Objective: To identify child characteristics, factors related to the therapy referral, and caregivers' psychological and social variables that predict sexually abused children's beginning therapy following a therapy referral. Method: Investigators abstracted data from case records of 101 families whose children were referred to a Children's…

Objectives: Since the late 1980s, there has been a strong theoretical focus on psychological and social influences of perpetration of child sexual abuse. This paper presents the results of a review and meta-analysis of studies examining risk factors for perpetration of child sexual abuse published since 1990. Method: Eighty-nine studies published…

Objective: Children who are physically maltreated are at risk of a range of adverse outcomes in childhood and adulthood, but some children who are maltreated manage to function well despite their history of adversity. Which individual, family, and neighborhood characteristics distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children? Do…

Objective: The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to community violence (neighborhood, school, police, and gang violence) and psychological distress in a sample of children living in the Cape Town, South Africa area. Another objective was to identify variables that moderate and mediate the…

A study involving 1,000 parents examined factors that place parents at risk of abusing their children. Results found that examining parental attitudes, history, and personality characteristics, as well as religion and ideology, were important in predicting abuse proneness. Child age was also an important predictor. (Author/CR)

Describes a formal approach for abuse clarification to be used with families in which maltreatment has occurred. Components include clarification of the abusive behaviors, offender assumption of responsibility, offender expression of awareness of the impact of the abuse, and initiation of a plan to ensure future safety. (Author/CR)

A study investigated how neighborhood and individual factors affected 400 parents from neighborhoods with different risk profiles for child maltreatment report rates. Neighborhood factors of impoverishment and child care burden significantly affected child abuse potential. Variation in child abuse potential within neighborhoods was greater than…

Objective: Child maltreatment has been linked to negative adult health outcomes; however, much past research includes only clinical samples of women, focuses exclusively on sexual abuse and/or fails to control for family background and childhood characteristics, both potential confounders. Further research is needed to obtain accurate,…

A study of 1,025 New Zealand children found that, although those exposed to childhood sexual abuse (CSA) were at increased risks of psychiatric disorder and adjustment difficulties, not all individuals exposed to CSA developed difficulties. The influence of the nature and quality of peer and family relationships is discussed. (Author/CR)

Sixty abandoned and 36 non-abandoned school-aged children were told six short stories about mother-child relationships. Abandoned children showed less positive affect attribution to the mother, more compliant behavior in the child, and more justification of the mother when her behaviors were unfair. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A study of 54 Salvadoran children (age 12), born in the Salvadoran Civil War, found the personal/social impact of the war was more important than family togetherness or war intensity in determining the mental health of the children. Children's intelligence was highly related to surviving with greater mental health. (Author/CR)

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to determine if a history of greater exposure to different types of adverse and/or abusive experiences in childhood would influence coping strategies used by undergraduate women to deal with new stressful events in young adulthood. Method: A sample of 828 women undergraduates from a New England state…

A study involving 69 female and 22 male undergraduates found participants who reported childhood emotional neglect by a primary female caregiver described greater current psychological distress and lower cohesion and adaptability in their family of origin than those reporting no neglect or neglect by a primary male caregiver. (Contains…

An eighteen-year longitudinal study of 1,265 New Zealand children examined the relationship between retrospective reports of physical punishment/maltreatment and rates of adjustment difficulties at age 18. Results found the children exposed to harsh or abusive treatment were at-risk for juvenile offending, substance abuse, and mental health…

Seventy-six men convicted of a sexual offense (57 child molesters and 19 rapists) completed the parental bonding instrument and were interviewed. Affectionless control style of parental bonding was highly prevalent. High overprotection in mothers was linked with parental separation and sex play with male peers in childhood. (Contains references.)…