The prevalence and impact of child maltreatment and other types of victimization in the UK: Findings from a population survey of caregivers,children and young people and young adults

Objectives

To measure the prevalence of maltreatment and other types of victimization among children, young people, and young adults in the UK; to explore the risks of other types of victimization among maltreated children and young people at different ages; using standardized scores from self-report measures, to assess the emotional wellbeing of maltreated children, young people, and young adults taking into account other types of childhood victimization, different perpetrators, non-victimization adversities and variables known to influence mental health.

Methods

A random UK representative sample of 2,160 parents and caregivers, 2,275 children and young people, and 1,761 young adults completed computer-assisted self-interviews. Interviews included assessment of a wide range of childhood victimization experiences and measures of impact on mental health.

Results

2.5% of children aged under 11 years and 6% of young people aged 11–17 years had 1 or more experiences of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect by a parent or caregiver in the past year, and 8.9% of children under 11 years, 21.9% of young people aged 11–17 years, and 24.5% of young adults had experienced this at least once during childhood. High rates of sexual victimization were also found; 7.2% of females aged 11–17 and 18.6% of females aged 18–24 reported childhood experiences of sexual victimization by any adult or peer that involved physical contact (from sexual touching to rape). Victimization experiences accumulated with age and overlapped. Children who experienced maltreatment from a parent or caregiver were more likely than those not maltreated to be exposed to other forms of victimization, to experience non-victimization adversity, a high level of polyvictimization, and to have higher levels of trauma symptoms.

Conclusions

The past year maltreatment rates for children under age 18 were 7–17 times greater than official rates of substantiated child maltreatment in the UK. Professionals working with children and young people in all settings should be alert to the overlapping and age-related differences in experiences of childhood victimization to better identify child maltreatment and prevent the accumulative impact of different victimizations upon children's mental health.     

Early Journals and Their Influences on the Development of Gerontology

This examination of early gerontology journals identifies the multidisciplinary backgrounds of contributors, methods of investigation, nascent theory development, and formative themes and controversies. Through use of content, thematic, and critical analyses of second year issues of The Gerontologist, Educational Gerontology, Research on Aging, Journal of Applied Gerontology, and Canadian Journal on Aging, this study highlights the influence of these journals on the formation of the discipline of gerontology. The analyses indicate that education and awareness of ageism, policy planning to address changing demographic patterns, cultural diversity, and disciplinary development were key themes in these early publications. The study also reveals that researchers and scholars in the social sciences and health sciences established the foundations of the discipline. Controversies were evident in various debates about knowledge formation and dissemination. The early journals further included diverse perspectives, theories, research methods, directions, and critiques of issues of age, aging, and the aged.     

An international perspective on civic participation in Irish post-primary schools: results from ICCS

Ireland was one of the 38 countries/education systems that participated in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) in 2009. This is the first international comparative study in this area in which Ireland has participated since 1971. The study measured the civic knowledge of 14-year-olds and their attitudes towards, and beliefs about, various civic and citizenship issues. The current paper focuses on indicators of students' and (to a lesser extent) parents' participation in school life. Although active participation in school is emphasised in, for example, the Education Act of 1998, little empirical work in Ireland has defined or examined actual levels of participation in post-primary schools, or students' views of their opportunities to participate, and ICCS provides information on these issues in an international comparative context. Findings indicate that despite a relatively strong civic knowledge base among students in Ireland, levels of participation compare less favourably with other countries. Results are discussed in the wider context of the Irish education system.     

Enhancing Gifts and Talents of Women and Girls

This article presents an overview of some relevant historical/societal influences on how expectations (e.g. overt and more subtle messages conveyed through the media) of women and girls influence realization of their full potential, often negatively affecting achievement and career choice (Wilgosh, 1993, 1996a, 1996b). The research framework is then extended to a further examination of contemporary media influences on women and girls, including development and application of a tri-dimensional categorization system for examining how informational messages impact on young women and girls. The proposed categorization system aims at assisting educators and counsellors in undoing influences, which might reinforce underachievement. To facilitate movement from potential to performance, consideration will also be given to developing innovative educational strategies and approaches to encourage expression of gifts and talents and maximize achievement of adolescent girls and young women.     

The risky business of choosing a high school

Drawing on literature about risk and individualization, as well as previous studies of quasi‐markets in education, our study focuses on two questions: first, how do middle–class parents and their children respond to the risks associated with choosing a high school? And second, how do they construct their identities through the choice process? Interview findings suggest that pressures on parents and students to individualize risk tend to reinforce socially structured inequalities and encourage the commodification of social relations. Although students and parents resist the individualizing discourse of risk to varying degrees, the dominant tendency is for choosers to attempt to colonize the future by drawing on their social and cultural capital. If more equitable choice processes and outcomes are desired therefore, attempts must be made to collectivize risk.     

Motivation to read in grades K – 2: a cross-cultural perspective

ABSTRACT

We examined early elementary children’s reading motivation in four different countries. Results revealed that reading motivation is a stable construct in countries like Chile, Finland, Greece, and the United States. Motivation to read followed similar patterns across the countries, with increased scores at the end of the school year. This trend differs from what has been reported in the literature for older students. Significant gender differences were observed mainly for Finnish and Greek students. Understanding early reading motivation from a cross-cultural perspective can help identify commonalities in the initial development of reading motivation, and deepen our understanding about how it may differ in different cultural contexts.