bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Abuse and deaf children: Some factors to consider
Authors: Ridgeway Sharon M. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractDeaf children are uniquely disadvantaged in terms of access to information on safety and abuse. This is often due to misunderstood linguistic and cultural needs which relate to the deaf community. Consequently, a greater number of children who are deaf are placed in potentially abusive situations when compared to their non‐deaf peer group. A high percentage of deaf children have also acquired negative self‐concepts. This is often due to external influences such as educational experiences and family communication. Many deaf children believe that abuse is part of their being deaf. The implications of this are that deaf children are at risk of neglect and abuse as well as long‐term damage to their emotional development and self‐esteem. A number of survivors of physical and sexual abuse have been referred to the National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness, Preston. Some of these referrals have been inappropriate and due to a dearth of local resources. Extremely little support is available for deaf people who have been or are being abused. There are few appropriately trained counsellors equipped with the necessary skills in communicating with deaf people and even fewer trained in deaf awareness. A number of risk factors have been identified and are illustrated in this article. Three case studies are described to highlight the issues involved.
Presenting features in adult victims of satanist ritual abuse
Authors: Coleman Joan 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper begins with a brief account of the author's own introduction to the subject of satanist ritual abuse (SRA). This is followed by clinical data concerning five adult victims of SRA, brought up within multi‐generational Satanic cults. Clinical features are described, some of which are common to those seen in victims of other forms of child sexual abuse (CSA). Others appear to be more specific to SRA victims. The pattern of disclosure is described briefly but details of the content are not included. Professional scepticism about SRA is discussed and attention drawn to the similarity of these cases with those reported in the US literature. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of considering the possibility of SRA in patients presenting with these symptoms.
Does poor weight gain identify children in need?
Authors: Edwards Adrian , Halse Paddy , Waterston Tony 
Published: June 2007

AbstractTo determine the socioeconomic variables in children with slow growth (failure to thrive), a case–control study was carried out in two economically deprived areas of Newcastle upon Tyne. Three hundred and six children, aged 12–24 months, registered at two health authority clinics, were studied by reviewing their growth charts. Sixty‐three had poor growth (weight deviating downwards across two major centiles from the maximum centile attained at 4–8 weeks of age). Five children were excluded because of known organic disease. A matched control group of normally growing children was selected from the same clinics. Study children and controls were examined and their parents interviewed on a range of socioeconomic, health and interactional factors. A health visitor assessment and a record of social work contact was obtained. The slowly growing children differed significantly from controls in being lighter and shorter, while their mothers spent less on food, needed more help with the child, had a poorer home environment and expressed greater concern over their child's health. Four different patterns of poor growth were identified by inspection of the charts: early onset (before 6 months but sustained), late onset (after 6 months), temporary and recurrent. The ‘recurrent’ group was associated with parenting difficulties and the ‘late onset’ group with adverse socioeconomic factors. Slow growth patterns in children under 2 years may be used as a screening tool to identify ‘children in need’ and should be sought on a population basis. Those identified can then be assessed further to ascertain the area where underlying difficulties lie, for intervention to follow as appropriate.
Outcome measurement in work with children: Comparing plans in the UK with experience in the US
Authors: Huxley Peter 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe arguments of the Department of Health working party in their publication Assessing Outcomes in Child Care (1992) are reviewed and the proposals in the report compared with the experience of the Community Infant Project (CIP) in Boulder, Colorado. The suggestion that standardized measures are required for comparability of service outcomes is accepted but the working party's decision to advocate a system of schedules which relies upon workers' subjective ratings and the arguments upon which this is based are questioned. The working party's approach is contrasted to that found in the CIP, where standardized outcome measures are employed. Results from the author's research into the outcome of an untreated control group (for the CIP programme) are presented as one example of the benefits of the use of outcome measurement in work with children. The Government should ensure that UK practice benefits from the different approach and philosophy to be found in the US experience.
Facilitating interviews with children who may have been sexually abused
Authors: Bentovim Arnon , Bentovim Marianne , Vizard Eileen , Wiseman Malcolm 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe introduction of the Memorandum of Good Practice on interviewing children who have been sexually abused has had an important unifying effect on professional practice. However, because of the traumatic nature of sexual abuse there will be a group of children about whom there are high levels of suspicion and where arrangements need to be made for their future care, protection and treatment. These include children who have learning disabilities or communication problems, have psychiatric disorders associated with abuse, or where there have been considerable delays since allegations were first made. Such children require a second‐stage facilitative assessment interview. These include different forms of questioning, and the use of a wide range of prompting materials including art work, free and structured play context and the use of anatomically correct dolls. These approaches are reviewed and illustrated through case studies.
