Elder Abuse and Child Abuse:

Elder abuse has been compared with other forms of intrafamilial violence. Despite obvious age and status differences, elder parents and young children exhibit similarities that make the linking of elder and child abuse compelling. However, difference in the nature of child-to-parent and parent-to-child relations and in the social and legal status of adulthood versus childhood argue against a too facile linking of the two problems. This paper suggests dimensions relevant to a comparison of intergenerational physical abuse of elder parents and young children.     

Disability and Abuse in Relation to Substance Abuse

Abstract

This analysis reviewed five years of a state's substance abuse treatment admissions and discharges in order to identify specific patterns among persons who had a disability. Using a series of group comparisons, Chi-squares, and logistic regressions, specific patterns of violence and abuse to this population were identified. Results indicate that persons who had a disability and abused substances were more likely to be victimized by physical abuse and domestic violence when compared with their peers without a disability. A person with a disability had about one-half to one-third the odds of receiving long-term residential, short-term residential and intensive outpatient care when compared with persons without a disability.     

Abuse of the Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome

No abstract available for this article.     

Sexual Abuse,Fear of Abuse,and Politics

This paper explores the impact of experiencing sexual abuse, fear of sexual abuse, and knowing of someone who has experienced such abuse on individuals' political orientations and behavior. Data come from a piolt study of 240 student respondents. Findings reveal that abuse and fear of abuse are associated with increased efficacy, involvement, and participaiton. Reasons for the results are discussed as well as directions for future study.     

Child Abuse Detection

No abstract available for this article.     

Ritual Child Abuse

The phenomenon of ritualistic child abuse is explored. The author proposes definitions for "ritualistic child abuse" and "cult ritualistic child abuse," and articulates the questions that must be addressed in determining the scope of the problem and evaluating current assumptions about this issue. Questions relating to the issues of the credibility of the reports of child and adult victims are also discussed.     

Elder Abuse:

Perpetrator and incident characteristics were studied in regard to incidents of emotional, physical, and sexual mistreatment of older adults (age 60+) in a national sample of older men and women. Random digit dialing across geographic strata was used to compile a nationally representative sample; computer assisted telephone interviewing was used to standardize collection of demographic, mistreatment, and perpetrator and incident characteristics data. The final sample size consisted of 5,777 older adults. Approximately one in ten adults reported at least one form of mistreatment, and the majority of incidents were not reported to authorities. Perpetrators of physical mistreatment against men had more “pathological” characteristics compared to perpetrators of physical mistreatment against women. Perpetrators of physical mistreatment (compared to emotional and sexual mistreatment) also evidenced increased likelihood of legal problems, psychological treatment, substance use during incident, living with the victim, and being related to the victim. Implications for future research and social policy are discussed.     

Elder Abuse:

Elder abuse in Québec has been defined as a social problem since the late 70s. Many changes in policies, social practices, and laws are proposed as scientific knowledge is still growing. Using research methodology in criminology, elder abuse is defined and the impact of violence and neglect towards elders in the community, family and nursing home settings investigated. This paper critically examines the current knowledge gained through research on elder abuse in Québec and offers suggestions for future progress on this issue.     

Abuse of trust

Abstract

Following a summary of proposed changes to Community Care in the United Kingdom, this paper focuses on case management as a key component of social work skill. Associations between marketplace interaction and the relationship between caseness and care are followed by an analysis of issues and psychological defenses to which case management is liable. These are addressed at the interpersonal level and in terms of boundaries between organizational systems. A hypothesis is proposed that case management is particularly susceptible to conflicts around issues of dependence, independence and interdependence. Finally, initial suggestions are made regarding the role that a psychodynamic understanding can play in addressing these problems.     

Elder Abuse:

The U.S. House or Representatives and the Senate are beginning to seriously address the problem of elder abuse. The legislative history on elder abuse has not yielded any broad solutions, but new proposals are under consideration. H.R. 1504 would establish a National Conference on Aging in 1993, which would bring together public, private, and grass roots oranizations who could address the many issues facing the elderly, including elder abuse.     

