Victimization at school and attitides toward violence among early adolescents (1)

Previous research and theory on the impact of criminal victimization upon attitudes toward defensive violence are inconsistent, both within the school context and in society at large. While theory suggests that victims may become more positive toward defensive violence because of their victimization experiences, the data are inconclusive. One flaw in prior research is its cross‐sectional nature. This research utilizes a longitudinal design in which change in attitudes toward violence from 6th to 7th grade is compared to victims and non‐victims of robbery and theft at school. There is no difference in the pattern of change for victims and non‐victims, although both groups become more approving of interpersonal violence as they move from the 6th to the 7th grades.     

Evolution and Dimensions of a Women's Clinic in a University Setting

Abstract

As theologian Henri Nouwen has pointed out, the opposite of love is not hate; it is fear. Nowhere is the fear which strips us of our capacity to behave rationally better evidenced than in relation to AIDS. Only as we allow ourselves to be moved from what Nouwen calls the house of fear into the house of love will responsible answers begin to be formulated to the emerging moral questions presented by AIDS. The questions are threefold. To those potentially at risk for AIDS or actually infected with it, it raises questions about honesty and love in sexual relations. For caregivers, it raises questions about the nature of our professional obligations. And for society at large, it raises questions about confidentiality and scapegoating. It is the author's contention that an experience of the divine love—unconditional, unmerited, unbounded—is alone sufficient to move us from fear, and its responses to AIDS, to a more loving (and courageous) stance. Only thus will we begin—whether as victims of AIDS, as caregivers, or as members of society at large—to exercise moral responsibility with respect to this dread disease.     

The Virtuous Drinker: Character Virtues as Correlates and Moderators of College Student Drinking and Consequences

Abstract

Objective: The present study examined the relationship between alcohol use and positive psychology's character virtues ¹ Peterson, C and Seligman, M EP. 2004. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook of Classification, Oxford: University Press.  [Google Scholar] in a college student sample. Each of the virtues of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence were examined as protective factors and moderators of drinking consequences. Participants: This sample included 425 undergraduate students at a large Northwest University (69% female; 52% Caucasian, 34% Asian). Methods: Participants completed paper and pencil questionnaires during October and November 2006 in exchange for extra credit in psychology classes. Results: Higher temperance scores were associated with abstinence, lower risk drinking, and fewer consequences among heavy drinkers; both increased justice and transcendence were independently associated with abstinence only; and wisdom, courage, and humanity were not associated with any outcomes. Conclusions: The associations between virtues and college student drinking support a collaboration between addictive behaviors and positive psychology to address college student drinking and minimize consequences.     

Unlocking Doors: Providing MSW Programs and Students with Educational “Keys” to Social Justice

ABSTRACT

How can social work educators identify what constitutes social justice as a practice, as a social work stance? How can we teach our students to recognize this stance, to work toward it, to practice it, and to live it? Symbolic interactionist Erving Goffman's concepts of keys and keying, as underscored in his work Frame Analysis, provide useful tools for helping students to recognize the value of social justice within social work educational encounters and to apply this value when they enter the field. The concepts of keys and keying can also help programs to assess and amplify their commitments to social justice.     

Perceptions of Self-Care Among MSW Students: Implications for Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

For students new to social work, self-care is a strategy for addressing potentially negative impacts of the profession. Curiously, however, participation in a university’s self-care program has been chronically low. The purpose of this study is to explore social work students’ perceptions of self-care and to create a database for supporting changes in social work education. Qualitative data were collected via an online survey from MSW students. The findings revealed 5 categories for student perceptions of self-care, including health, time, activities, balance, and professionalism, and 3 categories for self-care and the social work program, including academic program experiences, resources, and modeling. Implications of the study in developing and tailoring a self-care program to students in MSW programs are discussed.     

An Exploratory Study of Domains of Parenting Concern among Mothers Who Are Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors

This study conducted an exploratory factor analysis and initial validation of Ruscio’s (2001) parenting attitudes questionnaire, which assessed parenting concerns among child sexual abuse survivors. Child sexual abuse survivor mothers (N = 60) reported on their abuse experiences and completed the parenting attitudes questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and subscales of the Parenting Stress Index and the Parent–Child Relationship Inventory. Three primary factors emerged: (a) concerns regarding the child’s sexuality and safety, (b) boundary disturbances within the child–survivor relationship, and (c) lack of energy for parenting due to recovery issues. Concerns about safety and sexuality and lack of energy for parenting were robust predictors of parenting outcomes. Assessment of such concerns may facilitate discussion of the balance between recovery work and parenting challenges.     

The Influence of Child Sexual Abuse on the Self from Adult Narrative Perspectives

The impact of child sexual abuse on the adult self is not yet clearly understood. We explored adult perspectives through the use of narrative interviews (N = 30). Three key themes or views of self were identified in all narratives to varying degrees: the worthless self, the self as unknown, and the potential/developing self. Ambivalence and tension were present in all narratives. Individuals were challenged to integrate the sexual abuse experience in a constructive way and develop a more coherent perception of the self. The narrative method highlighted the dynamic nature of peoples’ experiences at the same time recognizing that the narratives themselves are in progress. Reactions to disclosure, social support, and interpersonal connections are crucial at every turn.     

Gender and the Neighborhood Location of Mixed-Race Couples

Gender asymmetry in mixed-race heterosexual partnerships and marriages is common. For instance, black men marry or partner with white women at a far higher rate than white men marry or partner with black women. This article asks if such gender asymmetries relate to the racial character of the neighborhoods in which households headed by mixed-race couples live. Gendered power imbalances within households generally play into decisions about where to live or where to move (i.e., men typically benefit more than women), and we find the same in mixed-race couple arrangements and residential attainment. Gender interacts with race to produce a measurable race-by-gender effect. Specifically, we report a positive relationship between the percentage white in a neighborhood and the presence of households headed by mixed-race couples with a white male partner. The opposite holds for households headed by white-blacks and white-Latinos if the female partner is white; they are drawn to predominantly nonwhite neighborhoods. The results have implications for investigations of residential location attainment, neighborhood segregation analysis, and mixed-race studies.     

A Mutual Aid Group Program for Women Who Use Violence

This article presents the development of a group program for women who use violence. A review of the North American literature and research into Quebec practices led the authors to adopt an intersectional feminist analysis of women’s violence and to choose the mutual aid group model. The program’s main objective is to help women find alternatives to the use of violence by working on three main themes: (1) violence, (2) socialization, and (3) life conditions. The program also aims to increase women’s empowerment through concrete experiences of group solidarity, such as by helping one another. Challenges that were encountered in its development and that are anticipated in its evaluation are discussed.