiving on adult adjustment.

Parental alcoholism, childhood sexual abuse, and other forms of child maltreatment are generally viewed as contributing to adult adjustment problems. The long-term effects of these various factors, however, are actually not well understood. The present study found that the largest amount of variance in 255 college students' psychological distress was explained by parental emotional abuse and neglect, with child sexual abuse, parental substance abuse, and other factors explaining additional but smaller amounts of variance in distress. This suggests that comprehensive conceptualizations of family influences on development will result in a more complete understanding of long-term adjustment outcomes than merely focusing on particular childhood risk factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Closure, covert warnings, and escalating child abuse

Research into prevention of child abuse deaths is notoriously difficult, both clinically and methodologically. Korbin (1989) supports the conclusions of Fontana and Alfaro (1987) that it may not be possible to predict which child maltreatment case might result in a fatality. Our study was retrospective, concerned a selected group of cases and was unable to compare cases in which closure or approaches to professionals did not culminate in a child's death. Nonetheless, it points to particular patterns that occur which may help alert practitioners in the field. It is our hope that clinical research based on these observations will enhance the practice of child protection in the future.     

Knives, guns, and interparent violence: Relations with child behavior problems.

Behavior problems were examined across 3 groups of children (8–12 years of age), living in families characterized by recent physical spousal violence. The groups were (a) 47 children who reported observing marital violence that included the threat or use of knives or guns (observed); (b) 57 children who did not report witnessing marital violence involving knives or guns but whose mothers reported that violence involving knives or guns had occurred in a recent marital dispute (occurred); and (c) 51 children who did not report witnessing marital violence involving knives or guns and whose mothers also reported no violence involving knives or guns (neither). Children in the observed group displayed higher levels of behavior problems than did children in the neither group, but they did not differ from children in the occurred group. Children in the occurred group also displayed higher levels of behavior problems than did children in the neither group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)