The credibility of recovered memory testimony: exploring the effects of alleged victim and perpetrator gender.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to explore the effects of victim/complainant and perpetrator/defendant gender on the impact of recovered memory testimony in criminal sexual abuse trials. METHOD: A jury simulation methodology was used. Two hundred forty-six participants read a summary of a sexual abuse trial in which the following three variables were manipulated: the complainant's gender, the defendant's gender, and whether the complainant's memory of the alleged abuse had been "recovered" or remembered all along. Participants reached a verdict and rated the culpability and credibility of the parties. RESULTS: Compared to a case where the memory of the abuse had always been remembered, recovered memory testimony led to lower perceptions of the defendant's culpability and higher perceptions of the defendant's credibility. In addition, the complainant with recovered memory was viewed as less credible and less likely to be telling the truth. These effects of testimony type (i.e., recovered vs. remembered) were qualified by an interaction with complainant and defendant gender, such that testimony type exerted an effect in cases of alleged heterosexual but not homosexual abuse. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that mock jurors' judgments in sexual abuse cases reflect their stereotypes about sexual abuse and expectations regarding the relative likelihood of repression in various circumstances.     

Multiple personality disorder as perpetrator of child abuse

An eighteen-month-old Alaskan girl suffered transient coma with multiple superficial contusions when injured by her multiple personality disturbed caretaker. The relative disinterest in multiple personality disorder as a psychiatric diagnosis among American trained practitioners is reflected in the great difficulty encountered by child protection workers while seeking psychotherapy for this disturbed family. The public health nurse, pediatrician, and social workers of the child protection team were unsuccessful in attempting to secure psychiatric therapy for this child batterer. Multiple factors, other than psychiatric community disinterest in multiple personality disorders, influenced these unsuccessful attempts. Legal process delays, strongly punitive community attitudes, tired and nearly "burned out" child protection workers, and conflicting psychological and psychiatric consultant opinions are described. A brief review of multiple personality disorder traits is given with emphasis on the common childhood exposure to abuse and violence among reported multiple personality subjects. Despite the obvious hope by the eighteen-month-old child's parents for effective help to reconstitute her family, the multiple factors described show institutional neglect and abuse which has made such recovery impossible to date. A plea is made to all persons involved with child abuse and neglect to more accurately diagnose and treat multiple personality disorders in abusive parents.     

The parental bonding experiences of sex offenders: a comparison between child molesters and rapists

OBJECTIVE: It has often been hypothesized that because of a lack of early satisfactory attachments, sex offenders grow up unable to form relationships with adults, which makes them susceptible to pursue intimacy in maladaptive ways. This research aims to empirically examine the parental bonding patterns for a group of sex offenders, comparing child molesters and rapists. METHOD: Seventy-six men convicted of a sexual offense (57 child molesters and 19 rapists) completed the parental bonding instrument (PBI), and were assessed by means of a semi-structured clinical interview. RESULTS: Affectionless control style of parental bonding was highly prevalent amongst the sex offenders. There was some suggestion that low parental care was associated with childhood abuse and disturbances, particularly for child molesters. High overprotection in mothers was linked with parental separation and sex play with male peers in childhood. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to replicate the study with non-sexual offenders as a comparison group, and to establish whether the PBI provides a useful adjunct to studies of adult romantic attachment in sex offenders.     

Parenting behavior and the risk of becoming a victim and a bully/victim: A meta-analysis study

Objective

Being bullied has adverse effects on children's health. Children's family experiences and parenting behavior before entering school help shape their capacity to adapt and cope at school and have an impact on children's peer relationship, hence it is important to identify how parenting styles and parent–child relationship are related to victimization in order to develop intervention programs to prevent or mitigate victimization in childhood and adolescence.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of the published literature on parenting behavior and peer victimization using MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Eric and EMBASE from 1970 through the end of December 2012. We included prospective cohort studies and cross-sectional studies that investigated the association between parenting behavior and peer victimization.

Results

Both victims and those who both bully and are victims (bully/victims) were more likely to be exposed to negative parenting behavior including abuse and neglect and maladaptive parenting. The effects were generally small to moderate for victims (Hedge's g range: 0.10–0.31) but moderate for bully/victims (0.13–0.68). Positive parenting behavior including good communication of parents with the child, warm and affectionate relationship, parental involvement and support, and parental supervision were protective against peer victimization. The protective effects were generally small to moderate for both victims (Hedge's g: range: −0.12 to −0.22) and bully/victims (−0.17 to −0.42).

Conclusions

Negative parenting behavior is related to a moderate increase of risk for becoming a bully/victim and small to moderate effects on victim status at school. Intervention programs against bullying should extend their focus beyond schools to include families and start before children enter school.     

