The relationship of social support to physically abused children's adjustment

OBJECTIVE: This study had three main objectives: First, to assess physically abused children's perceptions of teacher, peer, and family support; second, to determine whether the levels of perceived support differ according to the person's social role; and third to assess which sources of social support show stronger associations with adjustment in a physically abused sample. METHOD: Perceived social support from teachers, families and peers was assessed in a sample of 37 physically abused children using a shortened version of the Survey of Children's Social Support (Dubow & Ullman, 1989). Child adjustment was indexed by child and parent reports of child depression, anxiety, and anger. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that the children rated their families, peers, and teachers highly as sources of social support, with families being rated as the most important source. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived peer support was significantly negatively related to children's and parent's reports of children's depression and anxiety. Furthermore, perceived family support was significantly negatively associated with child reported depression. No significant relationships were found between perceived teacher support and symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results suggest that peer and family support are particularly important for physically abused children's psychological functioning, particularly for internalizing problems.     

The mediating role of secrecy in the development of psychopathology in sexually abused children

Although child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with psychopathology, limited research examined mechanisms through which CSA leads to psychopathology in children. It is generally assumed that CSA is associated with secrecy among children, to our knowledge this assumption has not yet been empirically tested. This gap in our understanding of the aftermath of CSA is surprising in light of abundant evidence linking secrecy to psychopathology among children. The current study examined whether, as compared to children who have not experienced CSA, CSA victims have a greater tendency for secrecy as reported by mothers and children, and whether psychopathology in CSA victims may be explained by their tendency to keep secrets. Sixty-three non-offending mothers and their sexually abused children (68.3% female; M age = 10.89) and 48 mothers and their non-abused children (62.5% female; M age = 11.17) completed questionnaires on secrecy and psychopathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behavior problems). Mothers of abused children perceived higher levels of secrecy and psychopathology in their children as compared to mothers of non-abused children. There were no differences in child-reported secrecy between abused and non-abused children. Mediation analyses revealed that mother-reported secrecy mediated the association between CSA and psychopathology. These findings suggest that secrecy is a potential mechanism underlying psychopathology associated with CSA, which has important implications for treatment of abused children.     

Origins of language delay in abused infants

This paper presents a reanalysis of data collected in a study of abusing mother-infant pairs, emphasizing the failure of infants with a history of physical abuse to develop appropriate language skills. Bayley Mental Development indices of abused infants decreased with age. This decrease was attributable largely to the failure of abused infants to pass verbal items. None of the abused children had any verbal communication skills. Results are discussed in relation to patterns of maternal ignoring and lack of verbal stimulation.     

Protecting abused and neglected children: Can law help social work?

In the United States, about 25% of all child fatalities attributed to abuse or neglect occur after the child has been reported to a child protective agency. (Tens of thousands of other children receive serious injuries short of death while under child protective supervision.) Increasingly, individual workers are being blamed when the children in their care suffer further maltreatment. In all parts of the country, workers are being given administrative reprimands, are being fired, downgraded, or reassigned for mishandling their cases. Many are being sued for professional malpractice; some are being criminally prosecuted for official malfeasance and negligent homicide. Blaming workers is sometimes deeply unfair and fear of unfair criticism leads to defensive social work and, hence, to overintervention into private family matters. Existing laws encourage this unfair criticism by greatly overstating the ability of workers to predict future maltreatment. Laws can be reformulated to help workers better protect maltreated children. Laws should make clear that, subject to certain minor exceptions, protective action is warranted only when the parents' past behavior seriously injured the children or was capable of causing serious injury.     

Self-esteem of abused children

Thirty-seven children admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of abuse at an average of 5.5 years previously were compared with 37 non-abused children matched for age, sex, ethnic group, school and social class. The mean age of the children with 8.9 years (range 4.6-14.0 years). Self-esteem in the children was assessed by means of a structured interview with the child and the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. The abused children saw themselves as having significantly fewer friends than the comparison children and they played with friends less often. They were less ambitious than the non-abused children with regard to the sort of occupation they would like as adults and were significantly lower in self-concept on the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. These results show that, as well as providing treatment for abusive parents, a long-term program which aims at improving interpersonal relationship skills and self-esteem is required for abused children.     

