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Different forms of maltreatment are thought to incur a cumulative and non-specific toll on mental health. However, few large-scale studies draw on psychiatric diagnoses manifesting in early childhood and adolescence to identify sequelae of differential maltreatment exposures, and emotional maltreatment, in particular. Fine-grained multi-source dimensional maltreatment assessments and validated age-appropriate clinical interviews were conducted in a sample of N = 778 3 to 16-year-olds. We aimed to (a) substantiate known patterns of clinical outcomes following maltreatment and (b) analyse relative effects of emotional maltreatment, abuse (physical and sexual), and neglect (physical, supervisory, and moral-legal/educational) using structural equation modeling. Besides confirming known relationships between maltreatment exposures and psychiatric disorders, emotional maltreatment exerted particularly strong effects on internalizing disorders in older youth and externalizing disorders in younger children, accounting for variance over and above abuse and neglect exposures. Our data highlight the toxicity of pathogenic relational experiences from early childhood onwards, urging researchers and practitioners alike to prioritize future work on emotional maltreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evidence suggests that childhood exposure to interparental violence increases the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience or perpetration in adolescence or adulthood. However, it is unclear if exposure to interparental violence increases the risk of IPV among women in Papua New Guinea. This study, therefore, seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining the association between childhood exposure to interparental violence and IPV among women in Papua New Guinea. Methods: We used data from the most recent 2016–18 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey. We included 3,512 women in our analyses. Past-year experience of IPV was the outcome variable in this study. Exposure to interparental violence was the key explanatory variable. We used a multilevel binary logistic regression to examine the association between exposure to interparental violence and IPV. Results: We found a higher probability of experiencing IPV among women exposed to interparental violence [aOR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.13, 1.86] relative to women who were not exposed. Furthermore, we found that women living in rural areas had a lower likelihood of IPV experience [aOR = O.50, 95% CI = 0.32, 0.80] compared to those in urban settings. Finally, a greater odd of IPV experience was found among women staying in the Highlands Region [aOR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.96] compared to those staying in the Southern Region. Conclusion: Exposure to interparental violence was found to be significantly associated with IPV among women in Papua New Guinea. The findings of this study suggest the need for proven operational strategies to reduce IPV, such as improving anti-IPV laws in Papua New Guinea. We recommend the development and implementation of intercession strategies to reduce the experience and justification of violence among women exposed to interparental violence. In addition, health professionals should implement counseling and health education initiatives to tackle the consequences of IPV on women's well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite alarming rates of sexual assault on college campuses, little research has examined risk factors for sexual victimization among LGBTQ+ college students. This exploratory study aims to examine adolescent sexual assault, internalized homonegativity, and problematic alcohol use as mediators linking several types of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; i.e., childhood sexual abuse, parental abuse, and household disorder) to collegiate sexual assault. Utilizing data from 241 LGBTQ+ college students, path analysis findings demonstrated that these proposed mediators increased risk for sexual assault and that various types of ACEs exerted differential impacts on sexual re-victimization, internalized homonegativity, and problematic alcohol use. Practice-based implications are offered, including the need for affirming programming that includes problem drinking prevention components and considers the role of ACEs and internalized homonegativity in increasing risk for sexual assault during college as well as the need for LGBTQ+ resource centers on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a child is injured or killed by an adult in the home, a marked gender division appears in the application of criminal responsibility against the non-abusing parent. States regularly use accomplice liability/accountability theory or statutes criminalizing the failure to protect one's children against mothers for the harm perpetrated by her male partner, but men almost never face charges when the roles are reversed. Although the statutory or common law upon which such prosecutions are based is gender-neutral, the application of the principles is decidedly not. This Article analyzes and critiques current cultural and legal expectations of mothers that place upon them an increased responsibility for the safety of their children. It analyzes the ways in which the "reasonable person" standard morphs into a "reasonable mother" standard that is implicitly more stringent and punitive than expectations of a "reasonable father." This places disproportionate burdens and punishments on mothers, twists the legal concepts of foreseeability, intent, and parental duty while making them contingent upon the parent's gender, and holds mothers and fathers to disparate standards of care. When the theory is applied against mothers, the standard requirement of criminal intent is sometimes stretched beyond recognition. The absence of overt gender distinctions in the law disguises the fact that the operation of the criminal justice system is deeply informed by and in service to stereotyped social demands of women while it masquerades as a system of neutral, evenhanded justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given the role leaders play in organizational effectiveness, there is growing interest in understanding the antecedents of leader emergence. The authors consider parental influence by examining how witnessing interparental violence during adolescence indirectly affects adult leader role occupancy. Drawing on the work–home resources (W-HR) model, the authors hypothesize that witnessing interparental violence serves as a distal, chronic contextual demand that hinders leader role occupancy through its effects on constructive personal resources, operationalized as insecure attachment. Based on role congruity theory, the authors also predict that the relationship between attachment style and leader role occupancy will differ for women and men. Design/methodology/approach: To test the hypotheses, the authors used data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) (n = 1,665 full-time employees). Findings: After controlling for age, education, childhood socioeconomic status and experienced violence, results showed that the negative indirect effects of witnessing interparental violence on leader role occupancy through avoidant attachment was significant for females only, while the negative effects of anxious attachment hindered leader role occupancy across sexes. Originality/value: Results identify novel distal (interparental violence) and proximal (attachment style) barriers to leader role occupancy, showing empirical support for the life-span approach to leadership and the persistent effects of home demands on work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This Note explores the use of secret recordings in domestic violence litigation. It is particularly concerned with how the criminalization of domestic violence influences the laws governing the creation and use of secret recordings in this context. Secret recordings can provide determinative evidence of domestic violence. However, a domestic violence survivor who makes a secret recording is criminally and civilly liable under California’s Anti-Eavesdropping Statute (CEPA). CEPA also renders secret recordings inadmissible as evidence. Although the “Right to Truth-in-Evidence” provision of Proposition 8 abrogates CEPA for purposes of admitting secret recordings for criminal prosecutions, there is no equivalent rule for civil and family court litigation. The only statutory exceptions to CEPA that apply to domestic violence are narrow in scope and do not legalize secret recordings for use in noncriminal settings. CEPA encourages dependence on criminal remedies and denies domestic violence survivors the ability to effectively pursue the remedy of their choice. This Note proposes statutory exceptions to CEPA that would protect domestic violence survivors from liability and enable them to use secret recordings to secure civil law, family law, and alternative justice remedies as well as, or instead of, criminal remedies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing literature on parental violence toward teachers has examined the prevalence of these incidents, yet there is considerable variation across studies. There is a need for a systematic and comprehensive review to assess the extent of parent-perpetrated violence toward teachers. Using a meta-analytic approach, we examined the prevalence of violence directed against teachers by parents and how these rates vary by reporting timeframe and type of violence. We identified 5,340 articles through our initial screening process, and our final analysis included 8 studies that met criteria for this meta-analysis. Our findings show that teachers are more likely to experience non-physical forms of violence as compared to physical violence and that rates are lower as the severity and intrusiveness of the violent act increases. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although drug use is considered a risk factor for child maltreatment, very little work has examined how the drug environment may affect physical abuse and neglect by parents. Utilizing information from a telephone survey with 2,597 respondents from 43 cities with valid police data on narcotics incidents, we analyzed the relationship between drug use, drug availability, and child maltreatment using multilevel models. City-level rates of drug abuse and dependence were related to more frequent physical abuse. Parents who use drugs in areas with greater availability of drugs reported more physical abuse and physical neglect. Emotional support was protective of all types of maltreatment. While most child welfare interventions focus on reducing parental drug use in order to reduce child abuse, these findings suggest environmental prevention or neighborhood strengthening approaches designed to reduce the supply of illicit drugs may also reduce child abuse through multiple mechanisms.