Classification models of child molesters utilizing the Abel Assessment for sexual interest.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study are to demonstrate 1) the criterion validity of the Abel Assessment for sexual interest (AASI) based on its ability to discriminate between non child molesters and admitting child molesters, and 2) its resistance to falsification based on its ability to discriminate between liar-denier child molesters and non child molesters. METHOD: A group of 747 participants matched by age, race, and income was used to develop three logistic regression equations. The models compare a group of non child molesting patients under evaluation for other paraphilias to three groups: 1) a group of admitting molesters of girls under 14 years of age, 2) a group of admitting molesters of boys under 14 years of age, and 3) a group believed to be concealing or denying having molested. RESULTS: Both of the equations designed to discriminate between admitting child molesters and non child molesters were statistically significant. The equation contrasting child molesters attempting to conceal or deny their behavior and non child molesting patients was also statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The models classifying admitting child molesters versus non child molesters demonstrate criterion validity, while the third model provides evidence of the AASI's resistance to falsification and its utility as a tool in the detection of child molesters who deny the behavior. Results of the equations are reported and suggestions for their use are discussed.     

Association of perpetrator relationship to abusive head trauma clinical outcomes

The diagnosis of abusive head trauma (AHT) remains a significant public health problem with limited prevention success. Providing protection from further harm is often challenged by the difficulty in identifying the alleged perpetrator (AP) responsible for this pediatric trauma. The objective of this study was to evaluate demographic and clinical characteristics of children with AHT and the relationship between APs and their victims in a large, multi-site sample. Understanding the AHT risks from various caregivers may help to inform current prevention strategies. A retrospective review of all cases of AHT diagnosed by child protection teams (CPT) from 1/1/04 to 6/30/09 at four children's hospitals was conducted. Clinical characteristics of children with AHT injured by non-parental perpetrators (NPP) were compared to parental perpetrators (PP). There were 459 children with AHT; 313 (68%) had an identified AP. The majority of the 313 children were <1 year of age (76%), Caucasian (63%), male (58%), receiving public assistance (80%), and presented without a history of trauma (62%); mortality was 19%. Overall, APs were: father (53%), parent partner (22%), mother (8%), babysitter (8%), other adult caregiver (5%); NPP accounted for 39% of APs. NPPs were more likely to cause AHT in children ≥1 year (77% vs. 23%, p < 0.001) compared to PP. Independent associations to NPP included: older child, absence of a history of trauma, retinal hemorrhages, and male perpetrator gender. While fathers were the most common AP in AHT victims, there is a significant association for increased risk of AHT by NPPs in the older child, who presents with retinal hemorrhages, in the hands of a male AP. Further enhancement of current prevention strategies to address AHT risks of non-parental adults who provide care to children, especially in the post-infancy age seems warranted.     

Call the police immediately: Factors influencing perpetrator arrest time in child abduction cases in South Korea

BackgroundConsidering the devastating long-term effects on victims caused by child abduction, a thorough examination of child abduction cases as well as the identification of specific factors determining offender arrest times are required.ObjectiveThe current study aims to better understand the characteristics of child abduction and contribute to improving efficient investigation and rapid offender apprehension.Participants and settingThe study uses data from investigation and trial records of abduction cases in South Korea from 1997 to 2008. A total of 144 cases of child abductions were analyzed. We investigated the characteristics of victims and offenders and incident characteristics including crime planning, the use of violence, and the time taken to realize that a child was missing, reporting it to the police, and arresting perpetrators.MethodsWe examined the data by using logistic regression analysis and the gamma generalized linear model.ResultsIt took significantly less time to arrest offenders if they had criminal records. The higher the age of the victim, the longer it took for the offender to be arrested. It took longer for the offender to be arrested in parental abduction cases than in non-parental abduction cases, and it took longer to arrest the perpetrator with delayed recognition that a child was missing and delayed police reporting.ConclusionsThe current findings emphasize the importance of rapid responses following abductions. The study provides strategies to assist with accurate decision making by investigators and fast case resolution through the early arrest of child abductors.     

