bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Playing safe: Media coverage of child sexual abuse prevention strategies
Authors: Kitzinger Jenny , Skidmore Paula 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper examines the media coverage of preventing child sexual abuse. It draws on a content analysis of all press and TV news coverage about child sexual abuse that appeared in the UK during a complete 12‐month period. The findings demonstrate that the bulk of the coverage was case‐based, for example focusing on the Orkney case. There was very little opportunity for broader discussion of general issues of concern, including how sexual assaults against children might be prevented. The coverage of ‘prevention’ which did exist drew on a very narrow range of debates and was disproportionately concerned with abuse outside the home (abductions by strangers, or abuse within institutions such as schools or children's homes). Discussions about prevention were dominated by reactive news stories generated by particular ‘scandals’. The coverage was also largely drawn from a small constituency of official source agencies (such as government officials, court proceedings and police statements). There were few attempts to address the broader social conditions which might facilitate or inhibit sexual violence or to examine explicitly political analyses of the problem. The paper argues for a more diverse discussion about ways of preventing sexual violence against children, especially assaults by fathers, uncles, brothers and friends of the family. This demands close attention to the ways in which the mass media operate, as well as the priorities of source agencies. The paper points to factors within news production practices which both obstruct and facilitate debate about prevention and concludes by suggesting strategies to promote this issue as a vital part of the public agenda.
A review of the epidentiological research on child sexual abuse. Community and college student samples
Authors: Pilkington Bridget , Kremer John 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article is the first of two consecutive reviews on the major empirical studies which have been carried out in an attempt to estimate the prevalence of child sexual abuse among females. The research is structured in terms of three sample categories: (a) probability and non‐probability samples of the general population; (b) college student samples; and (c) clinical inpatient and outpatient samples. This part of the review deals with (a) and (b) and highlights a number of unresolved methodological issues which may contribute to the variance in reported prevalence rates. These include a myriad of definitions of child sexual abuse and different methods of eliciting information on possible histories of abuse. Despite these problems. taken as a whole the prevalence studies indicate the significant numbers of people who have experienced abuse and who are willing to disclose aspects of these abusive experiences.
Family participation in child protection
Authors: Thoburn June , Lewis Ann , Shemmings David 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe paper summarizes a Department of Health funded research study of the extent to which parents and children were involved in the child protection work of seven English social services departments. The child protection process and the social work practice with a cohort of 220 consecutive cases is described for the period before the initial conference and the 6 months following it. The authors draw on interview data from parents, young people and social workers and on social work records to assess whether the process and practice were participatory and the extent to which family members were actually involved in the decisions and the work. They concluded that there was benefit for parents and children in attempts to involve them, even thought only 3% of 378 family members were rated as partners in the protection process and a further 13% were rated as participating to a considerable extent. There was a statistically significant association between the participation of family members and the interim outcomes for the parents and children being rated by the researchers as good or moderately good.
Specialist assesstnent services for child abuse and neglect
Authors: Fitzgerald Karen M. , McGregor Katherine J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper describes the Child Protection Service, Flinders Medical Centre, South Australia, a specialist assessment service for infants, children and adolescents following allegations of abuse and neglect. The psychosocial and medical services provided for infants, children, adolescents and their families are outlined briefly and the Child Protection Service's view that the assessment process can and needs to be therapeutic is discussed. Data was provided about the age and gender of infants, children and adolescents seen and the number of families referred on for longer‐term therapeutic intervention. The unit's philosophical stance, affecting its clinical practice and interagency and consultation service, is described, as is its research focus. The paper also raises a number of issues that warrant further and detailed attention. These include the need for workers to monitor and attend to their emotional responses while working in the area of abuse and the destructive potential of denial that may consequently and subtly impact on professional practice. The tendency for professionals and the wider society to ignore the impact of physical abuse is also raised.
Sexual abuse: Effects of group therapy on pre‐adolescent girls
Authors: De Luca Rayleen V. , Boyes Debby A. , Grayston Alana D. , Romano Elisa 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article describes the effectiveness of a group therapy program used at the University of Manitoba with pre‐adolescent girls who have experienced sexual abuse. Thirty‐five girls, ranging in age from 7 to 12, were referred to structured therapy groups of 9 to 12 weeks' duration. Issues addressed in weekly sessions included feelings about the offender, problem‐solving, sex education, and prevention of further abuse. Measurements of self‐esteem, anxiety, and internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems were taken for participating children prior to and following treatment at 1 and 9 to 12 month intervals. Parent‐ and child‐reported social validity data were also collected following treatment. Comparison group data for self‐esteem and anxiety were provided by a non‐random sample of 35 girls with no known history of sexual abuse. Results indicated that following group therapy, self‐esteem increased and anxiety and behaviour problems decreased. Comparison group data further supported the effectiveness of group treatment in improving the self‐esteem of sexually abused girls. Social validity reports of children and parents also suggested that treatment was helpful and worthwhile. Implications of the findings are discussed as are difficulties encountered in conducting treatment outcome research with children who have been sexually abused.
