Myths of child abuse in China: findings based on a qualitative study in Beijing1

Based on interviews with 20 parent‐child pairs and focus group discussion with another 20 children in Beijing, this article addresses the common myths of child abuse held among the Chinese. These myths include: (1) The Western concept of ‘child abuse’ does not fit China's national conditions, so China need not be concerned with the child abuse problem; (2) well‐meant child battering is not child abuse; (3) it is impossible for biological parents to abuse their own children; (4) only abnormal parents with psychological illness will abuse their children; (5) child battering is not child abuse because the battered child does not bear grudges and parent‐child relationship is not affected; and (6) parents with higher education will not commit child abuse. Attempts are made to demythify these false beliefs because it is believed that children can be better protected from abuse as the reality of children suffering abuse is brought to light.

根据在北京与二十对父母儿童的访谈和另外二十位儿童的焦点小组讨论,本文提出了一些常见于中国,有关虐待儿童的迷思: (1) 西方的“虐待儿童”概念不适合中国国情,因此中国无须关注虐儿问题; (2) 父母出自善意打孩子不是虐待儿童; (3) 亲生父母不可能虐待自己的孩子; (4) 只有心理变态的父母才会虐待自己的孩子; (5) 父母打孩子不是虐待儿童,因为孩子不记仇而且亲子关系不受影响; (6) 受过高等教育的父母不会虐待儿童。本文尝试呈现并解构这些迷思,因为只有揭示现实,儿童才可能得到更好的保护。     

Parental leave benefit in Austria. Stratified take-up in a conservative country

Since 2000, parental leave benefit legislation has shifted from an employment-related benefit to a nearly universal and then to a mixed system of five different benefit rates of income-related and flat-rate models with four different maximum lengths, and with a longer spell if two partners share childcare leave in Austria. The diversification leads to the questions: what determines parents' choice of a certain model, and what are the implications of such a diverse system for social and gender equality? The parents' choice depends on income, employment status, region, and relationship status and thus is restrained. The models further social and gendered stratification, as they still serve a conservative male breadwinner family as well as a modernised dual breadwinner one and, to a lesser degree, an adult worker. In contrast, low-income (single) parents receive more individualised treatment and have to engage in employment sooner than other groups.     

Family Divorce and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence

Prior research has indicated that family experiences, including parental divorce, family conflict, and parental monitoring, play an important role in adolescent relationships (e.g., Mahl, 2001 Mahl, D. 2001. The influence of parental divorce on the romantic relationship beliefs of young adults. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 34: 89–118. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). Research on how these family experiences affect romantic relationships during early adolescence is lacking. Because pubertal maturation has been linked with earlier dating, it is also important to consider its role when studying adolescent relationships. This study compared 1,765 young adolescents (grades 5–8) from intact (n = 1,315) and divorced (n = 379) families on their dating patterns, susceptibility to romantic influence, and romantic relationship quality. The findings show that adolescents from divorced families, compared to adolescents from intact families, report more dating, report more susceptibility to romantic influence, and do not differ in their romantic relationship quality. In line with the hypotheses, both family conflict and puberty mediated the relationship between family structure and dating stage, as well as family structure and susceptibility to romantic influence. Parental monitoring, however, did not mediate between family structure and the romantic relationship variables. Finally, differences, regardless of family structure, were found between males and females, where males indicated being at a higher dating stage than females.     

Attachment Theory and Parental Alienation

Following an acrimonious divorce or separation, arguments are frequently presented as to why a child should not be with a nonresident parent. The custodial parent, whether a father or a mother, uses the concept of a child being attached to himself or herself and therefore this should prevent the child from having actual or reasonable contact with the absent parent. This view is based on antagonism between the former partners rather than the importance of the attachment theory being relevant. The attachment theory is also used to discredit the intentions of the noncustodial parent. This is especially the case for the younger child. With older children this is not likely to be as relevant. The history of the development of the attachment theory commencing with Bowlby and Ainsworth is presented, and the counterarguments are also presented. Attachment to the mother is obviously important initially but attachment to the father is equally important to the child and such bonding is likely to lead to positive emotional and behavioral development. It is therefore argued that both fathers and mothers have an important role to play and are, or should be, responsible for the rearing of children. The acrimony between the couple should not be considered as relevant as it is, in fact, the real reason why attachment theory is used against a nonresident parent.     

