Needs of homeless children in the Czech Republic

The needs of homeless children living in shelters and hostels in the Czech Republic have been not sufficiently explored yet. The paper therefore aims to analyse and describe the needs of homeless children living in shelters and hostels in the Czech Republic, thus creating a basis for social work with homeless children and their families. As part of a qualitative research strategy carried out through interviews with parents, children and their social workers, five categories of homeless children's needs (based on Matěj?ek's theory) were identified and described in detail based on a data analysis using Charmaz's Grounded Theory; these categories were the need for stimulation, the need for a meaningful world, the need for love and emotional safety, the need for identity and finding one's own place in society and the need for a life perspective and open future. Based on the identified needs, implications for social work with families were identified, strengthening a sensitive approach of helping professions to the needs of homeless children.     

The Cost of Being Mother's Ideal Child: The Role of Internalization in the Development of Perfectionism and Depression

The study investigated how children's willingness to internalize mothers' values affected the associations between mothers' performance goals for their children and the development of children's perfectionism and depression. The participants were 59 Hong Kong fifth graders and their mothers. The results showed that internalization, as a child factor, moderated the association between mothers' performance goals for their children and children's self‐oriented perfectionism, but not socially prescribed perfectionism. Children's internalization also moderated the association between mothers' performance goals for their children and children's depression. Among the children who were more willing to internalize their mothers' values, their mothers' performance goals for them were correlated positively with their self‐oriented perfectionism, but negatively with their depression. Paradoxically, internalization appeared to be a risk and also a protective factor in the psychological well‐being of children.     

Social Factors in the Development of Autobiographical Memory: The State of the Art

This review addresses theory and research on the role of self understanding, language, theory of mind, attachment security, and parental style in children’s autobiographical memory development. Social‐cognitive factors appear to interact with parental style in producing children’s first verbal memories. Emotional factors, such as attachment security, may also prove to be critical for the socialization of life histories. Further longitudinal studies will be necessary to examine individual differences in the growth of this complex and multiply determined skill.     

A Control-Mastery View of Case Consultation

Case consultation is an important part of deepening a clinician's therapeutic skills. However, consultation is not theory neutral: Each theory of therapy guides consultants according to their particular theoretical orientation. Control-mastery theory assumes that clients come into therapy desiring to solve their problems and have a tentative unconscious plan for working in therapy. These assumptions have been supported by 40 years of research data. Although control-mastery theory is written in everyday language without jargon, it takes considerable time to learn to apply the theory because each plan formulation is case specific. Consultation relies on the examination of detailed process notes, within and across sessions, as well as the therapist's affective reactions to the client. Initially, it can help the therapist formulate the client's unconscious plan and determine the types of interventions that will be most helpful. Consultation is also useful during ongoing therapy to help the therapist maintain (or regain) the focus on the client's unconscious plan, especially when it is derailed by transference enactments.     

Examining the impact of family services on homeless children

This study examined the impact on children of services delivered through a collaborative initiative designed to provide supports to working poor families who are homeless or at immediate risk of becoming homeless. Overall, a number of positive findings can serve to inform the development of promising intervention strategies for children in homeless families and highlight areas for further research. Along with improved housing status, there was a statistically significant improvement in the economic self‐sufficiency of the families served, regardless of whether they completed the full programme cycle. In addition, youth self‐report data indicated significant improvements in externalizing and internalizing behaviour. The ability to combine programme data with school data for participating children also made it possible to explore school performance outcomes. Although these results did not indicate a change in participants’ levels of attendance or reading performance, there was a statistically significant improvement in students’ math scores. Moreover, when participating children were compared with a group of students matched on their level of academic performance at baseline who had not received housing or homeless services, no significant differences were detected between groups post‐intervention, indicating that services may help reduce the risk of homeless students’ falling further behind their peers academically.     

Women Are Being Beaten

Not only are they beaten, but they are killed, mutilated, and maimed, and not by highway bandits, nor by sex maniacs in dark entryways—but by husbands. According to Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) family statistics, 14,500 women were killed by their husbands last year, and 54,500 were seriously injured and incapacitated. In mentioning these not insignificant figures, one must bear in mind that domestic battles that do not result in criminal proceedings are not included in police statistics; these remain a private affair, within the family. And this is why women who run to the local police station crying "Help, he's killing me!" usually get a flippant brush-off: "So? If he kills you, then come to see us."     

Experience,Subjectivity, Selfhood: Beyond a Meadian Sociology of the Self

Sociologists tend to see G. H. Mead's conceptualization of self as fundamentally correct. In this paper, we develop a critique of Mead's notion of the self as constituted through social interactions. Our focus will be on Mead's categorial distinction between the socially constructed self and subjective experience, as well as on the tendency of post-Meadian sociologists to push Mead's position in ever more radical directions. Drawing inspiration from a multifaceted understanding of selfhood that can be found in Husserlian phenomenology, we then propose that the most basic level of selfhood is anchored in irreducible subjective experience.     