It's not clear if and how social distancing measures to control COVID-19 transmission may result in more occurrences of child and adolescent abuse perpetrated by their parents. Information often comes from indirect estimates and media reports. More evidence is needed from multiple sources, particularly from the potential victims. The aim of this study was to compare the proportion of violence perpetrated on adolescents by their parents before, during and after the COVID-19 lockdown in Portugal. Three different samples with adolescents aged 12-18 years were collected before (n = 1444), during (n = 1427) and after (n = 794) the lockdown and compared to verify variations concerning parental violence behaviors. Higher rates of aggressive parental behavior were found, but results showed that adolescents reported a reduction of psychological, physical, and sexual violence perpetrated by their parents during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Implications and future research needs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

mother's intuition is said to give mothers the innate ability to know exactly how to best care for their child. But what happens when a judge decides that a mother's intuition was wrong? Failure to protect cases deal with harrowing facts: an abusive parent who harms the child they are supposed to care for, a non-abusive parent who stepped in too late. The statutes allow courts to charge the non-abusive parent with the abuser's crime. The original purpose was to secure the child's wellbeing and encourage non-abusive parents to leave dangerous situations. Instead, failure to protect laws disproportionally target nonabusive mothers, holding them to an impossibly high standard of care, and removing children from a loving parent in the process. The statutes allow for mothers--who are often facing insurmountable obstacles and doing the best they can for their children--to be deprived of the very thing they are seeking to protect: their motherhood. This paper will review the history and application of failure to protect laws through a reproductive justice framework. Only by reviewing the totality of the mother's experience, and not just the presupposed cultural narrative that surrounds her as a survivor of intimate partner violence, can the law begin to appreciate the mother's legal rights as well as the child's best interests. This paper will determine that parenting is a fundamental right under the 14th Amendment and argue that any laws infringing on such a right must be reviewed under strict scrutiny. Failure to protect laws falsely presume that removal is a narrowly tailored means to achieve the state's interest in protecting the child, and therefore violate the 14th Amendment. The process of evaluating failure to protect laws must more adequately consider the mother's legal rights as a parent as well as the child's interest in remaining with a stable, loving mother. This paper seeks to reframe the narrative around failure to protect laws so that they can better prevent harm to children as they were intended to do. This paper will provide some suggestions and recommendations as to how the interests of the state, the mother, and the child can all be secured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents who were abused as children are at increased risk for perpetuating maladaptive parenting practices, yet the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study prospectively examined maternal distress (a latent variable consisting of depressive symptoms and daily stress) and family violence as potential mediators in the intergenerational transmission of abusive (i.e., psychologically aggressive and physically assaultive) parenting. Participants included (N = 768) mother-child dyads identified as being at-risk for family violence and maltreatment prior to children's age four. More maternal childhood abuse was associated with more distress and increased risk for family violence exposure in adulthood. However, only maternal distress mediated the association between mothers' history of abuse and their use of abusive parenting strategies. This study provides critical information about ecological mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of abusive parenting and suggests the importance of targeting depression and stress management among mothers with abuse histories to curtail the cycle of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substance of marijuana is becoming legal in an increasing number of states. With the rise in legallity of marijuana comes a question of how will child protective agencies treat marijuana use by a parent or guardian. Family courts have continued to use the "actual harm" standard to determine child abuse and neglect. In addition to that standard, this Note proposes the adoption of "conduct specific" language into state marijuana statutes in order to further clarify for such agencies when investigations warrant a child neglect or abuse petition to be filed against parents. Key Points for the Family Court Community: Marijuana's illegal status has been subject to change in over thirty states over the last two decades.The substance has survived a long history of punitive treatment from both federal and state governments, and it remains the nation's most popular psychoactive drug.Only six out of the thirty‐three states contain "conduct specific" language in their marijuana statutes which do not presume child abuse or neglect for parental marijuana use alone.Adopting "conduct specific" language into marijuana statutes will make it clear that a parent cannot have a child abuse or neglect case brought against them solely for using marijuana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two randomly drawn samples of mothers and fathers of young children in New York and Texas were assessed for both partner physical aggression and