Child maltreatment in the "Children of the Nineties:" deprivation,class, and social networks in a UK sample

AIM: To determine risk factors for child maltreatment within the socio-economic environment of a contemporary UK child population. METHODS: The research is based on a large cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Out of 14256 children participating in the study, 115 have been identified as having been placed on local child protection registers prior to their 6th birthday. Data on the socio-economic environment of the families have been obtained from a series of questionnaires administered during pregnancy and the first 3 years of life. Risk factors have been analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Four indicators of deprivation all showed significant relationships with registration. Adjusted odds ratios were 2.33 for paternal unemployment; 7.65 for council housing; 2.16 for overcrowding; and 2.33 for car ownership. There was a strong relationship between the number of indicators of deprivation and the risk of maltreatment. In a second model, maternal unemployment, high mobility (> 3 house moves in the previous 5 years) and a poor social network were also significant with odds ratios of 2.82, 2.81, and 3.09, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the importance of social factors in the etiology of child maltreatment. Social deprivation is an important determinant of child maltreatment, and encompasses a number of different aspects, including financial security, housing situation and material benefits; in addition, the job situation of the parents and the stability and richness of their social networks all have a significant impact on risk of maltreatment. Interventions at both an individual and a community level are important to support families and reduce the risk of maltreatment.     

Creating a Library Orientation Card Game to Reach New Transfer Students

Librarians and staff at a public university drew upon previous experience with instructional games to develop, implement, and assess a card game as a library orientation activity for new transfer students. This project was shaped by a desire to meet transfer students’ unique needs as well as the logistical constraints associated with the university’s transfer student orientation. The card game, modeled after Apples to Apples, presented information about the campus library system in a fun, informal way that allowed transfer students to socialize with each other while learning. Survey responses indicated that students found the game both enjoyable and helpful.     

Influence of postpartum shock controllability on subsequent maternal behavior in rats

Responses of mother rats were observed 24 h before and 24 and 72 h after exposure to one of three 8-day postpartum treatments: shock escape training, yoked inescapable shock, or restrained with no shock. In contrast to those in the other two groups, the dams given inescapable shock showed slower speed to approach the nest, shorter durations of being on the nest, and lower frequency and shorter total duration of oral contact with their pups. These dams also retrieved their pups less frequently, but this measure, as well as the frequency of leaving the nest, did not result in significant differences between groups. Since the traditional interpretations of the learned-helplessness effect were not entirely able to account for these findings, the observed uncontrollable-stress-produced changes in maternal behavior were examined from an ethological perspective.     

Criteria for the selection,evaluation and application of traditional knowledge in contemporary health practice,education, research and policy: A systematic review

Background

Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) is highly utilised and draws on traditional knowledge (TK) as evidence, raising a need to explore how TK is currently used.

Objectives

Examine criteria used to select, evaluate and apply TK in contemporary health contexts.

Methods

Systematic search utilising academic databases (AMED , CINAHL , MEDLINE , EMBASE , SSCI , ProQuest Dissertations Theses Global ), Trip clinical database and Google search engine . Citations and reference lists of included articles were searched. Reported use of TK in contemporary settings was mapped against a modified ‘Exploration-Preparation-Implementation-Sustainment’ (EPIS) implementation framework.

Results

From the 54 included articles, EPIS mapping found TK is primarily used in the Exploration phase of implementation (n = 54), with little reporting on Preparation (n = 16), Implementation process (n = 6) or Sustainment (n = 4) of TK implementation. Criteria used in selection, evaluation and application of TK commonly involved validation with other scientific/traditional evidence sources, or assessment of factors influencing knowledge translation.

Discussion

One of the difficulties in validation of TK (as a co-opted treatment) against other evidence sources is comparing like with like as TK often takes a holistic approach. This complicates further planning and evaluation of implementation.

Conclusion

This review identifies important criteria for evaluating current and potential contemporary use of TK, identifying gaps in research and practice for finding, appraising and applying relevant TK studies for clinical care.     

Psychometric properties of a youth self-report measure of neglectful behavior by parents

Objective

This study aimed to empirically assess psychometric properties of a multi-dimensional youth self-report measure of neglectful behavior by parents.

Method

Data were gathered from 593 12-year-old youth participating in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) consortium; 272 also had data at age 14. Youth responded to a 25-item measure of their experiences of neglect. Expert raters classified items into 4 factors, followed by confirmatory factor analyses. We evaluated cross group measurement equivalence by gender and longitudinal measurement equivalence from age 12 to age 14. Validity was assessed by the relationships between factor scores and (1) neglect reports to child protective services (CPS), (2) quality of parent-child interactions, and (3) parental monitoring.

Results

A 3-factor model (Physical Needs, Emotional Support, and Parental Monitoring) of neglect was obtained, with equivalence across gender and longitudinally (age 12-14). The pattern of correlations between the factor scores, CPS reports, and measures of the parent-child relationship offered modest to moderate support for convergent validity.

Conclusions

The findings suggest a promising and relatively brief youth self-report measure of neglect to help advance research in this area.     

Flexible learning: a Luddite view

This article reflects on the flexible learning concept through the eyes of the 19th-century industrial activists known as the Luddites. During a period of economic uncertainty, the Luddite perspective provides a sensitive justification for a change-free educational environment, and for a backlash in favour of ‘inflexible learning’ (IL). The article outlines institutional strategies for encouraging IL in the face of flexibility, including a five-step intervention programme helping teachers to resist flexible tendencies in their work, and to return to the naturally inflexible state of many of their colleagues.     

International Demand For Spanish University Education: an analysis in the context of the European Higher Education Area

In the current context of globalisation it seems inevitable that the international openness of universities would also lead to efforts to attract foreign students. In the case of Spain, this is more necessary, insofar as the drop in population, the existence of other quality educational offerings, and the greater number of public and private universities have made students a target to compete for. Cutbacks in public funds have accentuated this trend. This article analyses the international demand at Spanish universities in order to determine whether there are significant differences because of the level of local competition faced by universities and public or private ownership. The Herfindhal index and analysis of variance are used to this end. Using data from the Statistics on University Students for the 2005‐2006 and 2011‐2012 academic years, we found that the creation of the European Higher Education Area partially affected international demand at Spanish universities. The overall international attractiveness of the Spanish university system improved considerably and universities have assumed an international view, regardless of the competition in their respective areas. Therefore, local competition is no longer a decisive factor to explain the international demand. In contrast, although public or private ownership does not determine the international attractiveness of universities, it does serve to explain their type of international demand.     

The diverse utility of wet prosections and plastinated specimens in teaching gross anatomy in New Zealand

Anatomical education has traditionally used cadaveric material to study the human body, with both wet prosections and plastinated (PP) material commonly utilized. However, the frequency of use of these different preparation modes in a tertiary institution has not been previously examined. An audit of PP use in the Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology at the University of Otago was performed for 2009, assessing the number of courses, variety, and number of PP used throughout 2009. Results indicate the unique and diverse nature of PP utilization and are discussed with reference to their relative strengths and weaknesses. Such information is useful to those wishing to initiate or maintain programs that involve the teaching of human anatomy with cadaveric material.