Risk factors for the perpetration of child sexual abuse: a review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: Since the late 1980s, there has been a strong theoretical focus on psychological and social influences of perpetration of child sexual abuse. This paper presents the results of a review and meta-analysis of studies examining risk factors for perpetration of child sexual abuse published since 1990. METHOD: Eighty-nine studies published between 1990 and April of 2003 were reviewed. Risk factors were classified into one of the following six broad categories: family factors, externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, social deficits, sexual problems, and attitudes/beliefs. Sex offenders against children (SOC) were compared to three comparison groups identified within the 89 studies: sex offenders who perpetrated against adults (SOA), non-sex offenders, and non-offenders with no history of criminal or sexual behavior problems. RESULTS: Results for the six major categories showed that SOC were not different from SOA (all d between -.02 and .14) other than showing lower externalizing behaviors (d=-.25). Sex offenders against children were somewhat different from non-sex offenders, especially with regard to sexual problems and attitudes (d=.83 and .51). Sex offenders against children showed substantial differences from non-offenders with medium sized effects in all six major categories (d's range from .39 to .58). CONCLUSION: Child sex offenders are different from non-sex offenders and non-offenders but not from sex offenders against adults. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study suggests that the presence of general risk factors may lead to a variety of negative behavioral outcomes, including the perpetration of child sexual offending. Family factors were strongly related to the perpetration of child sex offending (vs. non-sexual offending or non-offending) and may be valuable intervention points for interrupting the development of child sex offending, as well as other negative behaviors. Other potential points for intervention may focus on the development of appropriate social and emotional skills that contribute to sexual offending.     

Stitching Codeable Circuits: High School Students’ Learning About Circuitry and Coding with Electronic Textiles

Learning about circuitry by connecting a battery, light bulb, and wires is a common activity in many science classrooms. In this paper, we expand students’ learning about circuitry with electronic textiles, which use conductive thread instead of wires and sewable LEDs instead of lightbulbs, by integrating programming sensor inputs and light outputs and examining how the two domains interact. We implemented an electronic textiles unit with 23 high school students ages 16–17 years who learned how to craft and code circuits with the LilyPad Arduino, an electronic textile construction kit. Our analyses not only confirm significant increases in students’ understanding of functional circuits but also showcase students’ ability in designing and remixing program code for controlling circuits. In our discussion, we address opportunities and challenges of introducing codeable circuit design for integrating maker activities that include engineering and computing into classrooms.     

Heterosexual Bias Among Counselor Trainees

Master's level counselor trainees rated an audiotaped and role-played intake interview of a female client whose sexual orientation was varied. In Condition 1, the client referred to her partner as “Doug,” a man; in Condition 2, the client referred to her partner as “Diane,” a woman; in Condition 3, the client referred to her partner as “Chris,” whose sex was unidentifiable. Subtle forms of heterosexual bias were found through participants' ratings of the unidentifiable client. When responding to the ambiguous condition involving the unidentifiable client, 83% of the participants assumed the client was heterosexual. When they were debriefed, participants expressed concern over the lack of training on issues related to counseling lesbian and gay clients. Use of the ambiguous case example, as in this study, is recommended for training to assess and confront increasingly subtle forms of heterosexual bias.     

Reinforcing the ‘diminished’ subject? The implications of the ‘vulnerability zeitgeist’ for well-being in educational settings

Abstract

Pessimistic discourses about crises in youth and children's well-being, mental health and vulnerability permeate English educational policy and practice. These generate vague and slippery elisions of wellbeing and mental health, and the related rise of an ad hoc, confusing market of psycho-emotional interventions promoted by new types of 'pay-experts'. Revisiting earlier arguments that these developments depict a ‘diminished’ human subject, we propose that the incoherent state of policy, much research and practice in this area warrants robust challenge and critique. In particular, more precision about key concepts of social and emotional learning, mental health and wellbeing, a reining in of universal programmes, and serious interest in the types of curriculum that can offer richer, more meaningful alternatives to developing wellbeing in educational settings.     