physical child abuse. Overall, both minor and severe physical aggression against a partner were associated with an increased likelihood of physical child abuse. However, even for severe aggression in these randomly drawn community samples, the likelihood of child abuse given partner abuse was less than 25%. These rates were significantly lower than those in battered women samples. Our findings have clinical and policy implications for professionals charged with determining child safety in custody and parenting time matters. Practitioner's Key Points: In two large randomly selected samples of parents, there was an increased risk of child physical abuse, given the presence of wife or husband physical abuse.For the vast majority of parents who engaged in some partner physical aggression, whether the partner aggression was minor or severe, there was no physical child abuse.Attorneys, judges, and forensic evaluators need to be very careful in not generalizing risk of child abuse from populations of women in shelters to women who present in court and indicate that her husband slapped or hit her.Decisions regarding risk of physical child abuse in any individual case must take into account not just partner abuse but other risk factors that make child abuse more likely such as substance abuse, overreactive discipline styles, and attitudes approving of aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental exposure to child maltreatment (CM) is an important predictor of their offspring's CM experiences and mental health. However, less attention has been paid to examine possible mechanisms of transmission, which is critical to inform prevention and intervention efforts. The current study tested (1) whether the association between parental CM exposure and offspring CM exposure was mediated by (a) parental exposure to violence in adulthood or (b) other emotional stressors/adversities in adulthood and (2) the indirect effects from parental CM exposure to offspring mental health outcomes through parental adversity and offspring CM exposure. Data came from a longitudinal study of maltreatment on adolescent development, and analyses focused on adolescents living with a biological parent (N = 185, 51% female). Biological parents (95% mothers) reported on their history of CM and exposure to other adversities across their lifetime. Adolescents self-reported lifetime CM experiences and current depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and externalizing behaviors in late adolescence (M age = 18.49). Results showed a significant indirect effect of parent CM exposure on offspring's CM exposure and mental health through parental emotional stressors/adversities, but not physical violence. These findings highlight different types of stressors that may impact the risk for intergenerational transmission of CM and subsequent offspring mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ayumi Okato,1 Tasuku Hashimoto,1 Mami Tanaka,2 Masumi Tachibana,1 Akira Machizawa,3 Jun Okayama,4 Mamiko Endo,5 Masayoshi Senda,6,7 Naoki Saito,5,7 Masaomi Iyo1 1Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 2Division of Clinical Study on Juvenile Delinquency, Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba University, 3Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Hospital, 4Department of Reproductive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 5Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 6Department of Pediatrics, Asahi General Hospital, 7Division of Clinical Forensic Medicine, Education and Research Center of Legal Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan Background: Child abuse and/or neglect is a serious issue, and in many cases, parents are the perpetrators. Hospital-based child protection teams (CPTs) play pivotal roles in the management of not only abused and/or neglected children but also of their parents; this is generally conducted through multidisciplinary practice. The aim of this study is to survey hospital-based CPT members to determine the professions they perceive to be most applicable to participation in CPTs. Participants and methods: The participants were members of CPTs affiliated with hospitals that had pediatric emergency departments and which were located in Chiba Prefecture; specifically, 114 CPT members from 23 hospitals responded to this survey. The two main questionnaire items concerned are as follows: 1) each respondent’s evaluation of conducting assessments, providing support, and implementing multidisciplinary collaborative practice in the treatment of abusive and negligent parents, and 2) each CPT member’s opinion on the professions that are most important for CPT activities. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to explore the factor structure of the data, and a correlation analysis was performed using the result obtained. Results: The EFA returned two factors: multidisciplinary collaborative practice (α = 0.84) and assessment and support (α = 0.89). A correlational analysis showed that multidisciplinary collaborative practice had a positive correlation for obstetricians (r = 0.315, p = 0.001), neonatologists (r = 0.261, p = 0.007), midwives (r = 0.248, p = 0.011), and psychiatrists (r = 0.194, p = 0.048); however, assessment and support was only significantly correlated with midwives (r = 0.208, p = 0.039). Conclusion: This study showed that hospital-based CPT members highly evaluate multidisciplinary collaborative practice for the management of abusive and/or negligent parents, and they believe that, in addition to pediatric physicians and nurses, perinatal care and mental health professionals are the most important participants in advanced CPT activities. Keywords: child abuse and neglect, abusive parents, child protection services, multidisciplinary practice, maltreatment of children

