Social work intervention with wife assaults

This article presents data from a national survey on social work intervention in cases of wife assaults in Singapore. The survey was conducted from March to July 1992 among 510 citizens, educated and over 17 years old. Trained interviewers during a 20-minute interview used a structured questionnaire divided into six major sections. Respondents were asked to choose from the four possible responses, namely: 1) work together with couple to solve their problems; 2) help the wife find another place to stay; 3) help the wife obtain a court order; and 4) help the wife get a divorce. Demographic variables are included in the analysis. About 92.4% of the respondents indicated that social workers should limit their intervention to ?work with the couple? in dealing with cases of minor assault occurring for the first time. About 35.8% opted to help the wife obtain a court order, and 22.3% chose separation or divorce in minor assaults. Majority suggested that social workers should help the wife obtain a court order and separation on major assaults. Findings suggest that social services in Singapore should focus their programs on battered women solely on conciliatory services outside the legal system.     

中国城市居民的配偶家庭与精英地位获得

本文利用CGSS2006的数据,基于不同类型资本继承与转化的特点,考察了配偶父亲的社会经济地位对城市居民精英地位获得的影响,结果显示：第一,由于文化资本的传递需要长时间累积,配偶父亲的文化资本对个体成为专业精英没有帮助;第二,在中国,政治资本依然是具有支配性作用的,更容易转化为经济资本,但经济资本难以转化为政治资本;因此,配偶父亲的政治资本有助于个体成为市场精英,反之则比较困难。第三,资本的使用可能存在边际收益递减规律,婚后配偶的父亲带入的异质性资本效用可能会强于已被多次使用的父亲资本,因此,婚后配偶的父亲的社会经济地位对个体精英地位的获得具有更强作用。此外,配偶的父亲的影响对于不同性别的个体而言有所差异,虽然精英代际转化同时适用于不同性别,但精英代际继承更适用于男性。     

Socio-economic Status and Mental Health in Canberra

Results of the Canberra Mental Health Survey, which surveyed 1 per cent of the population of Canberra, indicate that psychiatric impairment is negatively correlated with socio-economic status for adults. No relationship occurs, however, between socio-economic status and ‘happiness in life’ or social role functioning. The high degree of psychiatric impairment in the low socio-economic status groups is a common finding in overseas studies but has not previously been reported in Australia. Variables which may account for the finding include the affluence of Canberra in general and the relatively small proportion of low socio-economic status groups in Canberra.     

Socio-Economic Status and Changing Work Attitudes in High School Students

Two samples of South Australian high school students were surveyed, one in 1980 and one in 1986. The 1986 students displayed greater optimism about their prospects of obtaining satisfactory employment despite the fact that official statistics show that the rate of youth unemployment did not decline between 1980 and 1986. The increased optimism, along with a greater willingness to stay longer at secondary school, to undertake tertiary study and to upgrade qualifications was apparent mainly in the students of low socio-economic status and represented a shift in their work attitudes towards those displayed by the students of higher socio-economic status. It is suggested that the students of low socio-economic status had become aware of the importance of qualifications in securing satisfactory employment and their increased optimism was realistically based on a determination to acquire those qualifications.     

求助悖论：疾病众筹的社会经济地位差异

依托于移动互联网的疾病众筹平台改变了传统的疾病社会救助体系,疾病救助的发起方从政府和社会公益组织延展至亿万百姓,为社会底层获得紧急救助提供了新途径。本文利用我国某大型疾病众筹平台上1 930个求助案例,探究了疾病众筹目标达成的家庭社会经济地位差异。研究发现,家庭社会经济地位越高的病患,其众筹项目越可能被转发与捐赠、所筹善款总额和目标完成度也更高。中介效应分析表明,线下人际关系网络在上述关系中扮演着重要的中介角色,而以文案质量为代表的文化资本虽有助于众筹成效,但并非连接家庭社会经济地位与众筹效果的中介机制。进一步分析发现,当求助途径从基于熟人关系的微信圈子扩展至公共网络平台后,筹款效果的地位差异得以显著下降。     

Preparing human service professionals for work in the fields of gender-related violence: a study in Australia

