Child extrafamilial sexual abuse: predicting parent and child functioning

Objective: This study evaluated the emotional and behavioral adjustment of parents and children within 3 months and 1 year after the discovery of child extrafamilial sexual abuse.Method: Ninety-two case parents (63 mothers, 29 fathers) and 56 children were compared to a nonclinical comparison group of 136 parents (74 mothers, 62 fathers) and 75 children. Parent adjustment was assessed using self-report measures while child functioning was assessed using a combination of child-, parent- and teacher-report measures.Results: Mothers, fathers and sexually abused children experienced clinically significant effects both initially and at 12 months post-disclosure. Children’s perceptions of self-blame and guilt for the abuse and the extent of traumatization predicted their self-reported symtomatology at 3 months and 1 year post-disclosure. Child age and gender also significantly contributed to the prediction of many of the child outcome measures. No abuse-related variable was related to any child self-report measure. Mothers’ satisfaction in the parenting role, perceived support and intrusive symptoms predicted their initial emotional functioning. Avoidant symptoms, child’s internalizing behavior and mothers’ initial emotional functioning were significant predictors of longer-term emotional functioning.Conclusions: Results emphasize the need to address children’s abuse-related attributions and underscore the need to expand our focus beyond the child victims to the traumatized families.     

Epidemiology of child homicide in Jefferson County, Alabama

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to present the epidemiology of homicide among children younger than 6 years of age in Jefferson County, Alabama. This study focused on obtaining great detail on homicides and suspicious deaths occurring within a fixed population. METHODS: For purposes of this study, cases included Jefferson County deaths attributed to "homicide" or that were "undetermined" as noted in the coroner files among children younger than 6 years of age who were born and died between January 1, 1988 and December, 31, 1998. Victim and offender characteristics were obtained from the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner Office records. Environmental factors and circumstances surrounding the death were noted as well. RESULTS: The 53 study subjects were mainly female (55%), Black (69%), younger than 2 years of age (85%), had single mothers (38%), and a history of abuse (53%). Offenders were more likely to be male (64%), Black (73%), and a parent of the victim (53%). Homicides primarily resulted from an angry impulse (61%), with hands the most common weapon (61%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of deaths in this study occurred among children younger than age 2, with a high proportion of fatalities among Black children of unmarried mothers. The offender most often knew the victim, with half of all homicides and two-thirds of all infant homicides involving a parent. More than half of the homicides resulted from an angry impulse, while the most common scenario for deaths with undetermined intent involved the caretaker finding the child unresponsive.     

Investigative interviews of child witnesses in Sweden

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the structure and informativeness of interviews with 4- to 13-year-old alleged victims of sexual abuse in Sweden. METHOD: Seventy-two alleged victims of sexual abuse were interviewed by six experienced officers from one police district in Sweden. Our evaluation focused on the structure of the interviews, the distribution and timing of the investigators' utterance types, and the quantity and quality of the information provided by the children. RESULTS: Content analysis revealed that the interviewers relied primarily on option-posing and suggestive questions--together, these comprised 53% of their utterances--when interviewing the alleged victims. As a result, most of the details (57%) obtained from the children were elicited by option-posing and suggestive utterances. Only 6% of the interviewers' utterances were open-ended invitations, and these elicited only 8% of the information obtained. CONCLUSION: The reliance on option-posing and suggestive prompts may have reduced the accuracy of the information obtained, thereby interfering with the investigations, and reducing the forensic admissibility of the children's statements. This suggests a continuing need in Sweden, as in other countries, for interview practices that enhance the quality of information provided by young victims.     

School Reforms and Local Response: An Evaluation of School Reviews in 35 School Management Areas in Sweden, 1980-1985

This study focuses on 35 Swedish comprehensive school management areas. The initial purpose of the study was to examine the effects of two large-scale in-service training programs on local school development. The two programs were School Leader Education and Team Training.     

论20世纪80年代以来瑞典教师政策的变革及启示

本文梳理了20世纪80年代以来瑞典教师政策的三次主要变革,包括采用教师个别化工资制度、设立新的教师教育学位体系,以及建立全国统一的教师资格制度.文章试图在此基础上深入分析变革的社会背景与原因,并概括变革的策略和整体设计的特点.     

Institutional care of infants in Sweden: criteria for admission in 1970, 1975 and 1980

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the criteria used for admission of infants to institutional care in the metropolitan area of Stockholm in 1970, 1975 and 1980. The study included 337 infants. Their records from the institutional care have been studied. A significant decrease was observed from 1970 to 1980 on the following grounds for admission: teen-age mother, adoption, unsatisfactory housing situation, hospitalization of the mother. The following criteria for admission showed a significant increase: maternal alcohol and/or drug abuse as well as psychiatric disorders. It is concluded that there has been a dramatic change in the criteria used for admission of infants to institutional care from 1970 to 1980. Voluntary admissions of infants for maternal health reasons or social problems of a temporary nature have apparently been supplanted by non-voluntary admissions owing to maternal addiction and psychiatric insufficiency.     