This study used mixed methods to examine parent-reported harm to children (lack of supervision or physical harm) due to alcohol use by themselves or someone else as well as parent beliefs about alcohol, parenting, and harms to children. We conducted a cross-sectional general population survey of 1,599 parents who were primary caregivers to a child aged 10 or younger and follow-up interviews with 23 parents who responded "yes" to one of the questions about alcohol use causing harm their child. Survey data were analyzed using multilevel logistic models. Compared to abstainers, parents who drank at least once a year were less likely to report that someone else's drinking caused a lack of supervision or physical harm to their child. Higher continued volumes of drinking were related to fewer reports of not watching a child closely enough. Social companionship support (having people to go out with) was related to greater odds that a parent's drinking would cause physical harm to his or her child(ren). In the qualitative analysis, four relevant themes emerged: perceived effects of alcohol use, tangible support and child supervision, immediate and distal harm, and turning points in drinking behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Registered sex offenders are obligated to comply with rules put forth by their state's registry. While there are stringent guidelines regarding the offender's interaction with the public, a sex offender's ability to obtain custody of their child is less rigid. Statutes differ on the level of scrutiny referencing their right to parent, which leaves an opening for offenders to abuse their child. This Note proposes the adoption of a model statute in which registered Tier III sex offender parents who were convicted for a crime involving a minor are precluded from gaining physical or legal custody of their child. Key Points for the Family Court Community:57,329 cases of childhood sexual abuse allegations are confirmed per year by Child Protective Services.Of those reported, 20% of the perpetrators were fathers.Children who experience sexual abuse are more likely to develop eating disorders, drug addiction, post‐traumatic stress disorder, and depression.Sex offenders are required to submit their information to a registry that is accessible to the public following the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, but individual states still have the ability to enact their own registration requirements.States are permitted to draft their own custodial rights statutes, some of which allow parents who are registered sex offenders unsupervised access to their child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article describes the rapidly growing homeschooling phenomenon and the threat it poses to children and society. Homeschooling activists have in recent decades largely succeeded in their deregulation campaign, overwhelming legislators with aggressive advocacy. As a result, parents can now keep their children at home in the name of homeschooling free from any real scrutiny as to whether or how they are educating their children. Many homeschool because they want to isolate their children from ideas and values central to our democracy, determined to keep their children from exposure to views that might enable autonomous choice about their future lives. Many promote racial segregation and female subservience. Many question science. Abusive parents can keep their children at home free from the risk that teachers will report them to child protection services. Some homeschool precisely for this reason. This Article calls for a radical transformation in the homeschooling regime and a related rethinking of child rights. It recommends a presumptive ban on homeschooling, with the burden on parents to demonstrate justification for permission to homeschool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity experiences of survivors of domestic violence in relation to how they view themselves and their circumstances. The participants were 7 women who had been in abusive relationships. They were given access to an exercise facility and participated in 1 to 4 interviews regarding abuse history, physical activity levels, self-view, and emotional status. Qualitative analysis revealed that physical activity gave women a sense of accomplishment and improved their mental and emotional status, gave them hope and healing, a sense of being "normal," of working toward a future self, and freedom. These findings support the consideration of physical activity participation for survivors of domestic abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly 13 million children in the United States live in households struggling with food insecurity. Although biosocial theories suggest a strong link between the lack of food and child maltreatment, and a handful of studies have established a correlation between nutritional deficits and family violence, it is unclear if household food insecurity itself is associated with physical and psychological child abuse apart from other issues related to poverty. The current study examines this possibility by analyzing data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 2,330). Sixteen percent of households were food insecure, and food insecurity at Wave 3 was associated with an increased use of parent-to-child psychological and physical aggression at the follow-up interview. This relationship held even after controlling for important covariates, such as maternal depression and impulsivity. We conclude by discussing what additional research is required, as well as how our findings might intersect with social policy on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Partnerships for Families project is a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), an evidence-based treatment (EBT) for families who are at risk of or have histories of child physical abuse. Across 10 agencies whose programs were