A Psychosocial View of Mental Illness: An Introduction

Abstract

Bullying presents a significant social distress for students, families and schools. Concerned practitioners and researchers are invested in developing interventions to decrease the frequency and negative impact of bullying. To do so, however, understanding the cast of characters in the bullying drama is critical. This paper reviews selected research on characteristics of bullies, victims and bystanders from a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. The implications of these characteristics for effective interventions is considered. The role of socio-economic factors is presented, and their relevance for communities and policy makers discussed.     

The Fears and Futures of Boy Victims of Sexual Abuse: An Analysis of Narratives

ABSTRACT

Qualitative analysis of boys’ narratives about child sexual abuse revealed several themes, including memories of the abuse, the disclosure and subsequent events, the healing journey, and a meta-theme titled “fear and safety.” In this article, boys’ (N = 19) experiences related to fear and safety and the healing journey are explored. The narratives provided a unique look at boys’ road to recovery, perceptions of counseling, and hopes for their futures. Recommendations for counseling boy victims are discussed.     

Shelter Service Utilization of Domestic Violence Victims

This study examines service utilization among 283 adult victims of domestic violence identified by crisis responders as being in need of crisis services. The purpose of this study is to explore the differences between the domestic violence victims who choose to utilize shelter services and those who do not. Findings suggest that domestic violence victims who were more likely to utilize shelter services included those who had children at the time of the incident, victims who called for assistance from a location other than their home, victims who did not have a current order of protection in place, and victims who were injured during the domestic violence incident. Implications suggest more specific services to be provided by shelters.     

Murder in the City

Abstract

This study investigates the prevalence of homicide as an urban phenomenon. It analyzes data available for the City of Chicago, Illinois. In the year 2003, Chicago led the nation in homicides. Police there attribute it to a deadly combination of street gangs, guns, and drugs. Such an approach is far too simplistic. An effort is made with this study to identify determinants of patterns of murders that persisted for more than a decade in Chicago, despite the decrease in violent crime across the nation and eventually Chicago. African American males were an exceedingly disproportional number of the victims and the offenders. This study finds two distinct types of homicide patterns, one involving recidivism in the criminal justice system and the other no prior exposure.     

论我国刑事被害人补偿制度的构建——以刑事人权主体均衡保障为理念

我国刑事司法中较多重视被追诉人权利的保护,对刑事被害人权利缺乏应有关注.为此,应引入刑事人权主体均衡保障之理念,建立刑事被害人国家补偿制度,矫正被害人与被追诉人权利的失衡,促进构建和谐社会,实现社会公平正义.     

日韩犯罪被害人补偿制度比较及其对我国的启示

犯罪被害人国家补偿制度切实保障着刑事诉讼被害人的权利,有利于实现被害人与被告人权利的平衡。建立该制度已经成为世界法制发展的潮流和趋势。与我国文化传统相似的日本、韩国的被害人国家补偿制度规定得比较完善,对我国构建该制度有极重要的借鉴意义。     

常德石公桥细菌战受害者口述历史调查7例

在石公桥细菌战中,许多受害家庭在当年那场灾难中家破人亡,许多受害人在精神和肉体上受到极大的摧残。历史档案对这场灾难的记录极为简略。石公桥当时2 000余人,而死去的居民达160余人,大大超过档案记录人数。     

创建刑事被害人国家补偿制度的新思考

我国应当建立刑事被害人国家补偿制度,其适用对象限定于严重暴力犯罪被害人及其供养人,确定具体补偿金额时应当考虑被害人责任因素;采取发行补偿基金彩票方式以筹集资金,并组建补偿基金管理公司;在各级法院设置国家补偿审议委员会,实行两裁终局制。     

Helping a Victim or Helping the Victim: Altruism and Identifiability

Although it has been claimed that people care more about identifiable than statistical victims, demonstrating this identifiable victim effect has proven difficult because identification usually provides information about a victim, and people may respond to the information rather than to identification per se. We show that a very weak form of identifiability—determining the victim without providing any personalizing information—increases caring. In the first, laboratory study, subjects were more willing to compensate others who lost money when the losers had already been determined than when they were about to be. In the second, field study, people contributed more to a charity when their contributions would benefit a family that had already been selected from a list than when told that the family would be selected from the same list.