Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

8. Child Witnesses And The Confrontation Clause., Thomas D. Lyon, Julia A. Dente

Thomas D. Lyon

The Influence Of Case And Professional Variables On The Identification And Reporting Of Child Maltreatment: A Study Of Licensed Psychologists And Certified Masters Social Workers, David J. Hansen, Kurt M. Bumby, Lori M. Lundquist, Reginald M. Chandler, Peter T. Le, Kristine T. Futa

David J. Hansen

All 50 states have laws requiring mental health and other professionals to report suspected maltreatment. Unfortunately, many professionals who are mandated to report suspicions of child maltreatment often fail to recognize potential maltreatment or fail to report their suspicions. The present study examines several factors that may influence identification and reporting of child maltreatment. Subjects were licensed psychologists in the Midwest and certified Masters social workers in Nebraska. Child maltreatment included neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, and sexual abuse. Characteristics associated with the family or “case” (race, socioeconomic status of family, age of victim, type of maltreatment) were manipulated and …

Anger, Child Behavior, And Family Distress: Further Evaluation Of The Parental Anger Inventory, Georganna Sedlar, David J. Hansen

David J. Hansen

Presumably, anger is a common experience of parenting. Although practitioners and researchers recognize the role of anger in various parenting situations, objective and standardized measures of parental anger have been notably lacking in the field. This study examined the Parental Anger Inventory (PAI), a measure developed specifically to assess parental anger in response to child misbehavior. A diverse sample of 98 parents participated in the study, including (a) physically abusive or neglectful parents, or both, n = 44; (b) nonmaltreating clinic parents seeking assistance for child behavior problems, n = 24; and (c) nonmaltreating, non–help-seeking community parents, n = 30. …

The Environment Of Child Maltreatment: Contextual Factors And The Development Of Psychopathology, Debra B. Hecht, David J. Hansen

David J. Hansen

Some professionals have hypothesized that the observed problems in children who have been maltreated may actually be a result of the combination of risk factors surrounding the child, including but not limited to direct results of the abuse itself. This article examines the complexity of hypothesized pathways to poor adjustment after physical and sexual abuse. The literature on the impact of major risk factors associated with maltreatment is reviewed in an attempt to clarify the potential contributions of these contextual variables on the development of psychopathology in physically and sexually abused children. The implications this analysis may yield for prevention, …

Heterogeneity Of Individuals With A History Of Child Sexual Abuse: An Examination Of Children Presenting To Treatment, C. Thresa Yancey, David J. Hansen, Karen Z. Naufel

David J. Hansen

The current study examined children and families who presented for treatment through Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education) following childhood sexual abuse. Pretreatment assessment data were used to develop clusters of participants with significantly differing presentation of symptom outcome following abuse. Four clusters were discovered: (a) a Highly Distressed group, whose members had clinically elevated scores on all self- and parent-report measures; (b) a Problem Behaviors group, whose members had scores within the normal range for self-report measures and elevated scores on all parent-report measures; (c) a Subclinical group, whose participants had scores below the mean and below cutoff scores …

The Environment Of Child Maltreatment: Contextual Factors And The Development Of Psychopathology, Debra Hecht, David Hansen

David J. Hansen

Some professionals have hypothesized that the observed problems in children who have been maltreated may actually be a result of the combination of risk factors surrounding the child, including but not limited to direct results of the abuse itself. This article examines the complexity of hypothesized pathways to poor adjustment after physical and sexual abuse. The literature on the impact of major risk factors associated with maltreatment is reviewed in an attempt to clarify the potential contributions of these contextual variables on the development of psychopathology in physically and sexually abused children. The implications this analysis may yield for prevention, …

Training Mothers Recovering From Substance Abuse To Identify And Treat Their Children’S Illnesses, Lela E.A. Strong

Public Health Theses

Parents who abuse drugs and alcohol are at increased risk of child maltreatment, including the neglect of their children’s health. The present research investigates the effectiveness of the SafeCare® Health module in training mothers with a history of substance abuse living in a residential treatment facility to correctly identify and treat their children’s illnesses. Three mothers of children ages 5-years-old and younger participated in the study. Using a multiple-baseline, single-case experimental design, the research team examined the participants’ ability to select the most appropriate course of action for addressing their children’s illnesses. Results indicate that parents’ skills increased steadily during …

Dynamic Adaptation Process To Implement An Evidence-Based Child Maltreatment Intervention, Gregory A. Aarons, Amy E. Green, Lawrence A. Palinkas, Shannon Self-Brown, Daniel J. Whitaker, John R. Lutzker, Jane F. Silovsky, Debra B. Hecht, Mark J. Chaffin

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Adaptations are often made to evidence-based practices (EBPs) by systems, organizations, and/or service providers in the implementation process. The degree to which core elements of an EBP can be maintained while allowing for local adaptation is unclear. In addition, adaptations may also be needed at the system, policy, or organizational levels to facilitate EBP implementation and sustainment. This paper describes a study of the feasibility and acceptability of an implementation approach, the Dynamic Adaptation Process (DAP), designed to allow for EBP adaptation and system and organizational adaptations in a planned and considered, rather than ad hoc, way. The …