Values and Practice: History teaching 1971-2001

From the biographical perspective of his own career as a history teacher and trainer, the author explores how the ideological ferment of the last 30 years has shaped the values and principles that have informed classroom practice in the period. The paper contrasts the tolerant, progressive humanism of the post-war era with the intense political controversies of the 1970s and explains how history teachers who recognised the post-modern dilemma and responded with new approaches and methods found themselves blamed for moral decline and falling standards. The arguments of Thomas Greenfield and Alasdair MacIntyre, with their frank acknowledgement of the contested nature of truth and knowledge, are compared with the certainties of Rhodes Boyson, Sheila Lawlor and Melanie Phillips. The History National Curriculum, with its apparatus of objectives and levels, is criticised as an incoherent set of bureaucratic procedures designed to close down classroom debate that appeared to threaten the established order. Research from Texas is cited as evidence that this standardised method may hinder teaching and learning, inducing compliance rather than understanding. In conclusion, a visit to the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre provides an example of how effective history teaching engages with inescapable controversy and is trivialised by an excessive concern with objectives, tests and examinations.     

Evidence for a relationship between child maltreatment and absenteeism among high-school students in Sweden

School absenteeism is a potent predictor of academic failure. Maltreated adolescents have been found to be more absent from school compared to their peers. However, it is scarcely studied in what degree a general population of students with high levels of school absenteeism has been exposed to child maltreatment. Furthermore, it is not known if maltreated school-absentees have specific characteristics compared to not-maltreated absentees. In this article, the first objective was to present and compare the prevalence of six types of child maltreatment in a general population of high school students reporting no, moderate or excessive absenteeism. The second objective was to compare maltreated and not-maltreated students who report absenteeism in respect to mental health, perceived school environment and peer victimization in school. Data from 667 girls and 649 boys (mean age 14.3) was used from the longitudinal multidisciplinary research program LoRDIA (Longitudinal Research on Development In Adolescence). Data was collected via self-report questionnaires in classroom settings. All six types of child maltreatment were overrepresented among absentees. Roughly 25% of absentees reported one subtype of maltreatment (16% in the total population) and a mean of 22% of absentees reported two or more types of maltreatment (11% in the total population). Maltreated absentees reported more mental health problems, personal harassment and worse relationship with their teachers than not-maltreated absentees. There might be specific correlates of school absenteeism among maltreated adolescents and professionals involved in preventing school-absenteeism should be made aware of the relationship between maltreatment and absenteeism.     

Victim, perpetrator, family, and incident characteristics of infant and child homicide in the United States Air Force

OBJECTIVE: The present study describes factors related to fatal abuse in three age groups in the United States Air Force (USAF). METHOD: Records from 32 substantiated cases of fatal child abuse in the USAF were independently reviewed for 60 predefined factors. RESULTS: Males were over-represented in young child victims (between 1 year and 4 years of age) and child victims (between 4 years and 15 years of age) but not in infant victims (between 24 hours and 1 year of age). African-American infant victims and perpetrators were over-represented. Younger victims were more likely to have been previously physically abused by the perpetrator. Perpetrators were predominantly male and the biological fathers of the victims. Infant and young child perpetrators reported childhood abuse histories, while child perpetrators reported the highest frequency of mental health contact. Victims' families reported significant life stressors. Families of young child victims were more likely divorced, separated, or single. Incidents with infants and young children tended to occur without witnesses; incidents with child victims tended to have the victim's sibling(s) and/or mother present. Fatal incidents were more frequent on the weekend, in the home, and initiated by some family disturbance. CONCLUSIONS: Differences among groups in factors related to infant and child homicide across age groups may assist in the development of more tailored abuse prevention efforts and may also guide future investigations.     

Child extrafamilial sexual abuse: predicting parent and child functioning

Objective: This study evaluated the emotional and behavioral adjustment of parents and children within 3 months and 1 year after the discovery of child extrafamilial sexual abuse.Method: Ninety-two case parents (63 mothers, 29 fathers) and 56 children were compared to a nonclinical comparison group of 136 parents (74 mothers, 62 fathers) and 75 children. Parent adjustment was assessed using self-report measures while child functioning was assessed using a combination of child-, parent- and teacher-report measures.Results: Mothers, fathers and sexually abused children experienced clinically significant effects both initially and at 12 months post-disclosure. Children’s perceptions of self-blame and guilt for the abuse and the extent of traumatization predicted their self-reported symtomatology at 3 months and 1 year post-disclosure. Child age and gender also significantly contributed to the prediction of many of the child outcome measures. No abuse-related variable was related to any child self-report measure. Mothers’ satisfaction in the parenting role, perceived support and intrusive symptoms predicted their initial emotional functioning. Avoidant symptoms, child’s internalizing behavior and mothers’ initial emotional functioning were significant predictors of longer-term emotional functioning.Conclusions: Results emphasize the need to address children’s abuse-related attributions and underscore the need to expand our focus beyond the child victims to the traumatized families.     