Mother–Child Reminiscing About Peer Experiences and Children's Peer‐related Self‐views and Social Competence

This study examined mother–child reminiscing about children's experiences with peers and its relation to children's peer‐related self‐views and social competence. Sixty‐three mothers and their preschool‐aged children discussed at home two specific past events involving the child and his or her peers, one event being positive and one negative. The children's self‐views in peer relationships were assessed at school during individual interviews, and their social competence was rated by mothers. Both maternal and child participation in the reminiscing, in terms of reminiscing style and content, were uniquely associated with children's peer‐related self‐views and social competence. The results suggest the important role of family narrative practices in children's social development.     

On Being Bold,Valuing Process,and Cultivating Collegiality

SUMMARY

Professor Roselle Kurland's use of self was exemplary; she was bold, valued process, and cultivated collegiality. In this paper, the authors examine these qualities, which they seek to emulate, and which contribute to excellence in social work practice. Examples from Roselle and the authors' practice are used to illustrate these behaviors.     

Homeless young people,families and change: family support as a facilitator to exiting homelessness

The families of homeless young people are most often portrayed as a precipitating factor in their homelessness. However, recent studies, particularly those taking a longitudinal approach, have drawn attention to the enabling role of family members and their positive influence on the housing trajectories of homeless youth. Drawing on selected findings from an ongoing longitudinal qualitative study of homeless young people in Dublin, Ireland, this paper aims to build on this relatively fertile area of research. We demonstrate the supportive role of the families of young people who experience homelessness (often as a consequence of difficult family environments) and specifically examine how family re‐engagement is negotiated and achieved. The findings highlight a number of dimensions of transition and change. Prominent among these is the importance of renewed trust and communication. Young people and their parents also had to accept responsibility for areas of life that previously served to undermine their relationships and were implicated in the circumstances surrounding a young person's premature home‐leaving. Tensions and resistances on the part of young people are highlighted, demonstrating the adaptive mechanisms at work as they attempt to re‐engage with family members. The implications of the findings for social work intervention with homeless youth are discussed.     

The Diplomacy of the Caucasus War as a History Lesson

The town beautiful is not a whim, a fancy or a luxury. To us it has become an organic and necessary condition of life. Everyone responds to beauty and there is no question but that fine, simple architectural surroundings will help develop our people's artistic taste, raise their level of culture and give them a constant sense of esthetic satisfaction and pleasure.     

Characteristics of female perpetrators of domestic violence in group therapy

This report is based on a set of clinical observations that identified unique characteristics of 12 female perpetrators of domestic violence in court ordered 52‐week group treatment. The observations are primarily based on the experiences of two therapists who treated a group of 12 female participants, concurrent with two male groups, each of which consisted of 10 participants. A number of comparative clinical observations are made in relation to the treatment of these male and female perpetrators. The group leaders identified three characteristics specific to female perpetrators of domestic violence: compulsive and premature disclosure by more than half the participants in the woman's group, versus minimal or deferred disclosure in the men's groups; perception of self as perpetrator and ambivalent perception of self as victim in the women's group, versus perception of self as either victim or perpetrator in the men's groups; and devaluation of self in the women's group, versus devaluation of the partner in the men's groups. The group leaders also observed that the perceptions and attitudes of the younger, poorer, less well‐educated participants often conflicted with those of their more affluent counterparts.

Therapists who treat mandated perpetrators of domestic violence in groups must contend with direct expressions of hostility. They must also help clients recognize and understand reasons for their dysfunctional partnerships and begin to think about how they can develop healthier relationships. The clinical observations from this group strongly suggest that psychological and socio‐economic factors interact to significantly influence treatment process and outcomes.     

The social cost of the Black Saturday bushfires

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have predicted with high confidence that the risk of bushfires will increase in the future. As this risk increases, so too does the need for appropriate policy responses. In developing these responses, costs need to be weighed against benefits. To fully appreciate the benefits of bushfire risk mitigation policies and strengthen the development of social policies around such events, it is necessary to include the psychological cost of experiencing these events. In this study, we employ the ‘life satisfaction approach’ to place a monetary estimate on the cost of Australia's Black Saturday bushfires (Australia's worst bushfires on record). Results reveal that the bushfires significantly reduce self‐reported levels of life satisfaction, with an implied willingness‐to‐pay of AUD 2,991 in terms of annual household income, or AUD 1,039 per capita, to reduce by one percent the extent to which an individual's immediate local area was affected by the Black Saturday bushfires. In doing so, we identify an apparent gap between current levels of expenditure on bushfire response and mitigation, and that amount which (with the inclusion of associated social benefits) would be welfare maximising.     

Self-perceptions of Social Competence and Self-worth in Chinese Children: Relations with Social and School Performance

The purpose of the study was to examine relations between self‐perceptions of social competence and general self‐worth and social and school performance in Chinese children. A sample of children, initially aged 12 years, in the People's Republic of China, participated in this longitudinal study. Data on self‐perceptions were collected from self‐reports. Data on social and school performance were obtained from multiple sources including peer assessments, teacher ratings and school records. The results indicated that relations between self‐perceptions and performance might vary across domains. Self‐perceptions of self‐worth and school competence mutually contributed to the prediction of each other. Whereas sociability and aggression predicted self‐perceptions of social competence and self‐worth, positive self‐perceptions might be a protective factor that buffered against the development of social‐behavioral problems. The results may help us understand developmental antecedents and outcomes of children's self‐perceptions of social competence and self‐worth in general, and the nature of the phenomena in the Chinese context.     