The Schooling Experience of Adolescent Boys with AD/HD: An Australian Case Study

This study explored the experience of schooling of six adolescent boys diagnosed with AD/HD from the perspectives of the boys, their mothers and their teachers. The study utilised social constructionism as the theoretical orientation and the Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT) of AD/HD as the explanatory framework. Utilising a multiple, instrumental case-study, data were collected by means of semi-structured individual and focus group interviews as well as a review of school reports across a two year period. Findings of the study suggest that taking medication as prescribed together with supporting the students to make and manage friendships, utilising classroom strategies that support learning, and providing an engaging classroom environment are important considerations to promote a positive schooling experience for adolescents with AD/HD.     

Children in foster care: factors influencing outpatient mental health service use

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors influencing outpatient mental health service use by children in foster care. METHOD: Detailed survey and administrative data were collected on 480 children who entered long-term foster care in San Diego County from May 1990 through October 1991. These data were linked with claims data from Medicaid and San Diego County Mental Health Services information systems. A Poisson regression model was used to determine whether the following factors influenced outpatient mental health service use: age, race/ethnicity, gender, maltreatment history, placement pattern, and behavioral problems as measured by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: Except for maltreatment history, all independent variables included in the multivariate regression model were statistically significant. The total number of outpatient mental health visits increased with age, male gender, and non-relative foster placements. Relative to Caucasians, visits were lower for Latinos, and Asian/Others, but comparable for African-Americans. Concerning maltreatment history, differences were only found in one category; children experiencing caretaker absence received fewer visits compared to children who did not experience caretaker absence. Children with CBCL Total Problem Scale T-scores of 60 or greater had significantly more visits than those with a score less than 60. CONCLUSIONS: Both clinical and non-clinical factors influence outpatient mental health service use by foster children. Limitations imposed by gender, race/ethnicity, and placement setting need to be addressed by child welfare policies. These finding suggest that guidelines are needed to systematically link children in foster care with behavioral problems to appropriate services.     

蠕变条件下完整岩石的起裂和扩展准则

The mechanism and criterion of crack initiation and propagation of rocks were investigated by many researchers,And the creep behaviour of rocks was also theoretically and experimentally studied by some scientists and engineers.The characteristics of crack initation and propagation of rocks under creep condition.however,are very improtant for rock engineering and still not paid enough attention by researchers,In this paper,the criterion and mechanism of crack initiation and propagation under creep condition were investigated using specimens collected from sandstone rock formations outcropping in the Emei Mountain,the Sichuan Province of China.Cuboid specimens under three point bending were used in this investigation.All specimens were classified into four sorts and used for Mode-I fracutre of creep frcture tests.The experimental result shows that due to creep deformation.rock crack will inevitably initialt and propagate under a load of KI,which is less than fracture toughness KIC but not less than a constant(marked as KIC2),KIC2 indicates the ability of rock to resist crack initiation and propagation under creep conditions and is less than fracture tough ness KIC.defined as creep fracture toughness in this paper,KIC2 should be considered as an importnat parameter on design and computation of rock engineering.The microstructureal mechanism for crack initiation and propagation of rock materials under creep condition was introduced based on competitive model between softening effect and hardening effect,and the validity of test result was explained.The test result was also verified in rheological theory.When KI is more than KIC2 but less than KIC,rock crack will initiate and propagate after a time interval of sustained loading under creep condition.In order to find the relation between duration of sustained lading.which can lead to crack initiation and propagation,and the initial stress intensity factor KI,an unequal0interval time sequence forecasting and predicting model was introduced,and the relation was obtained for homogeneous and isotropic fine-grained red sandstone.Finally a modified fracture toughness formula was given,in which the influence of fracture process zone(FPZ) was fully considered.     

Learning to Learn to Teach: An ``Experiment' Model for Teaching and Teacher Preparation in Mathematics

This paper describes a model for generating andaccumulating knowledge for both teaching andteacher education. The model is applied firstto prepare prospective teachers to learn toteach mathematics when they enter theclassroom. The concept of treating lessons asexperiments is used to explicate theintentional, rigorous, and systematic processof learning to teach through studying one's ownpractice. The concept of planning teachingexperiences so that others can learn fromone's experience is used to put into practicethe notion of contributing to a sharedprofessional knowledge base for teachingmathematics. The same model is then applied tothe work of improving teacher preparationprograms in mathematics. Parallels are drawnbetween the concepts emphasized for prospectiveteachers and those that are employed byinstructors who study and improve teacherpreparation experiences. In this way, parallelsalso are seen in the processes used to generatean accumulating knowledge base for teaching andfor teacher education.