An investigation of preconditions necessary for the introduction of a campaign to promote breast self‐examination amongst Zimbabwean women
Authors: Pitts Marian , McMaster John , Wilson Paul 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study examines elements of the health belief model as predictors of intentions to self‐examine breasts in two samples of women. Undergraduate samples from London and Harare are compared on levels of knowledge of breast cancer and breast self‐examination (BSE), and on scales measuring perceived susceptibility to breast cancer, exposure to information and experience of breast cancer and perceived costs, barriers and benefits of BSE. Analysis of results indicates that an education campaign to promote awareness and the practice of BSE which incorporates factors of the health belief model could increase the number of Zimbabwean women performing this valuable preventive health behaviour.
Adolescent self‐efficacy, self‐esteem and sexual risk‐taking
Authors: Rosenthal Doreen , Moore Susan , Flynn Irene 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study investigates the sexual self‐efficacy and sexual self‐esteem of males and females and the relation between sexual risk‐taking and these self‐perceptions. Sexually active 18‐year‐olds were administered measures of sexual self‐efficacy and sexual self‐esteem and were asked about their sexual behaviour. Males had higher levels of self‐esteem and were more confident than females of their ability to assert their sexual needs, but less confident that they could say no to sexual demands. For a substantial minority there were some difficulties in dealing with condoms. Competence in the sexual domain accounted for a significant but small amount of variance in sexual risk‐taking. The predictors of sexual risk‐taking were the same for both sexes but differed according to type of partner. Confidence in the ability to say no was the sole predictor of safer sexual behaviour with a casual sex partner. In addition to this factor, lower levels of risk with a regular partner were predicted by these respondents' lower confidence in the ability to assert their sexual needs, together with lower levels of their own sexual self‐worth. There is need for adolescents to achieve a sense of mastery and self‐worth in the sexual domain, as well as an understanding of the nature of ‘regular’ relationships.
Factors affecting condom use among adolescents
Authors: Richard René , Van Der Pligt Joop 
Published: June 2007

AbstractA total of 822 adolescents (15‐19 years old) took part in this study. A subsample of this group, consisting of respondents with previous sexual experience (n = 423) is central to the analyses in this article. Previous condom use was related to attitudes, subjective norms, self‐efficacy, anticipated affective reactions and habits. Perception of risk, response‐efficacy and some demographic variables were also included in the analyses. Results indicate the necessity to distinguish between groups, both in terms of monogamy and gender. Self‐efficacy had a strong effect on taking precautionary measures, especially for girls. Attitudes, anticipated affective reactions and habits also played an important role in determining the frequency of condom use. Implications of these findings for our understanding of adolescent sexual behaviour, and for campaigns aiming at the reduction of risky sexual practices, will be discussed.
Homelessness among injecting drug users: Implications for the spread of AIDS
Authors: Klee Hilary 
Published: June 2007

AbstractInjecting drug users are now the fastest‐growing group of people with AIDS. It is mainly through sharing contaminated injecting equipment that drug users transmit infection. Research is showing that while many are reducing the risk of infection through ceasing to share needles, or sharing with a limited number of people, there are some who disregard the dangers and continue to share. In a project that investigated the HIV‐related risk behaviour of injecting drug users, homelessness was found to be significantly associated with heavy drug use, recent involvement in crime, disorganization in daily life and high levels of sharing. The problems of promoting harm reduction among the homeless are discussed and some recommendations made.
Judging by appearances: Audience understandings of the look of someone with HIV
Authors: Kitzinger Jenny 
Published: June 2007

AbstractOne of the central messages of recent AIDS health education campaigns has been: ‘You cannot tell who is infected with HIV just by looking.’ But is this understood and accepted by the public? Discussions conducted with 52 different groups suggest that although many people recall and understand this message they do not necessarily totally accept it. They still have a mental image of the likely appearance of someone who is HIV antibody positive. This article explores the social and psychological context which encourages such ways of thinking, and highlights the contradictions between different health education messages.
