The trans-theoretical stages of change model and motivational interviewing for building maternal supportiveness in cases of sexual abuse

When a child has been sexually abused, the non-offending parent plays a crucial role in determining that child's recovery. However, the disclosure of sexual abuse in families often throws non-offending parents into a dilemma about whether or not to side with the perpetrator or child, leaving them in an ambivalent position. In order to enhance the ability of parents to protect and support their children, this paper proposes the use of the Trans-theoretical Stages of Change model and Motivational Interviewing. Techniques of Motivational Interviewing will be discussed and then illustrated with a case example.     

Resilience in Non-Offending Mothers of Children Who Have Reported Experiencing Sexual Abuse

Growing evidence shows that non-offending mothers experience significant loss and trauma following their child reporting experiencing sexual abuse. Maternal support offered to sexually abused children following disclosure can be a crucial factor in children’s recovery. Although mothers are often seen as playing a central role in facilitating the recovery of their sexually abused child, there has been little focus on their own needs and profiles. This present study aimed to increase our understanding of the diversity of profiles of non-offending mothers of sexually abused children by exploring the differences in psychosocial traits of non-offending mothers (N = 68; age range 28–67 years) reporting higher and lower resilience.

The mediating role of these psychosocial factors on the relationship between resilience and psychological distress will also be explored. Results found that non-offending mothers in the higher resilience group reported higher levels of positive reappraisal, self-compassion, social support, and significantly lower levels of psychological distress compared to non-offending mothers in the lower resilience group. Additionally, multiple mediation analysis indicated positive reappraisal, self-compassion, and social support to be significant mediators of the relationship between resilience and psychological distress. Increased levels of self-compassion and social support were found to be predictive of lowered psychological distress, while increased positive reappraisal predicted increased psychological distress. The findings of the present study provide support for the targeting of the psychosocial factors such as self-compassion, social support, and positive reappraisal in interventions for non-offending mothers in an effort to promote resilience.     

Parental Involvement with Children at School, Home, and Community

Previous research has focused on examining the effects of parental involvement on children’s academic achievement. Less attention has been placed on exploring types of parental involvement from parental reports. This study combines in a single analytic framework predictors from earlier studies with parent-based reports of involvement in three venues: home, school, and community. We examine two categories of predictors: social and economic resources, and parent perceptions and experiences with child’s school. Using data from the Parent and Family Involvement Survey, analyses were performed for White, Black, and Latino parents. Consistent with previous findings, our research finds that minority parents are less involved at their child’s school than White parents. No ethnic differences in home or community involvement were found.     

The Use of Peer Support for Parents and Youth Living with the Trauma of Child Sexual Abuse: An Innovative Approach

ABSTRACT

This article describes and reports on an innovative intervention program for parents of sexually abused children and youth. Peer support provided by non-professional staff and volunteers, who have been personally affected by the trauma of child sexual abuse, is an approach with unique advantages. Many of these consumers have not been able to benefit from traditional service delivery approaches. Goals and objectives of the Peer Support Program (PSP) have been developed through inter-agency collaboration initiatives comprised of a coalition of existing social service agencies. This report examines characteristics of service delivery and level of consumer satisfaction of parents and youth who have participated in the peer support program. Implications for interventions with sexually abused youth and parents of sexually abused children are discussed.     

Psychoeducational groups with foster parents of sexually abused children

Psychoeducational groups for foster parents of sexually abused children were successfully delivered. Groups with nonrelative foster parents required less basic behavior management training than groups for foster parents related to the children in their care. Relative groups also required considerable attention to issues of visitation with birth parents. The groups helped foster parents improve their ability to care for sexually abused children. Participants were highly satisfied with the groups. Additional program development and research is clearly warranted.Ms. Winterfelt is in private practiceThe Project was supported by the Children's Bureau, ACF. DHHS.Copies of the training curriculum and videotape are available from Ms. Yeaton, Dept. of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital, 747 52nd Street.     

New Scoring Method of the Family Drawing for Sexually Abused Preschoolers

This study assesses whether the global psychological adjustment score on the family drawing, derived with a new scoring method, can predict the presence of internalized and externalized behavior problems among sexually abused children. A family drawing was completed by 78 sexually abused children, and three questionnaires were administered to the nonoffending parent. The results indicate that a poorer global psychological adjustment score on the family drawing is associated with a higher probability of clinical thresholds for internalized and externalized behavior problems in children who have been sexually abused, even when controlling for parents’ psychological distress, child's age, number of stressful events experienced by the child, and type of sexual abuse.     