A Review of Studies in Science Education in Singapore: 1971 - 1990

Research should play a central role in decision making. Practitioners as well as policy makers can illafford to ignore the importance of research, particularly those involving the local context, in informing practice. Contextual differences are often incurred when overseas research findings are imported. A very strong case can therefore be made for more local research studies for use within the local context. There is, however, a dearth of local studies in science education over the past two decades. This paper attempts to briefly survey the field to account for the impoverished state. It will then review some thirty-six research studies carried out in Singapore spanning the period from 1971 to 1990—these representing the studies where documentation were available—with the view of pooling together the findings of the studies and eliciting trends for the benefit of future research efforts as well as enlightening practice and policy.     

Communication between courts and expert witnesses in legal proceedings concerning child sexual abuse in Sweden: a case review.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to explore the communication between courts and expert witnesses in legal proceedings concerning child sexual abuse in Sweden. METHOD: A cross professional research team performed a qualitative text analysis of files covering 20 court cases (court report and expert witness statement) from 4 different years (1985, 1989, 1992, and 1997). RESULTS: Expert witnesses applied a wide variety of assessment procedures. Several patterns of communicative difficulties were identified, categorized as "mismatch," "misunderstanding," "misuse," and "missing pieces." Experts and courts sometimes used similar words (e.g., "credibility") but seemed to apply different meanings to them, indicating a lack of a mutual conceptual framework. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of brief expert assignments and diverse assessment procedures turned out to be a specific risk factor for communicative impairment. Alternate strategies for improved communication are discussed.     

Fatal child maltreatment in England, 2005-2009

Objective

This paper presents comprehensive and up-to-date data covering 4 years of Serious Case Reviews into fatal child maltreatment in England.

Methods

Information on all notified cases of fatal maltreatment between April 2005 and March 2009 was examined to obtain case characteristics related to a systemic classification of 5 broad groups of maltreatment deaths (severe physical assaults; covert homicide/infanticide; overt homicide; extreme neglect/deprivational abuse; deaths related to but not directly caused by maltreatment).

Results

A total of 276 cases were recorded giving an incidence of 0.63 cases per 100,000 children (0-17) per year. 246 cases could be classified based on the data available. Of these the commonest specific group was those children who died as a result of severe physical assaults. Apparently deliberate overt and covert homicide was less common, while deaths as a direct consequence of neglect were rare. In contrast, some evidence of neglect was found in at least 40% of all cases, though not the direct cause of death.

Conclusions

Class characteristics differ between the different categories of death and may suggest the need for different strategies for prevention.     

A Fragile Dialogue? Research and Primary Education Policy Formation in Bangladesh, 1971-2001

This paper considers the relationship between knowledge production and primary education policy making in Bangladesh. It investigates the form of discussions and dialogues that have taken place between policy makers and researchers and considers how these have shaped the nature of the evidence policy makers have used in different periods. The paper also attempts to assess the implications of the shifting forms of relationship between policy and knowledge production for strategies to introduce universal primary education and improve its quality. The paper itself is an example of some of the themes it examines. It has emerged out of discussions taking place in the research committee of the Bangladesh Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) and Primary and Mass Education Division (PMED). (See Figure 1.) This committee, established as part of the DFID funded ESTEEM project [1], brings together officials from DPE and PMED with education researchers from Bangladesh's universities and consultants appointed by ESTEEM. An aspect of the work of the research committee has been to consider what kinds of knowledge are useful in the implementation of policy. In summary we argue that, except for an early period after the War of Independence, there has been little open dialogue between researchers and policy makers in Bangladesh. Policy has been much more closely shaped by the changing forms and values of educational administration in central government and in large NGOs than by 'scientific' forms of research and knowledge production or by the debates these might provoke. Research and education policy development have been the preserve of elite groups closely connected to central government. Very little research has been undertaken independent of government or commissions from large NGOs. However, in different periods researchers have participated in policy formation in different ways and there are indications in the present period that the views of researchers and policy makers are beginning to diverge somewhat with some more critical commentary being published. We map the history of these changing forms of participation in order to reveal aspects of the context in which successive policies have been formed.     

80年代我国认识论研究的主要特点及其启示

20世纪80年代的认识论研究,从实践与认识的相互关系开始,进一步深入探讨人类认识的自身机制,即不仅研究思维与存在关系的问题,而且对人类自身的认识能力进行了深入探讨。这一时期的认识论研究,呈现出宏观与微观相结合,多学科、多视角、多层次等特点,大大丰富和发展了马克思主义认识论。     

中国政治学恢复以来政治思想史研究透视

中外政治思想研究是人们参与政治思考的重要途径.自中国政治学恢复以来,中外政治思想研究总体发展态势良好,中国政治思想史和西方政治思想史两大根本研究领域内硕果累累,令人瞩目.近30年来,我国中外政治思想史研究基本呈现出六大基本特征,即政治思想史研究在政治学学术体系中的地位日益显著,研究体系不断系统,研究的思维过程渐趋科学,研究内容逐步丰富,研究方法日渐多元以及研究的目的性有效提升.当前是中国化马克思主义政治学的重要时期,中外政治思想史研究只有继续强化本学科研究的学术性、体系性、独立性、开放性、多元性,不断加强研究队伍的科学建设,才能在完善自身的同时,有力促进中国化马克思主义政治学的发展与进步.