Parental experiences in cases of child sexual abuse: a qualitative study

This paper describes the themes which emerged from in-depth interviews with parents of a small number of Australian children who were believed to have been sexually abused. The parents' experiences in the wake of the abuse, including their involvement with three services - a hospital counselling service, the statutory child protection service, and the police - were explored in home interviews conducted 3 months following termination of the case by these services. The themes include: issues related to trust and authority in the casework relationship; expectations of counselling; contamination of normal sexuality in the family; the perception of the sexually abused child as'damaged'; and relationships within their family and social network. Some of the implications for practice are discussed.     

Unsociable Work? Nonstandard Work Schedules,Family Relationships,and Children’s Well‐Being

Many children live in families where one or both parents work evenings, nights, or weekends. Do these work schedules affect family relationships or well‐being? Using cross‐sectional survey data from dual‐earner Canadian families (N= 4,306) with children aged 2 – 11 years (N= 6,156), we compared families where parents worked standard weekday times with those where parents worked nonstandard schedules. Parents working nonstandard schedules reported worse family functioning, more depressive symptoms, and less effective parenting. Their children were also more likely to have social and emotional difficulties, and these associations were partially mediated through family relationships and parent well‐being. For some families, work in the 24‐hour economy may strain the well‐being of parents and children.     

Victim Evaluations of Face-to-Face Restorative Justice Conferences: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis

One major goal of face-to-face restorative justice (RJ) is to help heal the psychological harm suffered by crime victims ( Braithwaite, 2002 ). Substantial evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has shown that this can be accomplished ( Strang, 2002 ) and more trials are underway ( Sherman & Strang, 2004 ). These outcomes are even more clearly, if less rigorously, demonstrated through retrospective interviews of victims about their feelings before and after RJ took place. We review the responses of victims ( N = 210) who participated in trials in Canberra (Australia) and in London, Thames Valley, and Northumbria (UK). Despite substantial variations in offense types, social contexts, nation and race, before-after changes revealed by qualitative and quantitative data are all in the same beneficial direction.     

Bosanquet's social theory of the state

Bosanquet's political philosophy was a social theory of the function of the State as ‘hinderer of hindrances to the best life’, where individual development was supported by relationships within a community. This was worked out in the context of considerable knowledge of conditions among the London poor at the turn of the century, and reinforced by his wife's practical work and research. He sympathized with Durkheim's pioneering sociology, and was in contact with him through the Sociological Society. His ‘New Liberal’approach, seeing problems of poverty as to be met by informed charitable activity, was restricted by insufficient recognition of the structural aspects of social problems and conflicts. The bearing of his Idealist Metaphysics is critically considered, and it is claimed that, although a good deal of this may not be acceptable, it gave a background to a kind of social thinking which is of interest to those looking for a communitarian type of political philosophy.     

Social analysis in the clinical setting

This essay examines the use of social analysis in clinical practice. Although the author is a psychoanalytically-oriented clinician, she advances the view of the self as both psychologically and socially constituted. When applied to therapy this concept of self leads to presenting a picture of reality that includes both social dynamics and psychodynamics. Based on clinical case material, the author demonstrates how social analysis contributes to psycho-analysis in changing client's self-concept and social identity. In addition, she identified conditions under which social analysis advances or retards the healing process.     

Television Viewing by School-Age Children: Associations with Physical Activity,Snack Food Consumption and Unhealthy Weight

Alarm about the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has focussed attention on individual lifestyle behaviours that may contribute to unhealthy weight. Television viewing is often a focus of the obesity debate. Not only is it sedentary, it also has the potential to influence other lifestyle behaviours either by displacing physical activities or through the consumption of high energy snack foods while watching TV. The research reported here uses data from 2,143 Australian 6–7 year children to examine the lifestyle behaviours associated with excess weight. These children spent 90 min each day watching television, 100 min each day in physical activity, and 39% consumed high levels of snack foods. Nearly one in five (18%) were overweight or obese. After adjustment for family and child characteristics, more time spent watching television was associated with more snacking and less physical activity. However, television viewing was associated with children’s weight status, but snacking and physical activities were not. These findings confirm the existence from a young age, of a cluster of lifestyle behaviours that are associated with unhealthy weight status.