A recent Australian project surveyed the coverage of domestic and sexual violence in first degree courses in social work and welfare, psychology, nursing and medicine, and then, on the basis of the findings, designed a range of educational packages that meet curriculum deficiencies in ways consistent with the expressed preferences of the academics surveyed. The initial survey revealed that psychology schools generally had a good coverage of relevant psychological theories, but not so the relevant sociological perspectives, gender and power issues. Nursing schools gave only sparse coverage to gender-related violence, with the greatest attention being paid to appropriate practical responses to disclosures of child sexual assault. The medical schools emphasized recognition of behavioral and physical indicators of violence and appropriate legal and medical procedures. Gender and power issues were neglected, a shortcoming less evident in the social work and welfare courses. The latter generally had a good coverage of relevant psychological and sociological perspectives, the recognition of domestic and sexual violence and appropriate practical responses to disclosure of its occurrence. The project has produced four educational packages covering domestic violence, child sexual assault and possible effects in adult life, adult sexual assault, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The design and content of the packages are described in the article.     

THE CRISIS IMPACT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON THREE VICTIM GROUPS

The traumatizing effect of rape and other forms of sexual assault on the victim has been documented in a variety of recent studies. The diversity of these studies with respect to their samples, data collcction methods, and measurement procedures makes it difficult to specify with precision (I) the effect of rape on adult vs. child victims, and (2) the cffect of rape vs. incestuous assault on child victims. The purpose of this research was to develop and apply a standardized assault impact assessment to a sample of victims admitted to a rape crisis treatment center. Three comparison groups compose the focus of this study: adult rape victims, child rape victims, and child incest victims. This article deals with the levels of trauma stemming from sexual assault in these groups and the implications of these findings for sexual assault treatment centers.     

教育扩招促进了代际流动?

本文基于中国综合社会调查的数据,以改革开放后参加工作的群体为研究对象,实证分析了中国高等教育扩招对代际流动的影响。研究发现,没有充足证据证明教育扩招促进了代际流动。一方面,尽管教育在扩张前后始终是决定个人社会经济地位高低的最重要因素,但教育扩招没有显著改善教育机会不均等问题,从而也无法减弱家庭背景以教育为中介对子女初职社会经济地位的间接影响,带来代际流动的改善。另一方面,教育扩招的结构化效应不显著,大学毕业生面临的劳动力市场并非完全遵循绩效原则,因此,即便教育扩招提高了他们在社会总人口中的相对比例,也无法带来社会整体代际流动的改善。因此,发挥教育扩招促进代际流动的功能,不仅要强调教育机会的分配公平问题,同时也要努力完善劳动力市场建设,促进就业机会均等。     

Risk Perceptions and Value of a Statistical Life for Air Pollution and Traffic Accidents: Evidence from Bangkok,Thailand

This paper presents results of two contingent valuation surveys conducted in Bangkok measuring individuals’ willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce mortality risk arising from two risk contexts: air pollution traffic accidents Results from the risk perception survey disclose that respondents view the two risks differently. WTP to reduce air pollution risk is influenced by degrees of dread, severity, controllability and personal exposure, while WTP to reduce traffic accident risk is influenced by perceived immediate occurrence. Nevertheless, the value of a statistical life (VSL) for both air pollution and traffic accidents are comparable (US$0.74 to $1.32 million and US$0.87 to $1.48 million, respectively). This indicates that the risk perception factor alone has little impact on the VSL, a finding similar to previous studies using program choice indifferences.JEL Classification: I18, D61, J17, J28     

The reactions of women who have been assaulted and their efforts to gain redress

Women who are subjected to violence are affected by the traumatic event but also by the resultant negative or positive social situations arising from the manner in which society works. The aim of this study was to investigate, against the background of a traumatic incident, the significance of social events that occur after the act of violence itself. The picture of victimization and how it is experienced is complex. Two case studies illustrate the attempts of assaulted women to gain redress, but they also show how this is made more difficult by secondary traumatization. An analytical model gives some of the factors in the process of victimization. Assaulted women react to the assault on the basis of their current and previous life situation at the same time as the extent of the assault and the relation of the victim to the attacker are of importance. The representatives of society, volunteers and family and friends act in accordance with the "status" the victim has been implicitly given, which affects the woman's autonomy and her own ability to act. Secondary traumatization caused by a negative attitude from various actors in society makes the process of redress and a return to normal life more difficult.     