Social comparisons with siblings made by adolescents with a learning difficulty
Authors: Szivos Susan E. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractSocial comparisons and the family environment are important antecedents of self‐esteem. In this study the self‐esteem and perceptions of stigma of 50 adolescents with a mild‐moderate learning difficulty were measured. The self‐esteem and stigma scores were factor‐analysed to produce five factors: Positive self; Social competence; Being different; Anxiety; and Work competence. Social comparisons made by the adolescents between themselves and their siblings were also measured. Most adolescents 'preferred' (chose more often and gave high scores to) older same‐sex siblings while younger opposite‐sex siblings were the least preferred (were chosen less often and derogated). An explanation for these findings is suggested in terms of defensive social comparisons due to the loss of self‐esteem in having a younger sibling ‘overtake’ the adolescent on developmental milestones, and in the tendency for non‐handicapped pre‐pubescent children to derogate the opposite sex during gender identity formation. This explanation is supported by the finding that the adolescents with younger siblings scored higher on the Anxiety factor than those who compared themselves with older siblings. Those with younger same‐sex siblings were the most anxious. There was also a tendency for adolescents with siblings to score lower on one of the factors than adolescents with no sibling. The discussion raises the questions of how to deal with social comparisons within the family and how to talk to the child with mild learning difficulties about his or her handicap.
Police communication programmes aimed at burglary victims: A review of studies and an experimental evaluation
Authors: Winkel Frans Willem 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe effects and side‐effects of a victim assistance project aimed at victims of burglary are experimentally evaluated. Key features of the programme included the provision of burglary prevention information by police officers during a personal interaction with the victim through a positive and limitative communication strategy. Results suggest that important programme goals (for example, stronger satisfaction with police performance, a more internal risk orientation concerning victimization, stronger preventive intentions) were met. One of the positive effects for which experimental support was found was an improvement in police‐victim relations. As regards side‐effects the programme led neither to response generalization, nor to increased fear of crime outside the home. However, the side‐effects of increased fear in the home did occur in female victims and victims with an external risk‐orientation. The implications for future victim assistance projects in this domain are finally discussed.
Growing up with severe learning difficulties: A longitudinal study of young people and their families
Authors: Quine Lyn , Pahl Jan 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe paper reports on a longitudinal study of young people with severe learning difficulties. Two types of comparison are made: changes between Time 1 and Time 2, and comparisons with the younger age group in the study. The young adults acquired considerably more self‐help and communication skills between Time 1 and Time 2. They were less likely to require help with self care than the younger age group and their carers were less stressed. Parents' needs for additional service provision fell into three categories: information needs, help with communication and other skills, and practical help. The greatest need was for information. The main concerns of the mothers at Time 1 and Time 2 are documented. The young adults' preparation for leaving school, current day placements at Social Education Centres and employment prospects are discussed. It is concluded that there are few opportunities to move on to less sheltered environments.
Debating drunk driving: The construction of causal explanations in television discussion programmes
Authors: Livingstone Sonia M. , Lunt Peter K. , Slotover Matthew 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe mass media are an important source of social understandings and representations. The growing genre of audience discussion programmes functions as a public forum for airing opinions on issues of social concern. The genre is structured so as to involve viewers, to validate ordinary experiences and to express opinion. Four programmes on drunk driving were analysed for the causal explanations they offer viewers. The causes, effects and causal interconnections used within each programme were analysed, and networks of the overall representations of drunk driving were constructed. These showed a broad consensus of causes and effects across programmes, but different explanations in terms of locus, stability and controllability. Programmes typically offered lists of important factors, rather than structured arguments, despite the debating framework. There was an emphasis on external, stable, controllable causes in the programmes.
The real and the ideal; gender differences in heterosexual behaviour among Norwegian adolescents
Authors: Traeen Bente , Lewin Bo , Sundet Jon Martin 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article focuses on gender differences in early heterosexual behaviour among Norwegian adolescents. The material comprised a random sample of 3000 Norwegian adolescents aged 17–19 years. The response rate was 63%. Data were collected by means of anonymous self‐administered questionnaires. Sixty‐nine per cent of the girls and 59% of the boys had had sexual intercourse. The majority of the adolescents, and a larger percentage of girls than of boys, had their first intercourse within a relationship of mutual commitment. The boys' first coital partners were 0.2 years younger than the boys themselves and the girls' partners were 2.8 years older than were the girls. Boys had had more coital partners than girls but girls had had intercourse more often than boys. Coital frequency was affected more by how long the adolescents had known the partner than by gender as such. In conclusion, boys and girls aged between 17 and 19 years form part of couples at two different stages of development. For this reason, boys and girls accumulate different sexual experiences in the early stage of their sexual careers.
