Mental Health Professionals' Perceptions of Women's Experiences of Family Violence

This study explored perceptions of 92 mental health professionals regarding violent families. They were asked to answer the questions on the Family Environment Scale as they thought women who lived in homes where they and their children were physically and/or psychologically abused would respond. Their scores were compared to those of 28 mothers in battered women's shelters. They differed significantly in their perceptions of violent family dynamics with regard to levels of cohesion, expressiveness, independence, intellectual-cultural orientation, active-recreational emphasis, and moral-religious emphasis. They believed the women to have lower levels on these constructs than the women actually reported. Implications suggest that mental health professionals could be more aware of the dynamics of violent families in order to efficiently uncover the violence during therapy sessions and provide appropriate services.     

Family Physicians and Family Therapists: Understanding the Interdependent Synergism

This article, written by a family physician and a family therapist, is designed to identify differences between these two cultures that may serve as stumbling blocks to successful meeting of occupants of these two worlds. With the differences identified and described, various notions and suggestions are offered in an effort to promote more successful bridging between these two groups. There is little question about the synergistic impact that can be engendered for recipients of their care should this bridging be successfully navigated. The present day realities in healthcare make this an idea whose time has not just come, but rather seems imperative.     

Contemporary Muslim Families: Research and Practice

This research project was undertaken to provide family professionals with the basic information necessary to work appropriately with Muslim families. The Muslim population represents 4–6 million people in the United States, yet it is significantly underrepresented in the family literature. Qualitative analysis of focus groups and interviews revealed multiple key findings. Emergent themes include an interest in gender respect rather than gender equity, the importance of extended family, the centralism of Islam in daily life and the qualified acceptance of professional interventions. Implications for practice are discussed.     

The Family and Political Justice – The Case for Political Liberalisms

This paper examines two central arguments raised byfeminist theorists against the coherence andconsistency of political liberalisms, a recentrecasting of liberal theories of justice. They arguethat due to political liberalisms' uncritical relianceon a political/personal distinction, they permit theinstitution of the family to take sexist and illiberalforms thus undermining its own aims and politicalproject. Political liberalisms' tolerance of a widerange of family forms result in two fatalinconsistences. Firstly, it retards or completelyprevents women from developing the necessary politicalsense of self required for citizenship, and secondly,it prevents children from acquiring the requisitepolitical virtues and sense of justice necessary forthe viability and long-term stability of such asociety. In the paper, I argue that despite theirinitial appeal these feminist criticisms are notcompelling. Firstly, they misunderstand what politicalliberalisms mean by unjust family forms, secondly,they trade on a misunderstanding of thepolitical/personal distinction and, finally, they makequestionable empirical claims about the effects of theilliberal family on a viable political conception ofjustice.     

The introduction of a group of alien mice (Mus musculus L.) into hierarchically organized groups of five male mice

Groups of 3 male or female Mus musculus were introduced into hierarchically organized colonies of 5 male mice for a period of 8 days. The colonies were of 2 kinds; high-level aggressive (HLA), which had been set up 3 days prior to the introduction of the aliens, and low-level aggressive (LLA), which had been established for 21 days before strangers were introduced. Both males and anestrous females were attacked, but males were attacked 5 times more frequently than females. In HLA colonies most of the attacks on the aliens were by the dominant; in LLA colonies there was no difference in the behavior of dominant and subordinate mice toward strangers. Both aggression toward aliens and intracolony aggression declined over the 8 day experimental period. In HLA colonies the dominant mouse mounted females 5 times more frequently than did either his subordinates or male mice in the LLA colonies. In HLA colonies aliens huddled with subordinates to form a single colony with 1 dominant and 7 subordinates. In LLA colonies alien males remained as a discrete group spatially separated in the cage. Female aliens were incorporated into the main colony. In all cases dominant male mice made more attacks on aliens as compared with familiar mice.     

家庭社会经济地位与流动学前儿童问题行为：家庭弹性与亲子关系的链式中介

为探究家庭社会经济地位对流动学前儿童问题行为的影响及其作用机制,采用家庭社会经济地位评估、家庭弹性评定量表中文简版、亲子关系量表及长处和困难问卷对428名流动学前儿童及其家长进行调查。结果表明：（1）家庭社会经济地位与流动学前儿童问题行为呈显著负相关;（2）家庭社会经济地位可通过家庭弹性和亲子关系亲密性的单独中介作用以及家庭弹性和亲子关系亲密性的链式中介影响流动学前儿童问题行为。本研究拓展了流动学前儿童领域的相关研究,为预防与干预流动学前儿童问题行为提供了一定的理论参考。     

家庭功能与儿童孤独感的关系：中介的作用

以246名小学三、四、五年级儿童为被试,考察了儿童孤独感、同伴接受性、问题行为与家庭功能的关系。结果发现,儿童的外部问题行为在家庭功能与同伴接受性之间起着中介作用,同伴接受性在外部问题行为与孤独感之间起着中介作用;内部问题行为是家庭功能影响儿童孤独感的中介,而外部问题行为与同伴接受性依次组成家庭功能与孤独感联系的另一间接作用路;不仅如此,家庭功能对儿童孤独感还有较强的直接作用。最后讨论了这些中介作用存在的原因以及适用范围上的限制。     

家庭功能对青少年疏离感的影响: 有调节的中介效应

采用问卷法调查了608名初一至高二城市青少年, 通过结构方程模型探讨了青少年疏离感与家庭社会经济地位、家庭功能和同伴接纳的关系。结果发现: (1) 青少年疏离感年龄段差异显著, 高中生的疏离感显著高于初中生; (2) 青少年疏离感的三个维度之间存在显著差异。其中环境疏离感最高, 其次是社会疏离感, 人际疏离感最低; (3) 家庭功能在家庭社会经济地位与青少年疏离感之间起完全中介作用, 这一中介作用的实现受到同伴接纳的调节, 即家庭功能对青少年疏离感的影响是有调节的中介效应。     

家庭亲子沟通与儿童发展关系

该文在回顾亲子沟通研究的发展历史的基础上,综述了亲子沟通对儿童的社会性发展、性行为以及其他行为问题如饮酒、药物滥用、反社会行为等的影响以及亲子沟通与儿童自尊、自主性、自我效能感等之间的相关关系;此外,阐述了家庭结构、家庭满意度对亲子沟通的影响和亲子沟通的跨文化差异。     

家庭环境与大学生抑郁和疏离感的关系

为了了解大学生的抑郁和疏离感状况及其影响因素,随机整群抽取了江苏省19所高校1900名大学生,进行了问卷调查,并对CES D量表、Alienation量表得分和心理健康的可能家庭影响因素进行了单因素方差分析。分析结果显示,14.7%的大学生CES-D量表得分≥20,3.3%的大学生Alienation量表得分≤30;是否独生子女、家庭所在地、家庭月收入、家庭凝聚力、家庭沟通、家庭冲突、父母受教育程度、职业、情感表达等,对大学生的抑郁和疏离感有不同程度的影响。由此可见,家庭因素仍然是影响大学生心理健康的重要因素。