The behaviour of abused children in foster care

This article is about my experiences of fostering abused children. I have been fostering for ten years and ours is perhaps a unique situation of two single women sharing the work. We have 13 foster children and have used the other children in the family as much as possible to help the two I am going to describe.I feel very strongly that children can give greatly to other children and that they grow in the process. Children can be cruel to each other — yes, but they have a tremendous capacity to give if we encourage them. We can help them to harness their own bad experiences constructively and achieve something in their giving.I have chosen two very different children to talk about. Mike was perhaps the most easily recognisable “neglected” child, and had all the classic symptoms. Alan is a much older child and I have decided to tell you about him because there is such ignorance about the long term effects of verbal abuse and mental cruelty, and sadly such children are rarely given the opportunity of being fostered.     

The educational expectations of Italian children: the role of social interactions with the children of immigrants

This paper aims to investigate to what extent the growing presence of children with immigrant background in the Italian school system has an impact on the educational expectations of Italian students in eighth grade. Educational expectations are individuals’ plans for their future educational career, adjusted to the subjectively estimated probabilities of achieving a given outcome. Multilevel analyses are performed using data from ITAGEN2 (Italian Second Generation) survey, the first nationwide survey on natives, first- and second-generation immigrants. Results demonstrate that attending a school with a high proportion of children of immigrants has no impact on realistic expectations about secondary education. In addition, students attending schools with high level of interethnic integration are more prone to having high educational expectations.     

The intellectual profile of abused and neglected children in the Philippines: An analysis of SB5 IQ scores of sexually abused,physically abused and neglected children

Child abuse and neglect have been associated with cognitive deficits, among other effects on child development. This study explores the prediction that child abuse and neglect has an impact on Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales 5th Edition (SB5) IQ scores, in relation to gender, age and type of abuse experienced. 300 children with experiences of abuse and neglect were included in the study, comprising 100 sexually abused, 100 physically abused and 100 neglected children. Overall, all scores on the SB5 were found to be significantly lower than the minimum average scores on the test. Verbal IQ (VIQ) scores were likewise found to be significantly lower than Nonverbal IQ (NVIQ) scores. Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores did not reveal heterogeneity when gender was factored in. Age and type of abuse (with a moderate effect size) on the other hand, showed significant differences among groups. Statistical analyses of SB5 Factor Index Scores revealed that abused children, in general, have significantly higher Visual-Spatial Processing (VS) and Quantitative Reasoning (QR) scores and lower scores in Knowledge (KN). There was a large effect size found in such an analysis. Age (with a large effect size), gender and type of abuse (with moderate effect sizes) give significant variations to this obtained profile.     

Helping social workers address the educational needs of foster children

OBJECTIVE: The main aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Education Initiative, an intervention program in one of the largest urban counties in the US seeking to increase the responsiveness of social workers to the educational needs of foster children. METHOD: A pre-post test control group design was used. Data from case files and social workers were examined at the start of the project and 18 months later to determine changes in social workers' (a) knowledge and practices regarding school programs and services and (b) maintenance of educational records for children on their caseloads. RESULTS: Data were analyzed from approximately 300 case files and over 200 questionnaires completed by social workers. Findings indicated that social workers who received training and had access to an education liaison (1) increased their knowledge about the school system and (2) were more likely to gather current educational data and comment on schooling needs in the case files. On questionnaires measuring knowledge and practices, supervisory social workers showed no gains while case workers increased their levels of knowledge and involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluative data from both sources support the effectiveness of this collaborative model between the school and child welfare agency for addressing the educational needs of foster youth. Social workers in the pilot offices knew more and focused more on the school experience of youth on their caseloads than workers in the control offices. They reported more educational information in the case files and solicited current progress reports from the schools. Discrepancies between worker and school reported performance data raise questions as to whether social workers by themselves are the most effective advocates for foster children.     