Traveller children and the state: Welfare or neglect?
Authors: Cemlyn Sarah 
Published: June 2007

AbstractTravellers' historical experience is of persecution. Recent policy in England and Wales reflects assimilation or exclusion, with Travellers facing the paradox of pressure to settle and insufficient sites because of the failure to implement legislation. The conditions for many Travellers are damaging, and undermine access to other rights and services. Children are particularly severely affected, resulting in societally imposed neglect. Traveller children's low health status and the negative effects on their development are documented in practice reports, seminars and research. Policy trends have culminated in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which removes rights and increases penalties for travelling, and is likely to exacerbate an already problematic situation for many Traveller children. Welfare services both have contributed to and can counteract this societal neglect. Problems of access and service delivery are outlined in relation to health, education and social services, and new service developments described. Key criteria for positive practice are found to be common to these areas of welfare provision, and include anti‐discrimination and cultural respect, outreach and community‐oriented work; hand‐held records; specialist provision focused on immediate needs and commitment to mainstream change; flexibility and inter‐agency development work; and advocacy and campaigning alongside Travellers.
When violence overshadows the spirit of sporting competition: Italian football fans and their clubs
Authors: Zani Bruna , Kirchler Erich 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study addresses violence of fans during football matches. It focuses on group dynamics and sociodemographic variables as determinants of serious disturbances. Overall, 505 male and female football fans, who were either ‘fanatic’ or ‘moderate’ fans from Naples and Bologna, Italy, completed a questionnaire on attitudes towards football and violence in stadiums, and related matters, and gave self‐descriptions and descriptions of their own and other football clubs. It was hypothesized that, if ‘fanatic’ fans identify more strongly with their club than ‘moderate’ fans do, they should discriminate more sharply between the fan clubs and more likely participate in disturbances. Violent behaviour was also assumed to depend on the norms associated with different fan clubs. Moreover, participation in disturbances was hypothesized to depend on sociodemographic variables. The results suggest that individuals become more aggressive in groups, that the behaviour is controlled by group norms and, hence, that aggression depends on the group's acceptance of violence. The study also supports a rather traditional picture of ‘hooligans’: the football fans who participate in disturbances are, in general, young, unemployed, poorly educated fanatics who attributed their violence to external factors.
The importance of the individual in the ‘causal’ relationship between attractiveness and self‐esteem
Authors: Kenealy Pamela , Gleeson Kate , Frude Neil , Shaw William 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper argues that many psychological explanations underlying health and social behaviour stress the importance of the relationship between attractiveness and self‐esteem. The nature of this relationship is not well understood, yet can have important implications for the individual in areas of medical intervention which involve treatment on aesthetic grounds. A survey of psychosocial factors among 1018 children aged 11‐12 years is reported. The study examined the association between perception of physical attractiveness and self‐esteem in order to clarify the relationship between self‐esteem and self versus others' perception of attractiveness. Self‐ratings of attractiveness were linked to judges' ratings to determine whether subjects underrated, over‐rated, or accurately perceived their own physical attractiveness. The results showed that although ratings of general facial attractiveness by others were associated with self‐perceived attractiveness, in the specific area of dental health, attractiveness (as judged by others) was not. There were no significant relationships between ratings of attractiveness by others and self‐esteem. Self‐perception of attractiveness, however, was significantly associated with self‐esteem. Further analyses showed that children who under‐rated their own facial attractiveness had a lower mean score for self‐esteem than over‐raters or accurate perceivers (who did not differ significantly). In contrast, under‐raters of dental attractiveness had a lower mean score for self‐esteem than over‐raters, but did not differ significantly from accurate perceivers. Over‐raters of dental attractiveness had a higher mean score for self‐esteem than accurate perceivers. These finding suggest that if an over‐rater were to receive treatment on aesthetic grounds it is unlikely, given that they have high self‐esteem already, that such intervention will have a profound psychological impact. These data indicate the importance of determining the way in which individuals evaluate their appearance compared to others, and may help to clarify previously equivocal findings concerning the relationship between self‐esteem and attractiveness.