Spiritual Mechanisms Underlying Substance Abuse Behavior Change in Faith-Based Substance Abuse Treatment

ABSTRACT

Despite increasing interest in “faith-based” substance abuse treatment and HIV risk reduction interventions, there is little systematic evidence of the efficacy of explicitly spiritual interventions. However, fundamental to effective interventions is an explicit conceptualization of mechanisms underlying behavior change. This paper discusses the definition of faith-based organizations, specifically as they relate to substance abuse treatment programs, briefly reviews relevant behavior change theories to identify key variables underlying change, presents an integrative conceptual framework articulating linkages between spiritual intervention components, behavior change processes and substance abuse outcomes, and discusses how the mechanisms identified in our model can be seen in commonly used substance abuse interventions. Overall, the paper suggests that what happens in “faith-based” programs may not be so different from processes taking place in good social work practice in the addictions field.     

Sexual Abuse Assessment Training

Computer printouts are often difficult to read and are produced in such volume that social work administrators do not havae the time to analyze the data and derive meaning from them. Computers can be programmed to accomplish the analysis through a cross-tabulation algorithm that identifies the relationships among the various fields in the database and prints only the significant data. The report itself can be programmed for readability by use of a narrative form instead of tables and by limiting the main report to the highlights that need attention. Such programming techniques make reports meaningful and usable.     

Elder Sexual Abuse:

Twenty-eight cases of suspected elder abuse were identified and described by elder protective service workers. All the victims were female, and 71% experienced significant limitations in capacity for independent functioning and self-protection. Indicators of sexual abuse included victim self-report and third party observation of assault, physical injury, and psychosocial symptoms. All but one of the suspected offenders were male. Eighty-one percent were caregivers for the women they allegedly assaulted, and 78% were family members, predominantly sons and husbands. Repeated vaginal rape was the most prevalent type of reported assault. Findings of the study are presented, and issues relative to the sexual victimization of elders are discussed.     

Survivors of Woman Abuse

Abstract

The feminist social work and related literature on abused women has focused on women's processes of empowerment but has overlooked the question of women's movement from individual survival to collective resistance. In this feminist qualitative study, I explore the processes through which survivors of abuse by male partners become involved in collective action for social change. Using story telling as a research method, I interviewed 11 women about the processes, factors, insights, and events that prompted them to act collectively to address violence against women. I found that women's movement from individual survival to collective action entails significant changes in consciousness and subjectivity. Women's processes of conscientization are complex, contradictory and often painful because they involve political and psychic dimensions of subjectivity, protracted struggles with contradictions and conflict, and resistance to knowledge that threatens to unsettle relatively stable notions of identity. I suggest that feminist social work theory and practice must take into account three interrelated elements of women's transformative journeys: the discursive and material conditions that facilitate women's movement to collective action; the social, material and psychic costs of women's growth; and the multifaceted and difficult nature of women's journey in recognizing and naming abuse, making sense of their experiences, and acting on this knowledge to work for change. I recommend that feminist social work practice with survivors recognize that survivors can and do contribute to social change, and develop new, more inclusive liberatory models of working with survivors of abuse.     

Possible Indicators of Childhood Sexual Abuse for Individuals in Substance Abuse Treatment

This study reviewed the charts of 217 patients discharged from two inpatient substance abuse treatment facilities to compare clients with a history of childhood sexual abuse to clients without such a history. Approximately 1/3 of the women and 1/10 of the men reported that they had been sexually abused as children. Individuals reporting a sexual abuse history differed significantly from individuals who did not report such a history in only a few respects. They were significantly more likely to report that they were still troubled by childhood experiences, that they had been physically abused in childhood, that there were sexual issues they were reluctant to share or discuss, that they had been physically harmed by another, and that they had made one or more suicide attempts. Research needs and implications for treatment providers are discussed.     

Emotional Abuse in Therapy

This paper presents the experiences of clients who have been emotionally abused in therapy. By this I mean the intentional and unintentional conduct they experienced from therapists towards them that was not in their best interests. By sharing these experiences, I will explore emotional abuse in therapy, how it can be defined, the effects of such on clients and the methods of healing these traumatic experiences. Recommendations will be discussed in the light of this information for practising therapists, professional training and development, standards and ethical committees.