Parenting a child with a cochlear implant: a critical incident study

This study aimed to describe and categorize the attributes that parents of young children with cochlear implants (CIs) consider as facilitating their parental coping experience. I interviewed 15 hearing mothers and 13 hearing fathers (including 12 married couples) whose children had CIs, using the critical incident technique that asked parents to describe significant incidents (observable behaviors, thoughts, feelings) that facilitated their parenting experience. A total of 430 critical incidents were documented and sorted into 20 categories. Further analyses supported the suggested categorical system's validity and reliability. Results indicated various sources of influence on parents' coping experience, associated with social contextual aspects (e.g., professionals' support, sharing experience with others, family's/friends' consistent involvement, intervention services), with the parent himself or herself (e.g., taking action, personal resources, incorporating deafness into daily life), and with the child (e.g., child characteristics, identifying progress and success). The current research substantiates the soundness of implementing early intervention models such as the developmental system model (Guralnick, 2001) and the support approach to early intervention (McWilliam & Scott, 2001), which coincide with ecological theory and recognize that families need various combinations of resources, social support, information, and services to help them address the stressors associated with parenting in general and parenting a child with special needs in particular.     

Children hospitalized with child abuse and neglect: a case-control study

A case-control study of 45 hospitalized abused children was conducted to reassess the risk factors for child abuse when confounding by social class was minimized. Cases were matched for age, sex, family structure, and social class with children admitted to hospital for an acute illness. Abused children were more likely to have younger parents, fewer siblings, and to have been separated from their mothers during the first year of life. Their parents were more likely to have been abused as children and to have a poor relationship with the child's other parent. The families of abused children had encountered more stressful life events in the preceding 12 months. Other previously recognized "risk factors" were not shown to have a statistically significant association with child abuse. Because child abuse is more prevalent in lower socioeconomic families, the association with many of these factors has been accepted as implying a causal relationship. Matching procedures which attempted to eliminate confounding by social class and family structure cast doubts on some previously held beliefs about the risk factors for child abuse.     

累犯概念的法理论证

累犯概念的立法规定 ,必须遵循 4条规则 ,即犯罪的次数、犯罪的罪过、犯罪的程度和犯罪间隔规则。构成累犯概念的每一个要素 ,都应从一个侧面说明行为人具有严重的人身危险性。而有的学者提出把人身危险性明确纳入累犯概念之中 ,则是一种不够成熟的建议     

Teacher–child relationship quality: The roles of child temperament and teacher–child interactions

Young children's relationships with teachers predict social and academic success. This study examines contributions of child temperament (shyness, effortful control) and gender to teacher–child relationship quality both directly and indirectly through the frequency of teacher–child interactions in the classroom. Using an NICHD SECCYD sample of 819 first grade children, four findings emerged: (a) children's shyness, effortful control, and gender contributed directly to teacher–child conflict and closeness; (b) children's shyness contributed to the frequency of child-initiated teacher–child interactions, and children's effortful control contributed to the frequency of teacher-initiated teacher–child interactions; (c) shyness related to teacher–child closeness indirectly through the frequency of child-initiated teacher–child interactions; (d) the frequency of child- and teacher-initiated interactions contributed to each other. Results inform practitioners and researchers of characteristics that put children at risk for failure to form positive relationships with teachers.     

Neighborhoods and child maltreatment: a multi-level study

OBJECTIVE: To better understand how neighborhood and individual factors are related to child maltreatment. METHOD: Using an ecological framework, a multi-level model (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) was used to analyze neighborhood structural conditions and individual risk factors for child abuse and neglect. Parents (n = 400) of children under the age of 18 were systematically selected from 20 randomly selected census-defined block groups with different risk profiles for child maltreatment report rates. Parents were administered the Neighborhood Environment for Children Rating Scales, the Child Abuse Potential Inventory, the Zimet measure of social support, and the Conflict Tactics Scales as a measure of childhood experience with violence. RESULTS: Neighborhood factors of impoverishment and child care burden significantly affect child abuse potential after controlling for individual risk factors. However, neighborhood effects are weaker than they appear to be in aggregate studies of official child maltreatment reports. Variation in child abuse potential within neighborhoods is greater than between neighborhoods. However, adverse neighborhood conditions weakend the effects of known individual risk and protective factors, such as violence in the family of origin. CONCLUSIONS: If individual potential for child maltreatment is more evenly distributed across neighborhoods than reported maltreatment, then neighborhood and community play an important, if as yet unspecified, role in child maltreatment. Multi-level models are a promising research strategy for disentangling the complex interactions of individual and contextual factors in child maltreatment.     

A study of the relationship between child abuse and drug addiction in 178 patients: Preliminary results

Social histories and demographic data were collected on 178 patients—101 in the United States and 77 in Australia—in treatment for drug/alcohol addiction. The purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which a correlation exists between child abuse/neglect and the later onset of drug/alcohol addiction patterns in the abuse victims. The questionnaire explored such issues as family intactness. parental violence/abuse/neglect, parental drug abuse, sibling relationships and personal physical/ sexual abuse histories, including incest and rape. The study determined that 84% of the sample reported a history of child abuse/neglect.     