Stress and coping in mothers caring for a child with severe learning difficulties: A test of Lazarus' transactional model of coping
Authors: Quine Lyn , Pahl Jan 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe literature on psychological stress among women consistently points to the adverse effects of child rearing on mothers, particularly those caring for children with physical or mental handicaps. Early studies of the effects on family functioning of caring for a child with severe learning difficulties adopted a pathological approach in which it was assumed that psychological distress was inevitable among family members, particularly mothers. Recent research has emphasised that many families cope with and adapt to the stress they experience, and seeks to discover how they do so.The paper reports on a study of 166 mothers caring for a child with severe learning difficulties. The aim of the study was to investigate both the factors associated with maternal stress and those which might mediate or buffer the effects of stress. The study used the Folkman and Lazarus' (1979) transactional model of stress. Stress is the condition that results when person/environment transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy between the demands of a situation and his/her resources or ability to cope with those demands. The nature and type of coping generated by a person will be determined by the coping resources in the person's environment. The model identifies five categories of coping resource: utilitarian resources, health/morale, social networks, general and specific beliefs, and problem solving skills. In our study, the five coping resources were represented by the mother's social class and appraisal of her financial worries, physical health, social support, acceptance of and adjustment to the child, and assessment of coping skills. Stress was measured by the Malaise Inventory (Rutter, 1970).Four of the five coping resources were found to be significant contributors in a hierarchical regression analysis of stress scores, contributing additional variance beyond that of behavioural and other child characteristics. Altogether, 55% of the variance in stress scores was explained.
AIDS social representations; contents and processes
Authors: Páez Darío , Echebarria Agustín , Valencia Jose , Romo Idoia , Juan Cesar San , Vergara Anabel 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article reports the results of an empirical investigation of the social representations of AIDS. Social representations are defined as a cognitive product of a social object created by a group and used by it to allow communication among the members of that group, and also to guide responses towards the object of the representations. An initial interview was held in which subjects were asked about the causes of AIDS, affected groups, modes of transmission, preventive behaviour, a Bogardus scale on social contact with high‐risk groups and attitude toward AIDS. Their responses were found to be divided into two clusters of beliefs—the liberal and the conservative—which were established independently of groups. However, the more contact respondents had with homosexuals, the more their representations were in accord with the liberal cluster. We also confirmed the congruent relationship between attitude, structures of knowledge (clusters), groups defined in function of their religious beliefs and level of social contact with high‐risk groups, and social and preventive behaviours. Two weeks later, subjects were given a recognition test on technical information about AIDS (provided at the end of the first interview). The results of these tests confirmed subject's tendency to falsely recognise items which are congruent with their pre‐existing representations. The cluster of conservative beliefs appears to be the best predictor of negativistic bias in memory. These findings are interpreted as confirming the functional and predictive value of social representations.
Multiple stigma and AIDS: Illness stigma and attitudes toward homosexuals and IV drug users in AIDS‐related stigmatization
Authors: Crandall Christian S. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAIDS‐related stigmatization may come from both social and illness sources. The social stigma comes from the association between HIV‐related illness and stigmatized bheaviour associated with HIV infection, notably homosexuality and IV drug use. The illness stigma comes from the disease itself ‐ the severity and contagiability of the illness. To compare social and illness stigma, 16 versions of ‘Dan’ were presented to 393 undergraduates. Four ways of transmitting HIV (homosexual behavior, IV drug use, blood transfusions, health care workers' contact with infected blood products) were crossed with four different diseases (AIDS, hepatitis, paraplegia and the flu). Dan was highly stigmatized when he was described as a homosexual or an IV drug user, as compared to a transfusion recipient or a health care worker. Also, Dan was strongly stigmatized for AIDS and hepatitis, as compared to paraplegia and the flu. There was no interaction, suggesting that these stigmas are additive, and that homosexuality and IV drug use are not the primary source of AIDS‐stigma. On the health severity index, main effects (for disease state and transmission pathway) emerged, as well as a significant interaction, suggesting that subjects were sensitive to the potential interactions among HIV‐related transmission pathways and other diseases.