SUPPRESSING THE VOICES OF THE SURVIVORS: SEXUAL EXPLOITATION BY HEALTH PRACTITIONERS

It has been speculated that the effects of sexual assault on victims are exacerbated by non-disclosure. It is therefore important to explore the reasons why survivors do not disclose or make formal reports. This paper looks at some of the factors that have stopped many survivors of sexual assault or exploitation by health professionals from reporting sexual assault. A sense of shame is the principal deterrent; this is coupled with other factors derived from the nature of the relationship - the inequality and trust inherent between the patient and practitioner and, in counselling contexts, possibly the added power inequity in transference. For those who do report, their experiences with complaints units, Medical Review Boards and the courts may prove to be less than satisfactory. The article looks in depth at an example of the latter, illustrating how interpretations of consent in sexual assault legislation can be particularly problematic with health practitioner perpetrators. The courts and boards may fail to understand the consent issue and delay in reporting from the point of view of survivors. Consequently, their voices will continue to be suppressed.     

Who Participates?

Reported membership of voluntary organizations is taken as an index of community participation. Data derived from a Mental Health Survey in Canberra in 1971 are analysed and participation behaviour compared with information from American participation studies. A high participation rate was expected because of Canberra's high ranking on socio-economic variables compared with Australia as a whole. However, nearly half of the adults sampled report belonging to no formal organizations. Sex, age and socio-economic status are found to be related to joining behaviour and conform to well-established findings in the United States.     

Family involvement in child welfare services: The association between socio-economic status and self-reported parenting practices

In child welfare policies, as in contemporary society in general, great attention has been given to parenting roles and investing in ‘positive’ parenting practices. Several studies have suggested that socio-economic factors frame parenting practices. There is broad evidence of a significant correlation between socio-economic inequalities and child welfare intervention rates. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated parenting practices in a child welfare population. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between socio-economic status (SES) and parenting practices in a Norwegian child welfare population. The study was based on a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2018–2019. The sample consisted of 256 parents (71.5% females). Linear regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounding and intermediate factors, was conducted. Lower SES was associated with higher levels of positive parenting/involvement practices (b = 0.146, CI: 0.026–0.266, P = 0.018), indicating an inverse pattern compared with the general population. When adjusting for symptoms of anxiety and depression, the association was slightly attenuated but remained statistically significant. No significant association was found between SES and inconsistent discipline/other disciplinary practices. The present study offers insights that should be useful in practice and further large-scale studies.     

Family Characteristics and Traumatic Consequences Associated with the Duration and Frequency of Sexual Assault

The objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between family characteristics and the trauma associated with the duration and frequency of sexual assault on child survivors in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. Eighty children who reported sexual assault through a one stop crisis centre in an urban hospital were studied. The main research instrument used was adapted from the trauma symptoms checklist for children. The results of the study show that there are significant differences between the symptoms of trauma of victims according to the frequency of sexual assault, but not according to its duration. Social workers need both to understand and to take note of the relationship of the variables of family characteristics, frequency of sexual assault and trauma effects on the victims in their intervention work with child sexual assault survivors who report having been abused. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of providing crisis intervention by social workers in Malaysia for child victims of sexual assault.     

Family Background in Relation to Deceptive Ability and Understanding of the Mind

The purpose of this study was to determine whether social factors might be linked with the development of certain aspects of deception. Fifty-seven children aged between 4 and 5 years were assessed for their ability to be convincing in an act of deception (expressive deception) and also for their understanding that minds are susceptible to deception (theory of mind). The mothers of 34 of the children completed a questionnaire which provided information on socio-economic status, parenting style, parental stress and family structure. The results revealed significant associations with family background and deceptive ability. Stepwise multiple regression analyses, controlling for age, identified socio-economic status as a predictor of understanding that the mind is susceptible to deception (theory of mind). In contrast, single parent stress emerged as the major predictor of variance in expressive deception. Deceptive socialisation practices specific to single parents were considered. Implications for the dissimilar developmental pathways of theory of mind and expressive performance in deception are discussed.     