Perceived threat and control as moderators of peace activism: Implications for mobilizing the public in the pursuit of disarmament
Authors: McKenzie‐Mohr Doug , Dyal James A. , McLoughlin John Grant 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe present study was designed to investigate what variables discriminate individuals who actively work to promote disarmament from individuals who share the same attitudes but remain inactive. It is argued that if a person appraises nuclear war as an unlikely event, then it is not necessary to contemplate what can be done to prevent it. In contrast, if a threat is perceived, several possible coping strategies might be available, one of which is activism. However, activism is viable only if an individual believes that collectively the public can make a difference. Results of two surveys, one conducted with 142 peace activists across Canada and another with a random sample of 33 adults from the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, who are not active in the peace movement, confirm that perceptions of threat and belief in collective control are powerful discriminating variables. The implications of these findings for educating and mobilizing the public in the pursuit of disarmament are discussed.
Consumer evaluation in practice
Authors: Stallard Paul , Davis Brenda , Hudson Julie 
Published: June 2007

AbstractUsers of a community child and adolescent mental health service were surveyed, 3–4 weeks after their last contact, to determine their satisfaction with the service they received. High levels of overall satisfaction were obtained by general ratings, which tended to mask more specific critical comments to open‐ended questions suggesting ways in which the service could be improved. The resulting changes in service provision are identified, the general value of consumer surveys discussed and the need to include open‐ended questions in satisfaction surveys emphasized.
Living alone, marital status, gender and health
Authors: Cramer Duncan 
Published: June 2007

AbstractNon‐married people have generally been found to be less healthy than the married. It has been suggested that this difference may be brought about by the greater lack of social integration of those living alone. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the health of those living alone with those living with another person in the four non‐married categories of never married, separated, divorced and widowed for women and men separately, initially controlling for age, education and income and subsequently adding five proximate indices of social integration. The person lived with was further categorized as an adult, cohabitee, child aged 4 or under, child aged 5 to 17, adult child, parent, relative or non‐relative. The three indices of health were the 30‐item General Health Questionnaire of psychological distress. a 15‐item checklist of common physical symptoms and alcohol intake. The main differences obtained were that women living alone drank more alcohol than those cohabiting or living with a child aged 4 or under, and that widowers living alone were more psychologically distressed than those living with an adult child, even when social integration was controlled. The results suggested that living alone was not generally associated with poor health and so could not account for the difference between the married and non‐married.
From interrogation to investigative interviewing; strategic trends in police questioning
Authors: Williamson Thomas M. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe Court of Appeal has recently released a number of people who were convicted of serious charges because it could no longer rely on confessions obtained during Police questioning. A detailed questionnaire study in 1987 of 80 detectives at four busy inner‐London Police Stations indicated that there had been improvements in the way Police question suspects. This is a result of the combined effects of new legislation, technology, and organizational policies designed to encourage an ethical approach to investigation. The majority of detectives have moved away from questioning purely to obtain a confession, towards questioning that is more of an inquiry—examining and adding to the existing evidence. However, a small number of detectives still indicated a preference for a dominant, confrontational style of interviewing, which stands in marked contrast to the majority emphasis on co‐operative interviewing styles. It appeared from this study that the legislation would succeed in making the questioning of suspects less inherently coercive. Subsequent empirical studies have shown this trend to be continuing. The concept of ‘investigative interviewing’ as an alternative to interrogation has been developed with the assistance of psychologists and is being promoted through a national training programme intended to restore confidence in evidence obtained through Police questioning.
The changing face of police interrogation
Authors: Moston Stephen , Stephenson Geoffrey M. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper discusses some of the apparent changes in interrogations following the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the introduction of tape recorders into police stations. These reforms are believed to have had several marked effects on interrogations. For example, the use of persuasive questioning is believed to have declined, as has the number of suspects making admissions. The evidence for these hypotheses is discussed. It is suggested that the apparent fall in confessions can be explained by methodological differences between studies and that the confession rate has in fact remained almost constant. Although there does appear to have been a change in the types of persuasive questioning employed during interrogations, it is difficult to establish whether or not the use of such questioning has declined. There is some evidence that persuasive questioning is now being carried out away from recording equipment.
Confession evidence, psychological vulnerability and expert testimony
Authors: Gudjonsson Gisli H. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThere have been major changes in English Law with regard to confession evidence, which followed the implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) in January 1986. This paper reviews the main legal changes that are relevant to the admissibility and reliability of confessions and their psychological importance within the context of both research and expert testimony.