Adolescents' perceptions of friends' and parents' attitudes to sex and sexual risk‐taking
Authors: Moore Susan , Rosenthal Doreen 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study investigated the association between adolescents' perceptions of parental and peer attitudes towards sexuality and AIDS precautions, and the risky sexual behaviours of 1008 sexually active, heterosexual undergraduate students aged 17‐20 years. Students were asked to rate the extent to which their mothers, fathers and friends would agree or disagree with 16 statements reflecting support of the adolescent engaging in sexual behaviour and using sexual precautions, including precautions against AIDS. The adolescents also indicated whether they were sexually active and their level of condom use in both ‘regular’ (or steady) and ‘casual’ relationships. Results indicated that adolescents perceived their parents as non‐liberal in their sexual attitudes and relatively unlikely to discuss sex or precautions with them. Parents were viewed as more accepting of their sons' sexual behaviours than of their daughters'. Adolescents believed that peers were more likely to discuss sexuality and precautions than parents, and were more liberal in their sexual attitudes. Adolescent sexual risk‐taking was related to the perceived attitudes of significant others in ways which varied across gender and type of relationship. Implications for interventions are discussed.
Alcohol problems and relapse: Can the clinic combat the community?
Authors: Saunders Bill , Allsop Steve 
Published: June 2007

AbstractDespite over a decade of research and debate into the issue of relapse the majority of people in treatment for alcohol‐related problems still relapse. In this paper the results of an innovative relapse prevention and management programme are reported. It was found that a cognitive‐behavioural package of strategies reduced the likelihood of relapse. On average, clients receiving this experimental package took four times longer to return to any alcohol use and seven times longer to return to ‘heavy drinking’ than did a conventional treatment control group. However, notwithstanding these results, 60 per cent of the experimental group did return to harmful drinking. The authors question whether further refinement of these procedures is possible, and suggest that if relapse rates are to be further reduced then greater attention needs to be given by counsellors to clients' social environment.
Police intervention in riots: The role of accountability and group norms. A field experiment
Authors: Kroon Marceline B. R. , Van Kreveld Dik , Rabbie Jacob M. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study explores the role of perceived accountability in riot police action. The basic hypothesis is that accountability, provided that non‐violent norms are made salient, will lessen the chances of escalation of a conflict between police and demonstrators. Four platoons participated in a field experiment conducted at the Dutch Riot Police Academy, in which they played a riot simulation. In a 2 × 2 design, the effects of accountability and Department on attitudes and norms concerning the action of ‘police’ and ‘demonstrators’ were tested. Measurements were made before and after the simulation. Internal analysis, involving redefined accountability categories, provided support for our hypothesis. That is, perceived accountability proved to be related to a heightened public self‐awareness, a less extremely positive evaluation of fellow group members, and less intergroup differentiation. The limitations of an internal analysis are discussed, as well as the importance of the nature of organizational norms and of the accountability forum in predicting the effect of accountability.
The cognitive interview: Its origins, empirical support, evaluation and practical implications
Authors: Memon Amina , Bull Ray 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper provides a background to current research on the cognitive interview (CI), which is a set of cognitive retrieval techniques designed to facilitate memory search (for example, via reinstatement of contextual cues). One of the principal aims of this research is to identify and develop techniques which police investigators can themselves use. A series of studies were conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles, using police officers as interviewers and students, non‐students and children as witnesses to realistic crimes. In all studies the CI elicited significantly more correct information with no apparent increase in errors or confabulations. The CI has been tested in a field study involving police officers in Florida. This paper will critically review this research, as well as more recent unpublished work including CI studies conducted in Germany and the UK. Some important modifications of the original CI procedure are described, and there is a theoretical discussion and explanation of the various components of the CI procedure. Finally, we will consider applications of the CI in clinical and organizational settings.
The observational study of adolescent gambling in UK amusement arcades
Authors: Griffiths Mark 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn the UK, excessive fruit machine playing is the most documented form of pathological gambling amongst adolescents. Although there have been a few retrospective questionnaire studies in adolescent fruit machine gambling, there has been very little systematic observational fieldwork into the behaviour. The studies reported explore the social world of fruit machine playing using data collected via the monitoring of 33 UK amusement arcades employing participant and non‐participant observation methodologies. The basic aims were to observe the arcade clientele and their behavioural characteristics, and to examine motivations for machine playing. Results suggest that level of adolescent gambling depends upon both time of day and time of year, and regular players conform to rules of etiquette and display stereotypical behaviours when playing fruit machines. The results also suggest that adolescents play fruit machines for a wide range of reasons including fun, to win money, to socialize, to escape and for excitement, and that inland and coastal arcades are frequented by different clienteles, probably as a function of the amusement machine available.