Assessment of the Familial Relationships of Young Adult Children of Separated Parents

The aim of this work was the psychometric study of six scales designed to assess the familial relationships of young adult children of separated parents. The analyzed constructs are interparental conflict, loyalty conflict, coalition, parentification, children's perceptions of the parent–child relationships, and young adult perception of the separation–individuation process. Internal consistency and factorial validity was studied through a sample of 535 Spanish young adults from disrupted and nondisrupted families who were between 20 and 30 years old. The confirmatory factor analyses showed a certain acceptability of the original structures of all scales, with Bentler–Bonett Nonnormed Fit Index, Bentler–Bonett Normed Fit Index, and comparative fit indexes above .90 in all cases, and root mean square error of approximation below .05 in the multifactorial scales and slightly higher in the unifactorial ones. The internal consistency values were between .89 and .94 in the unifactorial scales, and between .70 and .92 in the multifactorial ones. The estimations found for the factor saturation supported the acceptability of the original structures. It is concluded that all the scales within this set present acceptable properties, in terms of dimensionality and internal consistency. The limitations are pointed out.     

Adult Sibling Relationships in the Context of a Mid- to Late-Life Parental Divorce

There has been much research on the influence of parental divorce on children, but less is known about whether and how a later-life parental divorce influences the lives of adult children. Through qualitative interviews with 40 adult children of divorce—those whose parents divorced after they were 18 years of age—adult sibling relationships were explored to determine if a mid- to late-life parental divorce affects the adult sibling relationship. The majority of participants reported that their sibling relationships were not negatively affected by the parental divorce; however, a minority of participants noted that their adult sibling relationships were negatively affected, especially if they “took sides” during the parental divorce.     

Parental Divorce and First-Year College Students’ Persistence and Academic Achievement

The purpose of this article was to examine the relationships between parental divorce and first-year college students’ persistence and academic achievement at a large public university. Using data from the 2007–2008 Cooperative Institutional Research Program survey of first-year students, the results of a logistic regression analysis suggest that students whose parents were divorced were significantly less likely to persist into their second year of study than their peers. Students whose parents were divorced also had significantly lower cumulative grade point averages. These findings held when controlling for demographic variables, precollege academic indicators, college experiences, and academic motivation.     

Is the Concept of Parental Alienation a Meaningful One?

Many members of the judiciary do not yet accept the concept of parental alienation (PA) or parental alienation syndrome (PAS). It has not as yet been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–5 or International Classification of Diseases–11. This article discusses the concept of PA as meaningful and resulting from serious conflict before, during, and after separation of parents. It results in a child failing to have good contact with the now absent parent, despite the fact that the child previously had a good relationship with that parent. The concept of PA is defined and is differentiated into types. The behavior of the alienator and the alienated parent is described. The incidence, symptoms, and diagnosis of PA is also delineated, as are the long-term effects and treatment of PA.     

Community,Family, and Individual Factors Associated with Adolescents’ Vulnerability,Daily Stress,and Well-being Following Family Separation

ABSTRACT

This study identified correlates of resilience among adolescents from separated families. Twenty-four adolescents (age 9–14 years) and their parents completed measures of sociodemographic risk and protective factors, interparental conflict, and adolescent responses to conflict. Adolescents reported their behavior, learning, mood, and anxiety difficulties as well as their stress and well-being using a 5-day diary. Resilient adolescents reported more constructive family representations, reported lower interparental conflict, and were from schools and neighborhoods that were more advantaged. Resilient adolescents reported significantly less stress across the diary days than vulnerable adolescents. The results of this study highlight the role of sociodemographic factors, family functioning, and adolescents’ own individual characteristics in their adjustment to their parents’ separation.     

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Psychologists Working With Parental Alienation Syndrome

Divorce is a common modern phenomenon. Changes in legislation to support the best-interest-of-the-child principle are argued to have escalated conflict between parents during custody disputes. Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) is a controversial concept in high-conflict divorces and has received both praise and criticism over the past 2 decades. This study explores the experiences of psychologists working with PAS in private practice. A snowball sample (n = 8) of psychologists willingly participated in the study. Data collection took place by means of in-depth interviews. Transcribed data were analyzed by means of thematic analysis, and themes and subthemes were derived. The 2 main categories that emerged were the participants’ general understanding of PAS and the operational and practical experiences working with PAS. The participants working with PAS referred to it as complex and destructive. The involvement of lawyers, parental pathology, and legislation all contribute to the complex task of intervening in cases where PAS is present. The impact of working with such a complex phenomenon has emotional effects like self-doubt, disappointment, and anxiety. In some cases, this resulted in an active decision on the part of the psychologist not to work with forensic cases any more.