Into the Haunted House of Mirrors

Abstract

The treatment of youth with histories of multiple victimization is discussed. A developmental treatment approach is presented based on Eriksonian theory that highlights particular difficulties abuse presents for a child's successful movement through different developmental stages. Interventions addressing these difficulties are also discussed with many case examples. Finally, the issue is raised concerning which multiple abuse victims can be helped by the therapeutic process.     

Recognizing the Threat Posed by an Incestuous Parent to the Victim's Siblings. Part II: Improving Legal Responses

Many courts refuse to protect the siblings of an incest victim even when faced with unmistakable evidence that they are at risk, arguing that no one can predict what will happen. For instance, some courts believe that a parent who molests his stepchild is unlikely to victimize biological offspring, while others believe that a father who violates a daughter will not also victimize sons. Although judges have relied principally on intuition, a substantial body of empirical studies can help them to better assess a sibling's risk. In Part I, I argued that once a parent establishes the first sexual relationship, other children in the family should be considered at risk. Nonetheless, not all children in the household face identical risks of molestation. In this paper, I continue this theme and argue that a legal presumption should arise that other children are endangered. Further, I maintain that offenders should have an opportunity to rebut this presumption. Without this opportunity, a child who never faced a significant risk of abuse may be removed from his home or unnecessarily lose his ties to a parent. In order to better protect children, I outline how legal decisions can better reflect what is known about child victimization.     

Children's Emotional Security in the Interparental Relationship

ABSTRACT— In response to the societal premium placed on understanding the difficulties faced by children from high-conflict homes, emotional security theory aims to understand precisely how and why interparental discord is associated with children's psychological problems. One of its main premises is that interparental discord increases children's vulnerability to mental illness by undermining their sense of safety or security in the context of the interparental relationship. In this article, we highlight the main assumptions of a new ethological formulation of emotional security theory and its predictions and findings regarding the organization, precursors, and consequences of individual differences in children's emotional insecurity. We conclude with a synopsis of the value of the new formulation for future work.     

Parental assessment of the adjustment of children following abduction by the other parent

We present a multiple regression model that explores post-return adjustment of school-age children who experienced abduction by a parent. The model includes: a) child and family characteristics preceding abduction, b) characteristics of the abduction experience, and c) child and family characteristics following return. Overall, the model accounts for 21% of the variance in post-return adjustment of children (p.05). The most salient finding is that post-return adjustment of children was best explained by characteristics of the child and family before the abduction occurred. Domestic violence perpetrated by one or both parents was the most significant factor.     

Delusional development in child autism at the onset of puberty: vicissitudes of psychic dimensionality between disintegration and development

Although the psychogenetic hypotheses on child autism have been superseded, psychoanalysis can still reflect on the relational exchange and its sensory aspects in concomitance with the mental development of these patients. Without making generalizations as regards the pathogenesis, but considering the specific features of each autistic child, it may be possible to achieve an integration of those islands of competence that make up these patients' limited personal heritage. Such integration may be reached through the analysis of representational, emotional and relational transformations. The first part of this article describes the case of an autistic child in treatment from the age of four on a four-times-weekly basis who, during puberty, developed severe formal thought disorders together with delusional and hallucinatory formations. The second part develops some post-Jungian theoretical contributions, such as the concept of self as nothingness and the idea of the unsaturated archetype, so as to evaluate the function of some a-priori concepts in support of the analyst's position. These concepts are considered in relation to Bion's model of transformation, and to the formulations on dimensional awareness, especially on the shift from a two-dimensionality to three-dimensionality view, as well as to the rhythm of the object's presence and absence.     

Unto the Third Generation

Abstract

It is possible to significantly reduce, even eliminate child abuse if we address five obstacles: (1) many mandated reporters fail to comply with the law; (2) most child abuse reports are not investigated; (3) frontline child protection professionals are inadequately trained; (4) we do not address child abuse at the youngest ages; and (5) maltreated children receive an inadequate share of financial resources. Accordingly, we must reform our higher education system to ensure that all child protection professionals have the skills necessary to recognize and respond to abuse. We must provide ongoing training to professionals in the field, have at least one forensic interview-training program in each state, develop prevention programs at the local level, and teach frontline professionals to advocate for children. Finally, we must recruit a second generation that will build on these successes and continue to improve our response until child abuse no longer exists.     

An Examination of the Relationship Between Parent Language and Child Anxiety

Research suggests that parents of anxious children behave differently when interacting with their children than do parents of nonanxious children. However, the relationship between parent language use in this context and child anxiety remains unclear. The present study investigates how parent language use relates to child anxiety during parent–child interactions using a community sample recruited to participate in a study of familial anxiety. Results indicate that parent language use varies in relation to child anxiety. Further, this idiosyncratic pattern of parent linguistic activity uniquely predicts child anxiety diagnostic status. Implications of this study and future directions for research are discussed.     

