Recent developments in ‘children's rights’: liberation for whom?

This article reviews some developments in'children's rights' in the 1980s and 1990s. It explores the notion of'children's rights' itself and considers how far an emphasis on children's rights is reflected in different areas of recent government policy relating to children in four different respects. First, the significance of the Children Act 1989 for children's rights is examined. Secondly, there are a number of other areas of policy which may be seen to reinforce childrens's rights. These include changes in the treatment of child witnesses and the gradual prohibition of physical punishment. Thirdly, the Child Support Act 1991 is considered - here, in contrast to other policies, children's rights barely figure at all. Fourthly, the article notes how government policies have tended to exacerbate child poverty, which is also in conflict with children's rights. The article then discusses the ambiguous direction of government policy in relation to children's rights. Two different themes are identified: first, greater autonomy for the child plus protection of child welfare; and secondly, liberation for the state from responsibility for children.     

The mental health status of Latino children in the public child welfare system: a look at the role of generation and origin

As the number of Latino children in public child welfare continues to grow, it is necessary to understand how their mental health is faring. The paper examines emotional and behavioural needs among Latino children who had contact with the public child welfare system. The purpose of this longitudinal study was twofold: to examine the severity of emotional and behavioural problems, and to assess the predictive role of generation status and Latino origin. Latent growth models were completed using the National Survey on Children and Adolescent Well‐Being. The predictive model for the externalizing CBCL scale revealed that generation status and Latino origin were significant predictors. At baseline, Puerto Rican children exhibited higher rates of externalizing problems compared with Mexican children. Over time children who were first/second generation tended to have lower scores compared with the third‐plus generation children. Implications for practise are discussed.     

The process of coping with domestic violence in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Research suggests that the use of disengaged or avoidant strategies to cope with interpersonal violence contributes to the development of depressive symptoms and other psychological difficulties. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) who are exposed to subsequent episodes of abuse may be more likely to rely on disengaged coping strategies, placing them at elevated risk of psychological symptomatology. In this study, we explored the interrelationships between coping, depression, and self-esteem in an ethnically diverse sample of domestic violence survivors (N = 219) with and without a history of CSA. As predicted, CSA survivors (n = 86) reported significantly greater use of disengaged coping strategies (wishful thinking, self-criticism, and social withdrawal) than non-CSA survivors (n = 133). As hypothesized, both a CSA history and the use of disengaged coping significantly predicted higher levels of depression and lower self- esteem. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Opportunities Lost––Why Some Parents of Young Children Are Not Well-Connected to the Service Systems Designed to Assist Them

Abstract

Evidence on how to engage isolated parents in formal services tends to rely on professional commentary, practitioner discourse, and parents who use services. It is critical to also hear the perspectives of isolated parents to inform practice and service design, yet there are clearly practical difficulties in researchers talking directly to families who do not use services–– not the least of which is how to find them. This paper reports on in-depth interviews with 20 financially disadvantaged sole parents of young children in the inner north of Canberra who define themselves as not well-connected to services. The study finds that these parents often lack the social networks needed to “introduce” them to services; their contacts with formal services in the past have left them feeling judged and under surveillance, and the services which they regularly “brush up” against miss critical opportunities to link them with avenues for support. A small but significant group who resist all formal services indicate they are most likely to be assisted in everyday environments that are normal and nonstigmatising, rather than through formal agency settings.     

Charting Trends in Rural Sociology: 1986–1995

Abstract Christenson and Garkovich (1985) reported on trends in the first 50 years of Rural Sociology; this note employs a similar analytic framework for the 292 articles and research commentaries published from 1986 to 1995. While particular topics ebb and flow in terms of their importance, there continues to be a consistent focus on the substantive issues of traditional concern. Predictions in 1985 as to what the next retrospective would show proved to be fairly accurate. Applied empirical and quantitative studies continue to dominate the pages of the journal, but other types (e.g., qualitative and historical studies) now appear with greater frequency. The theoretical foundation of rural sociology has been enriched with conceptual frameworks from general sociology and other social sciences. New twists on the traditional concerns of agricultural constituencies and rural community leaders have broadened the range of topics addressed, reflecting the major social structures, processes, and issues currently affecting rural peoples and communities. The article concludes with an interpretation of recent trends and speculations on future directions.     

Ideational conflict: the key to promoting creative activity in the workplace

This article defines the concept of ideational conflict as it applies to the process of identifying a problem and developing a plan of action for resolving the problem. Then the article examines and illustrates how the ideational conflict that is generated by brainstorming can lead to creative thinking that resolves disparate points of view. The illustration extends the generally accepted view of brainstorming and applies it to identifying a problem related to the university/college work environment. The problem situation is that of the loss of high ability faculty and sutdents to other institutions.     

Acculturation and sexuality: investigating gender differences in erotic plasticity

The contention that women are more erotically plastic than men is supported by a significant body of data, from which it has been inferred (Baumeister, 2000) that female sexuality may be more flexible and more heavily influenced by contextual factors than that of men. As a direct test of erotic plasticity, the present study investigated the extent to which acculturation was associated differentially (as would be predicted by the theory of greater female erotic plasticity) with the sexual attitudes and experiences of 111 college men and 167 college women. For sexual attitudes, main effects were found for gender, acculturation level, and ethnicity. Women endorsed more conservative attitudes than men, less acculturated individuals endorsed more conservative sexual attitudes than the more acculturated group, and Asian Americans had the most conservative sexual attitudes. For sexual experience, a main effect was found for acculturation, with the more highly acculturated group reporting a greater variety of sexual experiences than the less acculturated group. There were no gender-by-acculturation interactions. This study thus did not find support for the theory of female erotic plasticity, insofar as the impact of acculturation on a sample of ethno-culturally diverse college students.