Gender Justice or Just Gender? The Role of Gender in Sexual Assault Decisions at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia*

Objective. This article examines gender justice at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) by analyzing sexual assault cases and the impact that gender composition has on sentencing outcomes. Methods. We employ regression analysis to explain the impact of male and female jurists as decisionmakers and the subsequent outcomes rendered for victims. Results. We find that gender is a determinate factor in sentencing outcomes, and that female judges have a distinctive role that varies depending on the gender of the victim in the case. Conclusion. Contrary to criticisms that the ICTY has not provided justice for victims in sexual assault cases, we find support for the exact opposite. Sentencing disparities indicate that female jurists more severely sanction defendants who assault women, while all male panels of judges do the same for male victims.     

Socioeconomic Status,Gender Inequality and Women's Mental Health: Some Findings from the Canberra Mental Health Survey

Data from the Canberra Mental Health Survey are utilized to answer questions concerning the mental health status of women (especially married women). Using the Langner Scale as the main index it is shown that there is a complex relationship between the socio-economic status of a married woman's occupation, and the status of her husband's job. It is also shown that there is an association between sex, marital status and mental health that runs in the direction of Jessie Bernard's summary ‘marriage is good for men, but not for women’.     

Secondary Traumatic Stress of Service Providers who Practice with Survivors of Family or Sexual Violence: A National Survey of Social Workers

Past research demonstrates that professionals helping survivors of family violence or sexual assault are at risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress. Although social workers frequently provide services to these families, the risk of exhibiting secondary traumatic stress symptoms has rarely been investigated. Using a national sample (N >= 154), this research project examines the prevalence and severity of secondary traumatic stress among social workers who assist survivors of family violence or sexual assault. Implications for social work practice are also discussed.     

Using Geographic Information Systems to Create and Analyze Statistical Surfaces of Population and Risk for Environmental Justice Analysis

Objective. Methodological issues associated with the conventional statistical approach to environmental justice research, such as scale of analysis, continue to make assessments of environmental injustice problematic. Geographic information systems (GIS) can be used to facilitate multiscale analysis through the generation of statistical surface representations of both socioeconomic character and environmental risk. Methods. As a case study, U.S. Bureau of the Census and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data sets were used to generate statistical surfaces of socioeconomic character and environmental risk for the southeast Pennsylvania region. Results. Analysis of these statistical surfaces reveals that socioeconomic status decreases with proximity to, and density of, hazardous facilities. Conclusions. Further research calls for incorporating other relevant information, such as amount and toxicity of toxic release, into GIS-based statistical surface representations of risk.     

Trends in Violent Crime and Public Concern

Socially, the most damaging of all the effects of violent crime was said to be its indirect ‘terrorising’ effect, generating public fear and disrupting the functioning of the community. The blame for aggravation of this effect is often placed on over-reporting and sensationalization by the mass media. The study aimed to determine if there is an objective basis for a growing public concern about increases in crimes of violence in New South Wales, or if this concern is a product of certain forms of publicity given to violence, and to identify targets for social intervention. A formal analysis of a decade's trends in violent crimes against the person and property crimes showed the following: among adults more males commit murder and major assault, and more females major assault; among juveniles, more males commit assault, serious robbery, and malicious damage, and more females assault and malicious damage; more offences of major assault, robbery, and arson are reported to the police, but there is no increase in reported rapes and known homicides; there is no increase in the vandalization of school property; the only judicial reflection of public concern about violent crime is a slight increase in the length of sentence given for robbery. In a critical discussion of the findings, increases in violent crime reported to the police were singled out as justifying public concern. The most serious concern, however, is warranted by the increasing juvenile violence which is consistent with trends observed in most Western countries. The difficulty was pointed out of translating this concern into social action, in the absence of any coherent theoretical or empirical framework within which to identify priority targets. There is a need for a multifactorial approach to provide a rational basis for dealing with the problem of violent crime.