Needed services for foster parents of sexually abused children

Foster parents with little preparation and short notices must often deal with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties of sexually abused children. This article reports on a survey of the services provided to foster parents who care for sexually abused children in a large city in the Northeast United States. Agency directors, social workers and foster parents were asked to respond to mailed questionnaires. The results indicated that foster parents consistently reported that they received less extensive educational and support services than were reported by social workers and directors of foster care agencies. All groups recommend further expansion of training programs for foster parents of sexually abused children.This paper was presented at the Temple University Chapter, Phi Delta Kappa, Philadelphia, PA, April 5, 1990.Ms. Egan is a Research Assistant; Ms. Cossett and Ms. Auletta were studients from Smith College School for Social Work.     

Family Trauma and Dysfunction in Sexually Abused Female Adolescent Psychiatric and Control Groups

Differences in family trauma, stressors, and dysfunction among psychiatric inpatients grouped by sexual abuse self-reports were investigated. Group membership was determined by self-report of adolescents during a structured interview using a modification of the Traumatic Antecedents Scale (TAS). Family trauma/dysfunction was determined from a composite score derived from the TAS. The results indicated a significant difference for family trauma/dysfunction, with sexually abused adolescents reporting more family trauma/dysfunction than psychiatric controls. Also, those abused extrafamilally reported significantly more family trauma and dysfunction than psychiatric controls, while those abused intrafamilially did not report significant differences. Group differences in the endorsement of certain traumas stressors also were investigated. These findings indicated that among psychiatric inpatients, family dysfunction and trauma are present in those extrafamilially abused. Moreover, the extrafamilially abused were significantly different from controls, while incestuously abused were not significantly different. These results are discussed in the context of separation and abuse vulnerability.     

Social insurance and children: The relationship between Social Security,economic well-being,and family context among child recipients

The relationship between social insurance, which provides families protection against certain risks, and child economic security is understudied. Using the 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) matched to Social Security Administration benefit records, this article investigates the economic welfare effects of the child component of the US Social Security program. We examine how the poverty rate of child beneficiaries would change, absent Social Security income, and how heavily the family incomes of these children rely on it, by family characteristics. Our findings reveal that Social Security plays an important role in mitigating economic insecurity among children deprived of a wage-earning parent through disability, death, or retirement. Family structure, earnings, and employment status are identified as key factors moderating the effect of Social Security on child recipients’ financial circumstance.     

Parental functioning and child sexual abuse

Eighty-two mothers and 46 fathers of emotionally disturbed youth in a day treatment program completed the Family Assessment Device (FAD) at time of intake. Interviews with therapists enabled classification of families into three groups: those whose client (the youth) had been sexually abused, those where sexual abuse was suspected but not confirmed, and those without a sexual abuse history. All cases of abuse were non-incestuous. Comparisons of the confirmed abuse and non-abuse groups were made, using three types of analyses. ANOVA of parental responses to the FAD by group yielded significance for mothers but not for fathers, with mothers of abused children reporting more family dysfunction in problem-solving and roles than mothers of non-abused children. Second, significant differences between parents according to group were found in the abused sample in problem-solving, communication, and general functioning, but not in the non-abused sample; mothers reported significantly greater pathology in their families than did fathers. Third, comparison of differences between mothers and their children within families yielded a greater number of differences in the non-abused group. Significance was obtained in affective responsivity and behavior control in both samples. Additionally, however, significant differences in communication and roles were obtained in the non-abused group. Caution in differentiating between incestuous and non-incestuous families is suggested. Implications of this research for family interventions, especially with regard to mother/child perceptual congruence, are discussed.     

Sexually abused children's perceptions of family functioning

A clinical sample of 76 children in a day and residential treatment facility was administered the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) at time of admission. Interviews with therapists enabled identification of students who had been sexually abused prior to admission. A comparison group of children who had not been sexually abused was selected to match age, grade level and gender of the sexually abused children. ANOVA yielded significant differences on the dimensions of problem-solving, roles, and general functioning, with the direction of the effect indicating greater pathology among the sexually abused group. Analyses of differences between victims of intrafamilial or extrafamilial abuse yielded significance in affective responsivity, affective involvement, and general functioning, with greater enmeshment and dysfunction reported by the victims of intrafamilial abuse. Some gender differences were also noted, with females reporting greater general dysfunction in their families. Implications of this research as supportive of current clinical beliefs about family functioning are offered.     

Against the odds: the impact of woman abuse on maternal response to disclosure of child sexual abuse

Although the co-occurrence of woman abuse and child sexual abuse is high little research exists exploring the impact of woman abuse on maternal response to child sexual abuse (CSA). Findings from two qualitative studies indicate the form of woman abuse to have differential impact on maternal response. Mothers who were abused in non-physical ways, psychological, or emotional, displayed more ambivalent, less supportive responses. Mothers who were physically abused by their partners more often acted supportively to their children and displayed less ambivalence about separating from the perpetrator. Some survivors reported non-disclosure as children because of their fear of the perpetrator due to the woman abuse they were exposed to while being sexually abused. Practice and research implications are discussed.     