supported by referrals from the mental health or child welfare system, individual providers were randomized to receive AF-CBT training (n = 90) in a 6-month learning community or treatment as usual (TAU; n = 92) which provided trainings per agency routine. We recruited families served by providers in the AF-CBT (n = 122) and TAU (n = 73) conditions and collected multiple outcomes at up to four time points (0, 6, 12, and 18 months). Using univariate tests and growth curve models, the analyses revealed that AF-CBT (vs. TAU) showed improvements in both service systems (e.g., abuse risk, family dysfunction) or one service system (e.g., threats of force, child to parent minor assault), with some outcomes showing no improvement (e.g., parental anger). These findings are discussed in relation to AF-CBT, service system, provider, and family characteristics, and training/dissemination methods that affect the delivery of an EBT for this population in community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers found that sexual abuse in childhood leads to increased adolescent depressive symptomatology, though this link may vary due to the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator as well as the age of the child when the abuse began. A sample of 444 sexually abused youth provided data for the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being I. Growth mixture modeling was used to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms and test the effects of parental perpetration and age of abuse onset. Results supported the following three growth trajectories of depressive symptoms in adolescence: falling, rising, and flat. Youth who were sexually abused by a parent were more likely to follow the rising and falling trajectories. Also, youth who experienced sexual abuse at a younger age were more likely to be classified in the falling trajectory. Findings can inform intervention programming on the links between sexual abuse characteristics and subsequent patterns of adolescent depressive symptomology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tested whether attitudes toward violence mediate the association between intimate partner violence exposure and antisocial behavior across adolescence, and whether cortisol level moderates these pathways in an ethnically diverse sample of 190 boys from low‐income, urban families. Results suggest that a pathway from intimate partner violence exposure at age 12 to antisocial behavior at age 17 is explained by pro‐violence attitudes at age 15. Boys with greater exposure to intimate partner violence endorsed stronger pro‐violence attitudes, which predicted increases in antisocial behavior. Further, the pro‐violence attitudes to antisocial behavior pathway were stronger among boys with heightened versus dampened cortisol levels. Results suggest that violent attitudes are important for understanding the cognitive underpinnings of antisocial behavior following intimate partner violence exposure, particularly in youth with high cortisol levels. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed with respect to targeting malleable child behavior linked to later antisocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of community-based domestic violence crisis housing programs (e.g., shelters) is to provide a safe setting that promotes empowerment for survivors of intimate partner violence. For staff to reach this aim, the program must have formal structures and processes in place to support such efforts. This study explored how low-barrier and voluntary service policies influenced staff practices and survivor empowerment. Low-barrier policies require that programs remove barriers that prevent survivors, particularly those who have mental health concerns and/or addictions, from being able to access services. A voluntary service policy states that survivors have the right to choose which services, if any, they would like to engage in during their stay at the program. Survivors' ability to stay at the housing program is not contingent on their participation in program services. This exploratory-sequential (QUAL→ quan) mixed-method study examined how low-barrier and voluntary service policies influenced staff behavior and how these behaviors then related to survivor empowerment. Qualitative results revealed that low-barrier and voluntary service were guided by cultural values of justice and access, encouraged survivor-centered practices among staff, and were believed to promote survivor autonomy. Quantitative results suggested that when survivors perceived they had a choice to engage in program services or meet with an advocate, their empowerment increased. This study has implications for domestic violence organizational practice and provides evidence about the contextual factors that support individual empowerment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valid measurement of psychopathic traits in females using the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) continues to be an under researched topic. Previous latent variable and other psychometric studies have raised questions concerning the structure and predictive effects of psychopathic traits in females. New cross-cultural research finds good support for a four-factor model of psychopathy in females and the predictive effects of the psychopathy factors (Declercq, Carter, & Neumann, 2015; Neumann, Hare, & Pardini, 2015). Nevertheless, additional research is needed on females, especially individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. We investigated the factor structure and construct validity of the PCL-R in a female Hispanic sample (n = 155). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the four-factor model provided an adequate fit. Furthermore, structural equation modelling revealed significant negative and positive predictive effects, respectively, between general personality (Agreeableness and Conscientiousness), and indifferent/abusive parenting with the broad syndrome of psychopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the potential mediating roles of harsh fathering and harsh mothering in the association between negative parental attribution and emotional dysregulation in Chinese adolescents and explored the moderating role of child gender on this indirect association. 864 students (367 girls, mean age = 13.55 years) with their parents were recruited as participants from two middle schools in Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China. The results demonstrated that both harsh fathering and harsh mothering could partially mediate the association between negative maternal attribution and child emotional dysregulation, whereas only harsh fathering could partially mediate the association between negative paternal attribution and child emotional dysregulation. Moreover, we found the moderating role of child gender only for the association between harsh fathering and child emotional dysregulation, in that harsh fathering could be associated with higher levels of emotional dysregulation in girls. These results shed light on efforts to prevent harsh parenting and child emotional dysregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of the current study was to replicate our previous study in which was found that negative maternal attributions mediate the association between parenting stress and harsh and abusive discipline. In addition, we investigated this association in fathers, and added observational parenting data. During two home visits mothers and fathers were observed with their children (age 1.5–6.0 years), filled in questionnaires, and completed the Parental Attributions of Child behavior Task (PACT; a computerized attribution task). Similar to our previous study, negative parental attributions mediated the relation between parenting stress and self-reported harsh and abusive parenting for both mothers and fathers. For mothers, this mediation effect was also found in the relation between parenting stress and lower levels of observed supportive parenting in a challenging disciplinary task. In addition, the relation of partner-related stress and abuse risk with harsh, abusive, and (low) supportive parenting were also mediated by maternal negative attributions. When parenting stress, partner-related stress, and abuse risk were studied in one model, only parenting stress remained significant. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of targeting parental attributions for prevention and intervention purposes in families experiencing stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Both clinicians and forensic practitioners should distinguish parental alienation (rejection of a parent without legitimate justification) from other reasons for contact refusal. Alienated children—who were not abused—often engage in splitting and lack ambivalence with respect to the rejected parent; children who were maltreated usually perceive the abusive parent in an ambivalent manner. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) in identifying and quantifying the degree of splitting, which may assist in diagnosing parental alienation. Results showed that severely alienated children engaged in a high level of splitting, by perceiving the preferred parent in extremely positive terms and the rejected parent in extremely negative terms. Splitting was not manifested by the children in other family groups. The PARQ may be useful for both clinicians and forensic practitioners in evaluating children of divorced parents when there is a concern about the possible diagnosis of parental alienation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence between incarcerated women has been largely invisible in legal scholarship and advocacy work. This Note attempts to assess the incidence and quality of intimate partner violence between incarcerated women from the incomplete and occasionally biased available data and then examines potential methods for reducing such violence. Considering several of the legal strategies that address intimate partner violence, this Note concludes that while facilitating women's escape from their abusive partners and civil protection orders may be effective strategies for intervening in violence between incarcerated women, mandatory reporting structures and no-drop prosecution policies are ill-suited to the prison context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Measuring parental neglect is challenging on many levels and few tools exist that are able to document it with parents. This study aims to document the psychometric properties in the French version of the population-based Multidimensional Neglectful Behavior Scale, short version. Method: This study uses data from a telephone survey conducted with a representative sample of 3584 mothers and 1202 fathers of children aged between 6 months and 4 years old, 5 and 9 years old, and 10 and 15 years old. Associations are made between neglect and several other factors known to be linked to this issue, including violent parental behaviors, stress associated with the child perceived difficult temper and work-family balance, alcohol and drug use, depression symptoms, poverty, and social support. Results: Exploratory factor analysis show the presence of different neglect dimensions relating to the children affective/cognitive, physical (basic care) and supervision needs. Although these dimensions are closely associated with the children and families’ psychosocial vulnerability factors, internal consistency coefficients are low, ranging from 0.20 to 0.64. Conclusion: Recommendations are made to improve measure in general population, including the parental supervision dimension which is particularly challenging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]