Educational and psychological problems of abused children

The findings of this study tend to confirm the hypothesis that abused children are found to be significantly different from nonabused children in academic achievement, placement in classes for the emotionally disturbed and for the educable mentally retarded. The data also confirm the hypothesis that abused and neglected children are placed in special facilities more frequently than children who have not been adjudged as abused. Further, abused and neglected children were reported to exhibit behaviors indicative of psychological problems. Within each of the dimensions investigated, abused and neglected children were found to have significant problems.In light of the significant differences found in this study, we find substantial support for the projects being supported by the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect designed to involve the schools in the United States in the battle against children abuse and neglect. Especially important is the project of the Education Commission of the States designed to create an awareness among school systems, professional teacher organizations, and state and local legislative governing bodies of their potential in the battle against child abuse and neglect.In light of the loss of human potential as well as the increased costs involved in providing special classes for the abused and neglected child, allocation of resources to involve schools and school personnel as a part of the multidisciplinary team concerned with child abuse and neglect seems well justified. Additionally, the allocation of fiscal resources for research designed to secure data regarding the sequelae of child abuse is also amply justified.     

The alienation response of children abused in out-of-home placement

THIS BRIEF COMMUNICATION addresses program abuse in out-of-home placement which deepens what we identify as the alienation response in the already alienated child. Alienation is defined as a state of feeling separate, apart, not being able to relate effectively with another, not belonging, and with impaired ability to connect the inside world of feelings with the outside environment. Program abuse is seen as any act or condition permitted in a program that further alienates a child. In evaluating a child's degree of alienation and developing creative methods to reach the most severely “child alone,” the use of the Alienation Chart in Figure 1, has been helpful to our staff.     

试析弱势群体子女教育贫困成因及其救济途径

我国正处在社会转型期,在国民经济高速发展和人民总体生活水平不断提高的同时,社会阶层的分化也在加速,弱势群体随之产生。由于弱势群体在社会竞争中处于不利地位,其家庭经济收入很低甚至入不敷出,最终导致弱势群体子女教育贫困。这一现象如果得不到有效解决,将会严重影响我国构建和谐社会目标的实现。     

Perceived social support and domain-specific adjustment of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties

The perceived availability of social support has been documented as a protective mechanism among adults and adolescents. However, little research has explored the role of social support among children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (E/BD). The current study sought to investigate the effects of perceived social support from family, friends and teachers on domain-specific adjustment for children with E/BD. Fifty-four teacher-nominated children for E/BD completed questionnaires on perceived social support and behavioural, emotional and social functioning. Results suggest a pattern of intercorrelations between indices of child-rated social support and behavioural, emotional and social indicators of adjustment. Specifically, domain-specific social support was found to predict domain-specific adjustment outcomes for children with E/BD, once demographic variables were held constant. Interventions that are child-centred and domain-specific are suggested.     

The mental development of abused children in South Africa

The question of the mental development of abused children has been researched extensively overseas. In this paper the patterns of mental development in White South African children who have been definitely abused, are presented.     

Post-traumatic stress in sexually abused, physically abused, and nonabused children

This investigation compared the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms across sexually abused, physically abused, and nonabused psychiatrically hospitalized children matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Among the sexually abused children, 20.7% met diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder compared with 6.9% of the physically abused and 10.3% of the nonabused children. Although these overall rates were not significantly different across groups, they were significantly high to reinforce the need for further study of post-traumatic stress in childhood. Further, significant symptom rate differences across groups were found with respect to specific post-traumatic stress symptoms. Specifically, sexually abused children exhibited significantly higher rates of inappropriate sexual behaviors than either the physically abused or nonabused children. In addition, both the sexually abused and physically abused groups showed a tendency to exhibit more avoidant/dissociative symptoms as compared to the nonabused children. Results are discussed in terms of their clinical and research implications.