Male Child Sexual Abuse: A Phenomenology of Betrayal

Being deeply understood relies on the ability of the social work clinician to have authentic and genuine empathy for their client. This phenomenological study sought to understand the lived experience of men sexually abused as boys in their childhood, and what life is like for them as sexual abuse survivors in adulthood. Analyses of fourteen male survivors’ narratives into the abuse they experienced as children, and the meaning they make of that experience today, offer insights for therapists. Findings suggest that therapists have a responsibility to ask male clients about sexual victimization, even when this is not the presenting problem but they exhibit sexual abuse related problems; an obligation to educate one’s self on responding therapeutically to disclosure; a duty to receive training to counsel sexually victimized males; a responsibility to advocate for the development of men’s services; and taking an active role in shifting attitudes towards men’s vulnerabilities.

Balancing Acts: Reconceptualizing Support in Maternal Response to Intra-familial Child Sexual Abuse

This article reports the findings of a grounded theory study aimed at identifying factors contributing to maternal response, and aspects of more and less supportive responses, to children who were sexually abused by the mother's intimate partner. The discovery-oriented nature of the research revealed dimensions of maternal support that have not been clearly articulated in previous investigation. Maternal reaction, response, and support are terms that have frequently been used interchangeably. A general lack of clarity in defining support specifically in relation to maternal response has resulted in inconsistent conceptual application in research and has implications for assessment and treatment. Based on qualitative analysis of ten mothers' interview data a more comprehensive picture of support emerged. Dimensions of belief, and affective and behavioral support are expanded upon, and the notion of initial and enduring response are introduced as considerations for practice with mothers of sexually abused children. An expanded framework is offered as a tool for assessing the complexities of maternal support and changes over time therefore assisting social work clinicians in identifying specific targets for intervention.     

The effects of children on the major dimensions of home-based employment

Using an ordinary least squares regression procedure and data from the NE-167 sample of home-based employment households, the effects of children on seven major home-based work dimensions, respectively, are estimated along with remaining work dimensions and a series of control variables. The findings show that having a child equal to or under 18 years of age reduces home-based work hours by 407 hours per year, which equates to 1 work day per week. The separate effect of a child under 6 years of age reduces work hours by 296 hours per year or about three-quarters of a work day per week. Being a male home-based worker offsets these children effects considerably compared with being a female home-based worker. Children in general are negatively related to large-scale businesses that hire employees or services. Younger children negatively affect the likelihood of being a home-based business owner and being involved in seasonal home-based employment.This article reports results from the Cooperative Regional Research Project, NE-167, entitled, At-Home Income Generation: Impact on Management, Productivity and Stability in Rural and Urban Families, partially supported by Cooperative States Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Experiment Stations at the University of Hawaii, Iowa State University, Lincoln University (Missouri), Michigan State University, Cornell University (New York), The Ohio State University, The Pennsylvania State University, Utah State University, and University of Vermont. Appreciation is expressed to You-Hyun Cho for the computer assistance needed to complete these analyses. Patsy Seilen and Justine Lynge were instrumental in formatting and stylizing this article to required guidelines.Her current research interests include household asset and debt formation, working families, and employers' benefits and home-based employment. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1978.     

Employment location choices: Factors associated with the likelihood of homebased employment

The purpose of this research analysis is to investigate the factors that are associated with the likelihood of a worker choosing homebased employment. Using a sample of 6,744 employed men and women from the 1984 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a logit estimation procedure is employed. Factors which decrease the likelihood of being a homebased worker include minority status, higher levels of total family labor income, a high school education or less, and longer working hours. Older workers, workers without children, workers with young children under age six, the self-employed, and farmers are all more likely to be involved in homebased employment.Ramona K.Z. Heck is an Associate Professor in the Department of Consumer Economics and Housing, 133 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853. Her current research interests include: household asset and debt formation, working families and employers' benefits, and homebased employment. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1978.The analyses in this paper are related to work in progress under the Cooperative Regional Research Project, NE-167 entitled, At-Home-Income-Generation: Impact on Management, Productivity and Stability in Rural/Urban Families, partially supported by the stations of Hawaii, Iowa, Lincoln University (Missouri), Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.     

The Contemporary Family in Poland: New Trends and Phenomena

At the beginning of the 21st century, Poland can still be examined in the context of a political and economic transformation. The building of democracy and the intentional, ongoing reshaping of the Polish economy in the direction of a market economy are exerting significant influences on a wide range of issues that are affecting contemporary life. This article examines how these changes have affected women, men, and children as members of contemporary families. The article places the transformation to a market economy and to democracy within the context of the historical economic and social forces that have affected all modern states and concludes with a discussion of the potential short and long run impact of Polands entry in the European Union.     

The Importance of Household Management for the Business-Owning Family

The household managerial behavior of 673 business-owning families from the 1997 National Family Business Survey was examined using a scale adapted from Heck, Winter, and Stafford (1992). The scale was reliable and used to compare the managerial behavior of solo- and dual-role holders in the sample. Although t-tests revealed few significant differences between solo- and dual-role holders, factor analyses showed that the two groups differed noticeably in management style. The differences were not in the frequency of use of managerial activities but in which activities were viewed as related by the two groups.