The Impact of Experience with the Aged upon the Time Perspective of Young Adults

With the use of questionnaire returns from 214 male and 286 female upper-year high school students, a model of adolescent drug use is proposed. The model hypothesizes that the parents' child-rearing practices produce within the child a personality which shapes his attitudes toward the use of drugs, which in turn affect the child's use of marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco. The personality dimension in the model is Authoritarianism. The model proved more successful in predicting illicit than licit drug use. Further, love on the part of the mother and positive control on the part of the father were the most salient dimensions within the model with regard to child-rearing practices.     

Breaching the shame shield: Thoughts on the assessment of adolescent child sexual abusers

The author writes a personal memoire of her experience as an early trainee at the Hampstead Clinic. She continues with reminiscences of over thirty years of contact with Anna Freud.     

Psychological MaltreatmentL

SUMMARY

Current issues regarding the definition of psychological maltreatment and its impact on children are discussed. The argument is made that psychological maltreatment can be understood as parenting and socialization practices that leave a child's basic psychological needs unmet, and that children exposed to interparental violence should be viewed as victims of psychological maltreatment. A needs analysis based on developmental theory and research is presented as a context within which to view psychological maltreatment. Using that conceptualization, research findings concerning the behavioral, cognitive, and social-emotional difficulties of children exposed to marital violence are examined. Based on this developmental analysis, recommendations are made regarding research that is needed in the areas of these children and psychological maltreatment.     

The narratives of children in armed conflict: an inference to spirituality and implication to psychological intervention

From the life narratives of disadvantaged children who were victims of armed conflict, spirituality could be understood in the context of family, community, friends and aspirations. However, this initial finding needed further validation with the participants. Likewise, to utilise the findings for psychological intervention, spirituality needs to be developed with them. By doing this (living and reflecting with the children), psychologists or researchers will be able to develop programmes (spiritual or psychological) that are more meaningful and empowering to children; rather than imposing a spiritual or psychological processes that are totally alien to them. After all, at the end of the day, family, community, friends and aspirations are the most reliable resource which the disadvantaged children could constantly cling on to.     

The relationship between multidimensional economic well‐being and children’s mental health,physical health,and executive function development in South Africa

Conceptualizing both economic well‐being (EWB) and children's development as multidimensional constructs, the present study examines their association using bioecological developmental theory and structural equation modeling with Zulu children (ages 7–10) in KwaZulu‐Natal, a highly impoverished region of South Africa (N = 1,958). Relative EWB within impoverished communities consists of three dimensions: material assets (durable goods and living environment), fiscal appraisal (subjective experiences of access to/allocation of resources), and fiscal capacity (monetary inflow/outflow). Children's development also is measured across multiple dimensions: physical health, mental health, and executive functioning. In addition to an overall association between EWB and children's development across outcomes, the sub‐dimensions of EWB are differentially related to aspects of children's development. The dimension of material assets exhibits the greatest association with child outcomes, while fiscal capacity exhibits the least. Implications of these findings are discussed, including the use of multidimensional approaches to measuring EWB to understand, more clearly, its relationship to multiple dimensions of children's development. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcawZ6oOt-Q     

Exploring the factors affecting child and adolescent psychotherapists' and counsellors' decision‐making in clinical work with parents

This study examined interventions with parents/carers in child and adolescent counselling and psychotherapy (CAP). The aim was to investigate clinicians' rationale behind their decision to work with parents and what types of interventions they use. Furthermore, the nature of clinicians' core training with regard to interventions with parents was investigated. The study used both quantitative data and qualitative textual data from an online survey of 110 CAP clinicians. There was significant agreement, regardless of previous training or level of experience, that clinical work with parents in CAP is beneficial, but little consensus for a rationale or model for best practice. There was a relationship between training, theoretical orientation and whether CAPs felt competent to work with parents. Unexpectedly, a significant number (83%) of integrative practitioners said that there had been ‘little’ to ‘none at all’ focus on working with parents on their core training course. Other unforeseen findings were in the domain of working outside generally accepted boundaries for CAP, with a notable number of clinicians making home visits—24.1% with parents alone and 38.9% with parent and child together—along with 47.2% using phone calls and/or email for coaching and support with parents. Many clinicians were candid about their sense of a lack of competence in working with parents, even though at least half were senior, experienced clinicians. A number of these practitioners made specific reference to the wish for further specialist training, with many asking for signposting to where further training could be obtained.     