论累犯处罚

对累犯从重或加重处罚,乃世界各国刑法之通例.累犯从重或加重处罚的根据在于累犯的人身危险性大于初犯."行为中心论"的累犯处罚突出强调加重刑罚的份量,"行为人中心论"的累犯处罚突出刑罚的矫正、改善功能.我国刑法对累犯处罚应以初犯作为参照系的从重处罚.     

Emergency caesarian section: A research study of the mother/child relationship of a group of women admitted expecting a normal vaginal delivery

This study follows a group of women who had their first babies by emergency caesarian section under a general anaesthetic and compares them with a control group who had a normal vaginal delivery. The emergency caesarian sections were not done for a clear cut medical emergency but for reasons such as foetal distress, prolonged labour, suspected cephalopelvic disproportion—all criteria open to different clinical judgment. The mothers and babies were seen one month, one year and three years after delivery. Significant differences were found between the attitude and behaviour of the caesarian group of mothers and that of the control group of mothers. There must be serious doubts about the need for an emergency caesarian delivery in this sample. They were a problem group of women as difficult to follow up as to deliver. In their histories there was a trend toward more difficulties in their past and present relationships. Did they need more sensitive handling during delivery to avoid an emergency caesarian section? Professionals frequently find anxiety hard to bear and need to act rather than attempt to understand the origin of the pain. It is easy to overlook the subtle long term effects of the action when it appears to solve the immediate problem.     

Measuring child maltreatment in the United Kingdom: a study of the prevalence of child abuse and neglect

OBJECTIVE: To provide reliable measures of the prevalence of all forms of child maltreatment in the UK that will be robust in the context of social and cultural differences due to social class, ethnicity and, region. METHODS: Two thousand eight hundred sixty-nine (2,869) young adults aged 18=-24, obtained by random probability sampling throughout the UK, were interviewed face to face by trained interviewers. Maltreatment was defined using a post hoc assessment of a range of experienced behaviors and treatments while the respondents were aged 16 or under. RESULTS: Over 90% of respondents reported that they came from a warm and loving family background. Maltreatment (both intra and extrafamilial) was experienced by 16% of the sample. Serious maltreatment was experienced by 7% of respondents for physical abuse, 6% for emotional abuse, 6% for absence of care, and 5% for absence of supervision, and 11% reported sexual abuse involving contact. Attitudes to maltreatment were explored through the examination of respondents' views of different behaviors and experiences that children may have been exposed to. CONCLUSION: The maltreatment of children in the UK today remains an extensive social problem. Prevalence data reveal that children are most at risk in the home for physical and emotional abuse and neglect. They are at greater risk of sexual abuse outside the home, particularly in dating relationships.     

Transforming engagement: a case study of building intrinsic motivation in a child with autism

This longitudinal case study of a 10‐year‐old girl with autism and severe communication impairment measures the impact of the MORE (Means, Opportunities, Reasons and Expectations) approach to enhancing engagement and communication. Through detailed observation of video data over a period of 28 months, engagement behaviours including interaction with adults and following adult directions increased, while resistant behaviours such as kicking, hitting and pushing adults away decreased. Fluctuation between different ‘states’ demonstrated that the frequency and duration of engagement was influenced by the MORE approach and an emphasis on developing intrinsic motivation. In order to enable further efficacy research, core features of the intervention and the changes in engagement over time are described.     

Maltreatment's wake: the relationship of maltreatment dimensions to child outcomes

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the extent to which, in combination, the best constructions of basic dimensions of maltreatment, identified in other papers from LONGSCAN, predict child outcomes. METHOD: Maltreatment records of a sample of 203 children were used to define dimensions of maltreatment related to Type, Severity, Chronicity, and Age at First Report. The definitions were based upon findings presented in other papers in this special issue. Children's behavioral and emotional functioning was examined at age 8 using standardized measures of problem behaviors, socialization and adaptation, and trauma symptomatology. Backward elimination regression was used to screen for interactions among the dimensions; regression models including dimensions and significant interactions were then run for each child outcome. Stratified partial correlations were utilized to explicate significant interactions. RESULTS: Individual maltreatment dimensions were found to have distinct effects on child functioning. Additionally, dimensions of maltreatment were interrelated and interacted in determining outcomes. Type of maltreatment (as indicated by the maximum severity rating of each type) was the most consistent predictor across outcomes, albeit different types predicted different outcomes. Various dimensional interactions were significant predictors of different outcomes. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a comprehensive assessment of a child's maltreatment experience, including type and severity, when the maltreatment began and the pattern of maltreatment across the life span, is important to understanding the effects of maltreatment on children's growth and development.