Promoting psychosocial well-being in unaccompanied asylum seeking young people in the United Kingdom

Unaccompanied minors looking for asylum in industrialized nations come with a host of psychosocial needs associated with separation and settlement. They are also resourceful, and willing to make the best of themselves in their new environments. This paper reviews literature concerning vulnerability and resilience that has emerged from refugee related studies, and those from social work with children looked after by local authorities. In combining these two areas of enquiry, the paper tests the messages they contain in reference to the work of a young asylum seekers project run in the United Kingdom. It confirms the view that unaccompanied minors are children first and foremost, exhibiting understandable vulnerabilities associated with separation and trauma, as well as being carriers of capacities that can help them to recover and settle after arrival. In this paper, it is proposed that promoting psychosocial well‐being for unaccompanied minors involves entering the young people's inner and outer worlds with therapeutic care, to aid the processes of self‐recovery. It also involves finding ways to regenerate a lost sense of belonging and of being in charge of their lives. Examples from the project's work with the young people are used to illustrate the complexity of helping them find a sense of home within their new territories.     

Greater Self,Lesser Self: Dimensions of Self‐Interest in Chinese Filial Piety

While self‐interest is depreciated in Confucian ethics the processes of family relations in traditional China are animated by the self‐interested actions of family members. The paper outlines the Confucian ideology of filial piety which is commensurate with the governance of family life organized hierarchically and through the senior male's management of the joint‐family's collective property. The structure, operations and principles of membership in traditional Chinese families are indicated, highlighting the tensions within them between consanguinity and conjugality and their material bases. The differential operation of self‐interested actions by husbands and wives is also presented. A non‐Confucian model of the relational‐self is outlined in which both the collective context of Chinese families and the self‐interested actions of individual family members within them is explicated.     

Understanding the Self Through Siblings: Self‐awareness Mediates the Sibling Effect on Social Understanding

This study addresses the role of sibling influence on social understanding in the second year of life, in a sample of families living in New Zealand who identify as Pacific Island (N = 43). We tested toddlers at 20 and 26 months on social understanding tasks, as well as their levels of self‐awareness on the Stipek self‐concept questionnaire. We hypothesized that the presence of siblings provides a rich resource from which to learn about the mind. There were significant differences in children's social understanding and self‐awareness as a function of having older siblings. Further analyses revealed that the relation between older siblings and social understanding was mediated by toddlers' level of self‐awareness.     

Who Wants to Chair the Meeting? Group Development and Leadership Patterns in a Community Action Group of Homeless People

This paper examines group development and leadership issues in a community action group of homeless persons. The unpredictable and precarious nature of day to day existence for homeless people presents considerable challenges to group development, continuity and cohesion. The group's experiences in confronting these challenges and the role of the worker are discussed.     

SHORT‐ AND LONG‐TERM HOMELESSNESS AND ADOLESCENTS' SELF‐ESTEEM,DEPRESSION, LOCUS OF CONTROL AND SOCIAL SUPPORTS

The study investigated the effect of length of homelessness, (less than three months as against six months or longer), on four variables: self‐esteem, depression, locus of control and social supports. Respondents, (50 homeless adolescents, 25 male and 25 female, aged between 16–21), completed four questionnaires. Multivariate Analysis of Variance indicated that a combination of the four variables was dependent on the length of homelessness. The short‐term homeless group reported significantly higher levels of self‐esteem and significantly lower levels of depression compared with the long‐term homeless. Furthermore, the long‐term homeless group scored towards a more external locus of control, as compared with the short‐term homeless. While no significant difference was found between the two groups in the number of social supports, the short‐term homeless group reported significantly greater levels of satisfaction with their supports. We discuss the implications of these findings.     

Mothers' Regulation Strategies in Response to Toddlers' Affect: Links to Later Emotion Self-Regulation

Recently, there has been a great deal of research on the socialization of children's emotions and self‐regulation. In the present study, the specific strategies that mothers use to help their young children regulate their emotional responses were examined using a longitudinal design. Forty‐three mother–toddler pairs were observed when toddlers were both 18 and 30 months of age, and mothers’ attempts to regulate their toddlers’ emotions during several emotion‐eliciting tasks were transcribed from videotape. When the children were 5 years old, their responses to a disappointment task were observed. Results indicated a relation between mothers’ regulation strategies in toddlerhood and children's facial and behavioral responses to the disappointment task measured at 5 years of age. Specifically, mothers’ use of regulation strategies at 30 months, but not at 18 months, was positively related to children's appropriate emotional displays in response to disappointment. Moreover, the specific types of strategies that mothers used had differential associations to children's responses to disappointment. Findings are discussed in terms of the potentially important role of mothers’ behaviors in the development of children's emotion self‐regulation.