Have child maltreatment and child placement rates declined?

It is argued that the actual incidence of child maltreatment remains elusive and is, in fact, indeterminate. Factors that might be reflected in variations in child maltreatment rates, other than child harm or endangerment at least partially attributable to caretakers, are explored. But since most children residing in foster care in the United States have been placed there for the alleged reasons of child abuse and neglect, we might expect trends over time in the rate of alleged maltreatment to have some bearing on the out-of-home placement population rate. On the contrary, it is shown that the child placement population rate has risen in recent years, even though the overall child maltreatment rate has not. Based on existing data, the child placement population in the United States is calculated to have been nearly one million children on any given day in 2011, higher than at any point throughout the previous century. Brief comparisons are made with child maltreatment and child placement trends in other countries.     

Lesbian and Gay Elders and Long-Term Care: Identifying the Unique Psychosocial Perspectives and Challenges

This qualitative study of lesbian and gay elders seeks to identify the psychosocial challenges this community faces regarding long-term care. Two focus groups were conducted among 16 gay elders in community and long-term care settings. Participants reported fear of being rejected or neglected by healthcare providers, particularly personal care aides; fear of not being accepted and respected by other residents; fear of having to go back into the closet if placed in long-term care; and a preference for gay-friendly care. Participants suggested staff training to promote acceptance and respect for gay people, and favorably perceived gay-specific and gay-friendly living arrangements.     

Improving Emergency Care for the Elderly

Much has been written on the developing role for social workers in hospital emergency rooms but little has focused specifically on social work interventions with elderly emergency room patients in an urban teaching hospital. A group of fifty patients over sixty-five years of age, referred to social service for assessment and assistance with home care issues, is described. The emergency room social worker's role with these elderly patients is highlighted and three case examples are discussed. It is argued that social work interventions improve the quality of both emergency and ongoing care for this growing and often at risk population.     

Informal Support Networks Meet Health needs of Rural Elderly

While major studies of informal support systems have been conducted in urban areas, it is important to gain comparable knowledge for the rural and small town communities in which so many older people live. This exploratory study had as its overall purpose to examine the association between community based informal support networks and the ability of older adults to carry out daily activities in a rural area-the measure of the functional health status of the person. Within a rural perspective the outcome of the study included: replication of urban data in terms of network identification; the generation for further study of two hypotheses related to the association of network functionality and functional health and one hypothesis related to the association of network proximity and functionality; and recommendations of unstudied areas of concern for a better understanding of network functionality.     

Parental Depression and Child Outcomes: The Mediating Effects of Abuse and Neglect

Using longitudinal data on 1,813 children and parents from a nationally representative child‐welfare sample, National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well‐Being (NSCAW), this study investigated physically abusive and neglectful parenting as mediating the effects of parent depression on child mental health by developmental stage. Findings from latent growth models indicated that parental depression had a significant impact on child outcomes for all youths, but of the 2 types of parenting behaviors, only neglectful parenting mediated the relationship for preschool and school‐aged children. Neither parenting behavior mediated the effects of parental depression for adolescents.     

组织心理契约违背对管理者行为的影响

为了研究组织心理契约违背与管理者行为之间的关系,对512位组织管理者进行定量研究和结构方差验证,结论如下:1.组织对管理者的心理契约由三维结构构成,分别是交易型心理契约、关系型心理契约和管理型心理契约,其中管理型心理契约是组织与一般员工之间所不具备的心理契约形式,体现了组织与管理者之间的一种特异关系;2.组织的管理型心理契约违背导致管理者退出和忽略行为增加,组织忠诚和呼吁行为减少;组织的交易型心理契约违背导致管理者退出行为增加和呼吁行为减少;组织的关系型心理契约违背导致管理者忽略行为减少.3.管理型心理契约和交易型心理契约是管理者更加关注的两种心理契约形式,而对关系型心理契约的关注则相对较少.     

儿童忽视研究述评

摘 要：儿童忽视直接影响到儿童的认知、社会情感和行为，这与祖国的人才培养问题息息相关。通过对513篇有关儿童忽视的中文文献进行综述，总结得出儿童忽视的概念、现状、影响因素、后果与预防对策。发现儿童忽视对策研究少，对于忽视率最高的0-6岁儿童忽视研究不充分。该综述可促进儿童忽视相关知识的普及并为今后有关儿童忽视的研究奠定基础。 关键词：儿童忽视；学前儿童；早期教育。     

Etiological patterns of child abuse and neglect

A review of the various etiological possibilities for child abuse and neglect, designed to offer an additional and different possibility. Consideration is first given to problems, namely the lack of universal definition, heterogeneous effects, and retrospective research. The probability of multifactor models is noted, and sexual abuse is given separate consideration, followed by an exploration of the existing models termed ecological, transactional, transitional, and attachment. An interactive aggression model is then offered as the new possibility. Empirical evidence for cultural and/or ethnic predispositions suggests that society can be a supporting or inhibiting factor in terms of promoting or opposing violence.     

Multicultural considerations in the application of child protection laws

Professionals exercise a great deal of discretion in the application of mandatory reporting laws and child welfare laws. This paper examines the subjective factors that influence the decisionmaking process from labeling an incident as possible abuse or neglect through the disposition stage. Multicultural issues that affect each stage of the process are discussed. Areas of disparate treatment of minorities are considered. Disparate treatment stems from biased and unequal application of the laws in some cases, or when standards are applied and interventions made that are insensitive to the cultural context of the family. Potential consequences of failing to consider culture in applying child protection laws are biased reporting, errors in assessing perceived risk, ineffective interventions, and increased out- of- home placements. The need for a culturally sensitive approach to assessment and intervention is emphasized. Areas for future research are recommended.