Describing the context and nature of emotional maltreatment reports in children

The circumstances leading to reports of emotional maltreatment are potentially unique from those of other abuse types. This study utilized data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), which is a federally sponsored effort requiring the submission of case-level data on all children who were subject to maltreatment investigations by state child welfare agencies. The central aims of this study were to examine case-level characteristics of sole occurrences of emotional maltreatment Child Protective Service (CPS) reports in an effort to address how caregiver and child risk correlates affect the substantiation of these allegations. A cluster analysis was performed to explore how the risk assessment factors grouped together; secondarily, the cluster groupings were examined in a logistic regression model to measure factors associated with substantiation of these abuse reports. Four unique clusters emerged, with one cluster absent any risk assessment factors entirely and another cluster solely composed of domestic violence. Caregiver risk factors with the highest odds of predicting report substantiation included caregiver substance abuse, domestic violence, and caregiver learning disabilities.     

The Art of Practicing with Evidence

This article reviews the definition of evidence-based practice and promotes an expansive view of the kinds of evidence available to the practitioner. It suggests that art and science are intertwined in practice, and describes the process of balancing and incorporating evidence derived from multiple sources, including the findings of research, the cumulative experience and wisdom of the practitioner, and the values and preferences of clients.     

Auto-photography in aging studies: Exploring issues of identity construction in mature bodybuilders

This article seeks to contribute empirically, theoretically, and methodologically to the literature on aging bodies and identity construction by analyzing auto-photographic data from a project that explores the embodied identities of mature bodybuilders. The analysis identified three salient identities that the participants constructed via the auto-photography task. These identities were; a healthy body-self, a performing body-self, and a relational body-self. In combination, these three identities offer insight into what mature bodybuilders themselves regard as important in their lives and social worlds. The ways in which the respondent driven photographs might allow additional insight into the meaning of aging, and also act as counter-narratives to dominant narratives of decline in older age is reflected upon.     

Training as a factor in policy implementation: Lessons from a National Evaluation of Child Welfare Training

Federal, state, and local governments spend substantial resources on training child welfare staff. Moreover, enhanced training is often proposed as a core solution to many problems facing public child welfare and other human service agencies. In this paper we conceptualize training as an element of the policy implementation process. We use data from a multiple case study evaluation of nine federally-funded training projects to examine training activity within a policy implementation framework. Findings indicate federal, state, county and organizational contexts were important in successful implementation; the projects were, for the most part, successfully implemented; training projects lacked explicit causal theory to link training activities to training outcomes; and elements of both top-down and bottom-up implementation frameworks were identified. Conclusions focus on the utility of training for enhancing policy implementation, as well as the need for greater theory development in this area.     

Sexual Revictimization in Adult Women: Examining Factors Associated with Their Childhood and Adulthood Experiences

Using data collected from a sample of adult women (n = 234), this study examined the relationship between the experience and disclosure of childhood sexual abuse and subsequent adult sexual violence. Multivariate analyses revealed that physical force during the childhood sexual abuse experience was significant in both children's decisions to disclose as well as in adult revictimization experiences. Furthermore, childhood disclosures were significantly associated with adulthood disclosures about revictimization, but only when there was no action following the childhood disclosure. The implications for enhancing training and education about understanding and responding to children and women's disclosures about sexual violence are discussed.     

Feminists Say

ABSTRACT

With appropriated objections by Cassandra Seltman, Vanessa Place cross-examines the #MeToo movement.     

Gender differences in predicting high-risk drinking among undergraduate students

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in college students' high-risk drinking as measured by an estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) based on gender, height, weight, self-reported number of drinks, and hours spent drinking. Using a developmental/contextual framework, high-risk drinking is conceptualized as a function of relevant individual characteristics, interpersonal factors, and contextual factors regularly mentioned in the college drinking literature. Individual characteristics include race, gender, and age; interpersonal characteristics include number of sexual partners and having experienced forced sexual contact. Finally, contextual factors include Greek membership, living off-campus, and perception of peer drinking behavior. This study is a secondary data analysis of 1,422 students at a large university in the Southeast. Data were gathered from a probability sample of students through a mail survey. A three-step hierarchical logistic regression analysis showed gender differences in the pathway for high-risk drinking. For men, high-risk drinking was predicted by a combination of individual characteristics and contextual factors. For women, interpersonal factors, along with individual characteristics and contextual factors, predicted high-risk drinking, highlighting the importance of understanding female sexual relationships and raising questions about women's risk-taking behavior. Implications for prevention and assessment are discussed.