The Effects of Child Abuse on the Self-System

Abstract

Normal development of aspects of the self-system in terms of the I- and Me-self are discussed. These concepts are then applied to research findings from abused children and youth where damage to the self is noted in terms of its negativity, fractionation, and lack of coherence, natural consequences of dealing with severe and prolonged maltreatment. Comments are also made concerning the nature of parenting in maltreating homes that enhances this damage.     

Preface

Abstract

Child victimization is a serious and on-going problem in the United States and throughout the world. In 2000, an estimated 900,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States. New and different responses to child maltreatment will have to be developed and implemented in response to the increasingly diverse contexts and situations within which maltreatment occurs. Emerging trends in adult-child boundary violations are explored within this volume from a cross-section of disciplines, including law, sociology, criminal justice, psychology, and health services. The selections analyze issues critical to child maltreatment and offer intriguingly different perspectives of present and future issues related to child abuse.     

Factors that Predict Attrition from a State-Sponsored Rural Batterer Treatment Program

This study sought to identify factors associated with attrition for 197 individuals who participated in a state-sponsored rural domestic violence treatment program. Bivariate analyses identified 10 factors associated with program attrition. Logistic regression identified three of these (employment status, psychiatric disorder type, and probation status) as significant predictors of attrition. This three-factor model predicted 78% of all outcomes and 43% and 92% of dropouts and completers, respectively. The data suggest that batterer characteristics, particularly batterer psychopathology, unemployment, and criminal history, are more influential determinants of attrition than systemic and programmatic factors. These findings are discussed with respect to their congruence with the literature and their implications for policy, practice, and future research.     

Reading and Phonological Awareness Skills in Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

This study examined whether children exposed to domestic violence perform worse on tests of reading and phonological awareness than children from nonviolent homes. Forty children, ages 6 to 9 years, were divided into control or domestic violence groups based on their mothers' responses on the revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2). The groups were matched on age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and socioeconomic status. The domestic violence group performed worse than the control group on all measures of reading and phonological awareness. Significantly more children in the domestic violence group were identified as having reading difficulties compared to the control group. The results suggest that domestic violence may negatively impact children's reading skills, and appropriate intervention techniques should be developed.     

Factors Associated With Adverse Mental Health Outcomes in Locally Recruited Aid Workers Assisting Iraqi Refugees in Jordan

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) serve Iraqis living in Jordan as “guests.” In 2008, 258 Jordanian humanitarian staff and Iraqi volunteers working for NGOs completed a needs assessment survey. Work characteristics, stressors, and support variables were evaluated regarding their influence on depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and burnout through multivariate logistic regressions. There was a significant difference in depression, anxiety, and burnout across nationality. Traumatic exposure increased the risk for anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Working longer in the humanitarian sector was associated with less risk of anxiety and depression, and lower social support was a risk for anxiety. Managers were at higher risk for burnout, and low team cohesion was a risk for burnout. Implications for aid organizations are discussed.     

Barriers to Treatment in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Families Enrolled in a Community-Based Domestic Violence Intervention

Using quantitative and qualitative data, we examined the association between barriers to treatment, motivating factors, treatment attendance, and outcome in a sample of 63 mothers (most of Asian or Pacific Islander descent) enrolled in a family-based domestic violence treatment program. A high number of perceived barriers was associated with lower attendance and lower scores on assessment of parenting practices at posttreatment. Mothers reported relying on their own motivation, observations of children's improvement, and the quality of their relationships with staff and group members to overcome barriers. A larger number of motivating factors was associated with positive parenting practices at posttreatment. Discussion includes the benefits of a mixed-method approach to measuring barriers and its clinical application to increase treatment participation.     

The Scope of Client Aggression Toward Social Workers in Israel

The phenomenon of client violence toward social workers has been documented in various parts of the world. The goal of this study is to describe the phenomenon and explore the relationship pattern between contextual variables and clients’ aggression. The study encompassed a sample of 645 workers in 34 municipal social service agencies. Of the entire sample, 80% reported being exposed to some form of aggression at least once over the last 3 months. The findings highlight 2 broad axes related to client aggressiveness: frequency and level of aggression. With respect to frequency, we can discern a continuum running from common types of aggressive behaviors to rare ones. The other axis focuses on the level of aggressiveness used, from minor types of client aggression, such as verbal assaults and threats, increasing to more severe ones, such as property damage, and, finally, to physical injury. The routineness of aggression in the work environment lends it the appearance of being normal, and functioning in such an environment desensitizes social workers to clients’ aggressiveness. Also examined and discussed are organizational and personal factors that contribute to the aggressive behavior of clients, including seniority, gender, workload, inadequate service conditions, and coworkers’ aggressive behavior.     

Abused Women in South Africa who Kill their Intimate Male Partners: A Psychological Exploration

The aim of this study was to explore psychological risk factors that may precipitate the murder of a partner by an abused woman. In this article, the authors use multiple case studies and interviews with three women incarcerated for the murder of their partners. Four themes relating to intimate partner violence emerged from the interviews: 1) post-traumatic stress disorder, 2) coercive control, 3) substance abuse and 4) interrelational conflict. The study indicates psychological factors that may precipitate the murder of an intimate partner that should be taken into account when counselling abused women.     

Quel engagement organisationnel pour les salariés précaires ? Les leçons d’une étude empirique auprès de travailleurs intérimaires

The aim of this article is to focus on contingent workers’ organizational commitment. A review of literature on contingent workers’ attitudes leads to think that this type of work arrangement is associated with a high level of job insecurity, which is not favourable to organizational commitment. However, empirical studies present very contrasting results. This absence of consensus leads us to propose a research model, which puts the emphasis on the way the temporary workers interpret their job arrangement. The model was tested on 208 temporary help service workers. The results highlight the mediating role of perceived job insecurity on organizational commitment, as well as importance of perceived organizational support (POS).     

城市农民新生活适应策略的结构特征：歧视知觉的预测作用

基于Berry等人提出的“移民适应理论”,考察了城市农民（失地农民和农民工）城市适应策略的结构特征及其与歧视知觉的关系.311名失地农民和461名农民工受邀填写城市适应策略问卷和歧视知觉问卷.结果发现：①中国城市农民（失地农民与农民工）对城市生活的适应策略主要由“分离策略”、“同化策略”、“角色认同混乱”和“混合策略”四种形态构成.②歧视知觉对城市农民的城市适应策略具有广泛而普遍的预测效力,歧视知觉水平越高,越倾向于选择分离、同化策略或陷入角色认同混乱;歧视知觉负向预测混合策略.③歧视知觉对城市农民的城市适应策略的预测方向和性质在一定程度上受其性别和受教育程度的调节.