On becoming a child: Reverie in the psychotherapy of children

My aim in this paper is to examine the role of reverie in facilitating the development of the child‐subject, that is, the child's continuous motion towards subjectivity. I begin by briefly reviewing the concept of reverie and proceed with an examination of elements I believe are fundamental and common to both reverie and child psychotherapy, that is, primary thought processes and primitive impulses. I then describe and demonstrate the atmosphere created by these elements using three examples from the psychotherapy of 8 year‐old Jonathan. Next, I discuss an intersubjective parallel of Bion's reverie and a developmentally oriented version of Ogden's reverie, focusing on its relation to processes of destruction and recognition. I argue that reverie provides the recognition of the child's struggle for his own birth and growth as a subject, that is, of his child‐subject. Finally, I refer to the presence of reverie from the primary preoccupation of mother and father till the child's reverie of himself, his day‐dreaming.     

Using Multiple Informants to Assess Child Maltreatment: Concordance between Case File and Youth Self-Report

To understand the psychosocial implications of child maltreatment, methods used to document prevalence must be clear. Yet, rates of maltreatment found in child self-report are generally inconsistent with data found in case files from state social service agencies. Although it is known that self-reports and case file reports of abuse disagree on occurrence of specific events, it is unclear if reporters agree when overall categories of abuse are considered. This study investigated differences between case file and youth report of abuse by examining four types of abuse—physical, sexual, neglect, and psychological—in a within-subjects design using a sample of 97 youth in foster care aged 8 to 22. Case files were coded for the presence of any indication of each type of abuse. Self-report of abuse was also assessed for any indication of each type of abuse. Results indicated that, overall, youth reported more physical and psychological abuse, and younger youth reported more sexual abuse than documented in their file. Implications for research and service provision for maltreated youth are discussed.     

Physical discipline,escalation, and child abuse potential: psychometric evidence for the Analog Parenting Task

Data from three studies provide new evidence to support the validity of the Analog Parenting Task (APT) as an instrument to assess risk for harsh, physically aggressive parenting. In this series of studies, there was a strong association between APT scores of expected use and escalation of discipline strategies and self‐reported disciplinary attitudes. APT scores were also associated with physical abuse potential as assessed by both a well‐established measure of child abuse potential (Child Abuse Potential Inventory) and another instrument designed specifically for use in pre‐parent populations (e.g., Adult–Adolescent Parenting Inventory‐2). This study provides new psychometric evidence to support the use of the APT to assess harsh parenting. Additionally, these data highlight the connection between acceptance and use of physical disciplinary strategies, propensity for disciplinary escalation, and risk for abuse perpetration. The findings are discussed in the context of Milner's Social Information Processing model [Milner, 2003] of abuse, which suggests that parental selection of disciplinary responding and the monitoring of disciplinary responding are key events in the disciplinary process. The APT may prove a useful adjunct to more commonly used self‐report measures to allow for multimethod assessment of risk for punitive parenting. Aggr. Behav. 36:251–260, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Cumulative parenting stress across the preschool period: relations to maternal parenting and child behaviour at age 5

Despite increasing interest in the effects of parenting stress on children and families, many questions remain regarding the nature of parenting stress and the mechanism through which stress exerts its influence across time. In this study, cumulative parenting stress was assessed across the preschool period in a sample of 125 typically developing children and their mothers. Indices of parenting stress included both major life events stress‐assessed annually from age 3 to 5, and parenting daily hassles assessed every 6 months across the same period. Naturalistic home observations were conducted when children were age 5, during which measures of parent and child interactive behaviour as well as dyadic pleasure and dyadic conflict were obtained. Mothers also completed the CBCL to assess children's behaviour problems. Results indicated that parenting daily hassles and major life stress are relatively stable across the preschool period. Both cumulative stress indices also proved to be important predictors of parent and child behaviour and dyadic interaction, although the predictions were somewhat differential. Despite meaningful relations between the stress factors and child well being, no evidence was found to support the premise that parent behaviour mediates the association between parenting stress and child outcomes. Results are discussed within a developmental framework to understand the stability and complexity of cumulative stress associations to early parent–child relationships. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotion Dysregulation Mediates the Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

One risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents is exposure to traumatic experiences, particularly child maltreatment. However, the mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment predicts NSSI are largely unknown. Emotion dysregulation (ED) is likely an important mechanism in this relationship. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment, ED, and NSSI in a sample of adolescent inpatients (n = 53). Results demonstrated that child physical and emotional maltreatment, but not child sexual abuse, was significantly associated with NSSI frequency. More specifically, ED mediated the relationship between child physical and emotional maltreatment and NSSI frequency. Findings support the importance of ED as a mediating factor in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and NSSI behaviors and highlight the need for teaching emotion regulation skills to youth affected by trauma.