Domestic Violence and Intergenerational Rates of Child Sexual Abuse: A Case Record Analysis

Using case review at a shelter for battered women and their children, this exploratory study investigated the association between physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence and intergenerational occurrence of child sexual abuse. The charts of 570 children were reviewed in an attempt to explore the relationship between the children's experiences with sexual abuse and their nonoffending parent's own history of having been sexually abused. Results indicated that a significant percentage of nonoffending parents who reported a history of child sexual abuse also had children who were sexually abused. Additionally, we found that most (93%) of the children studied had been exposed to domestic violence, and while the base rate of sexual abuse was relatively low (11%), the rate of physical abuse of the children was substantial (41%). Logistic regression results indicated that children of sexually abused nonoffending parents may be at heightened risk for sexual abuse. Implications for treatment and intervention are discussed.     

The Relationship Between Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury and Family Functioning: Adolescent and Parent Perspectives

We explored parent and adolescent reports of family functioning, how this differed if the parent was aware that their child self‐injured, and how parental awareness of self‐injury was related to self‐injury frequency, self‐injury severity, and help seeking. Participants were 117 parent–adolescent dyads, in 23 of which the adolescent self‐injured. Adolescents who self‐injured reported poorer family functioning than their parents, but parents who did not know about their child's self‐injury reported similar functioning to parents whose children did not self‐injure. Parents were more likely to know that their child self‐injured when the behavior was severe and frequent. Help‐seeking was more likely when parents knew about self‐injury. Family‐based interventions which emphasize perspective‐taking could be used to effectively treat self‐injury.     

Behavior Problems of Sexually Abused Children in Foster Care

Research has shown that sexually abused children display a number of behavior problems. Many of these children are placed in substitute care, especially foster homes. The current project was undertaken to measure foster parents' perceptions about the behavior problems of sexually abused children in their care. Two studies were completed. The first was a large survey of foster parents in a Midwestern state. The second study utilized a sample of foster parents to complete a standardized behavior inventory which has previously been used in child sexual abuse research. The types of behavior problems described by foster parents and implications for future research are discussed.     

Differences in Caregiver Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction Related to Sexual Abuse of Offspring

Research suggests parents of sexually abused children may experience negative perceptions of themselves and their parenting abilities following the victimization of their children, which may influence the recovery process in treatment for these families. This study assessed perceived self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction among female caregivers of sexually abused children and female caregivers whose children were not victimized. Results indicated that caregivers of child victims had significantly lower levels of perceived parenting efficacy than their counterparts. There were no significant differences found between groups with regard to parenting satisfaction. The results highlight the importance of evaluating perceived parenting competence in the treatment of nonoffending caregivers in order to facilitate optimal treatment of the child victim and all members of the family system.     

Parental Depression and Child Outcomes: The Mediating Effects of Abuse and Neglect

Using longitudinal data on 1,813 children and parents from a nationally representative child‐welfare sample, National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well‐Being (NSCAW), this study investigated physically abusive and neglectful parenting as mediating the effects of parent depression on child mental health by developmental stage. Findings from latent growth models indicated that parental depression had a significant impact on child outcomes for all youths, but of the 2 types of parenting behaviors, only neglectful parenting mediated the relationship for preschool and school‐aged children. Neither parenting behavior mediated the effects of parental depression for adolescents.     

Social Demographics,the School Environment,and Parenting Practices Associated with Parents' Participation in Schools and Academic Success among Black,Hispanic, and White Students

This study explored social demographic factors, school environmental factors, and parenting practices that are associated with child academic success and school-based involvement among the parents of Black, Hispanic, and White students. Analysis of 12,426 parents who completed the National Household Education Surveys-Parent and Family Involvement Survey revealed that parent's participation in school is linked to better grades and is associated with supportive schools and positive parenting practices. The study also revealed that parents who were Black and Hispanic, non-native English speakers, lived in unsafe neighborhoods, and had less than a high school education were less likely to visit the school. The article suggests culturally responsive strategies for school leaders and parent advocates to engage parents in their children's education.     

Parent Involvement in Head Start and Children's Development: Indirect Effects Through Parenting

The authors examined the extent to which parent involvement in Head Start programs predicted changes in both parent and child outcomes over time, using a nationally representative sample of 1,020 three‐year‐old children over 3 waves of the Family and Child Experiences Survey. Center policies that promote involvement predicted greater parent involvement, and parents who were more involved in Head Start centers demonstrated increased cognitive stimulation and decreased spanking and controlling behaviors. In turn, these changes in parenting behaviors were associated with gains in children's academic and behavioral skills. These findings suggest that Head Start programs should do even more to facilitate parent involvement because it can serve as an important means for promoting both parent and child outcomes.