Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, December 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Ed.(Opvoedkundige Sielkunde))-Universiteit van Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (March 2, 2006) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2006. / "Submitted to Department of Applied Social Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-173)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2006. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-80). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Often, a sexually abused child’s disclosure is the only evidence of the abuse. However, most victims do not disclose until adulthood, if ever. This study explores situational correlates of child sexual abuse disclosure. An archival data set comprised of 1120 cases of child sexual abuse was analyzed. Questions asked include whether or not any variable differentiates between the type of disclosure a child makes, the identity of the recipient of the disclosure, whether or not a child will recant, and if a child does recant, in what timeframe this occurs. Variables included victim characteristics (gender, ethnicity, age, family income) and abuse characteristics (relationship to the perpetrator, nature of the abuse, threat involved, frequency of abuse, and duration of abuse.) T-tests, chi-square analyses, and log linear modeling were used in the analysis of the data. Although statistical limitations were an issue, age and threat were found to be influential in the disclosure process.

This study examined a measure of children's memory for information from a story about a hypothetical mother and child, the Story Task, as a potential tool to delineate subtypes of aggressive children based on the pattern of information processing revealed through their Story Task performance. The Story Task scores of 263 second and third grade aggressive children were subjected to a cluster analytic procedure. Although four apparently distinct subgroups emerged from the cluster analysis (negative recall, low recall, defensive processing, and positive projection), validation analyses of these clusters against external variables failed to reveal significant group differences. Potential exaplanations for the failure to find meaningful subgroups of aggressive children and general limitations of the study are discussed.

The present research conducted a rich discourse analysis of an episode of the fictional television crime drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as a content analysis of local and national news transcripts focusing on the representation of mothers who commit neonaticide. Both fictional and non-fictional media sources exhibited aspects of the monstrous maternal theme and the strain defense theme. The monstrous maternal theme consists of words and statements that indicate the descriptions of crime committed against the newborn as well as negative responses and reactions by others to the young mother and her crime. The strain defense theme refers to instances that discuss the internal and external strains of the young woman that may have contributed to her committing neonaticide. However, the "monstrous maternal" is the prevailing representation of mothers who commit neonaticide in both fictional and non-fictional media sources. This media representation utilizes "control talk" to separate "us" the good mothers, who abide by the cultural expectations of traditional gender roles and embrace the internal and external strains of motherhood, from "them" the criminal mothers, who fail to adhere to these role expectations of motherhood by committing neonaticide. The present research reveals that cultural stories and scripts of the monstrous maternal still exist. This contemporary folklore may serve as a form of social control to scare women into conforming to these traditional gender roles and bearing the burden of the motherhood strains, in order to avoid being branded a bad mother. Finally, the present research develops the application of General Strain Theory to explain the internal and external strains of a young woman that may contribute to her committing the criminal act of maternal neonaticide. These media representations of maternal neonaticide could impact the criminal justice system and public policy. Questions of accuracy, gendered understandings of crime and gendered understanding of appropriate punishment are areas the present research explores. Most importantly, the present research seeks to investigate the connection between legal culture in both media and professional practice - and what those connections mean for our general cultural understandings of violence and aggression in women.

Child protection is the process that aims to find, investigate and help maltreated children. In many countries this process is initiated by professionals who compile mandated reports that are then submitted to a designated agency that in many cases is part of a separate child protection system. In Sweden there is no separate child protection system. In Sweden, the child protection process is part of the family-service organization system. The system has two main objectives, one is voluntary (provide family service), the other coercive (provide child protection). This system is administered by the municipal social services agencies (referred to throughout as Social Services). Aim: The overall purpose of this study was to gain knowledge of the child protection process in Sweden. The aim was two fold, one to carry out an in-depth study of a population of reports, the other to analyse the results of the findings in relation to the child protection system. The child protection system consists of elements outlined in the macro system: the underlying ideology and the framing of the problem, and the legislation, administration and the demands placed on professionals. Method: A total population of reports made to one municipality during 1998 was followed to a final decision. The reports were collected in 2000.´There were 1 570 reports made regarding 1 051 children, which composed 4 % of children age 0-18. This initial study was used in four papers where data were analysed covering four different issues. In 2003 a follow-up study was conducted in order to determine the extent to which the child appeared in the database of Social Services. In the first paper the children’s age, gender and contacts with Social Services were described as were the content of the reports and the outcome of reporting. The objective of the second paper was a description of the reporter, and the measurement of the extent to which the reports indicated child maltreatment. The third paper aimed at analysing how the first decision, the decision not to investigate reports, was made in the child protection process. Then a re-evaluation of these decisions was made to see how well the decision was justified. The contacts taken were described. In the fourth paper the influence of the socio-economic load on the child protection process was measured. Findings: Few reports (16 %) led to an intervention being provided, and 41% of the reports were not investigated further. In the follow-up study 61% of all 1 051 children appeared in the files of Social Services. As Sweden lacks a juvenile delinquency system these cases are automatically passed from the police to Social Services and are there registered as mandated reports. Hence the police became the largest report group of reporters, followed by professionals. Of the professionals’ reports 22 % were not investigated. In the follow-up study 53 % of these re-occurred at the Social Service and were then investigated. Seventy six percent of the reports not investigated were when re-evaluated found to indicate child maltreatment. The social worker used the parents as the main source for information in 74 % of the cases. The social worker did not contact the child at all in 53 % of the cases and only nine of the reporters were contacted. In the follow-up study 45 % of the children investigation re-appeared in the files of Social Services. Children from high socio-economic load districts were more often reported than those from middle or low (4.3%, 3.1% 2.3%). The socio economic load when measured in logistic regression was not found to correlate with the decision to investigate. A main finding in this study was that the child protection process was difficult to separate from other systems within the family service. This makes it much more difficult to evaluate the child protection process. The reports filed by professionals were not investigated adequately, and the lack of criteria of specifying how reports are to be evaluated creates a risk that maltreated children will not be found. The professional reports were handled in a way that increased the risk that professionals will have negative experiences with Social Services that consequently can lead them to refrain from filing eports. Conclusion: These findings suggest the following: Pass new legislation that makes it easier to separate each of the three systems from the other. Create a national database in which data on the handling of child-protection cases is systematically recorded. Develop a national reporting form that is to be used by all who file mandated reports of suspected maltreatment. Create clear criteria that specify how a report is to be handled to ensure that the reporting professionals are met with appropriate respect and that the quality of the decisions is guaranteed all over the country.

Mothers of low socioeconomic status are less likely to breastfeed and more likely to formula feed. In addition, low socioeconomic status is associated with a premature introduction of cow’s milk, juice and solid foods. Negative outcomes such as asthma, diabetes and obesity later in life may result from improper child feeding practices. The aim of this study was to determine if WIC participants in Gwinnett County, Georgia are practicing child feeding recommendations set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as well as following the Division of Responsibility in feeding developed by Ellyn Satter. Ninety-six WIC participants (92% mothers) primarily African American (39%) and Hispanic (35%) from Gwinnett County, Georgia were surveyed in March of 2011. Participants completed one of three surveys based on their method of feeding (breastfeeding, formula feeding or solid foods) after a nutrition education class. Compliance to feeding recommendations was determined among the entire survey population and by survey subgroups. Frequency distributions by method of feeding were calculated by age and race. Trends in feeding practices and the feeding environment were determined. Ten percent of participants surveyed reported breastfeeding, 22% reported formula feeding and 68% reported feeding solid foods. Participants who were not following AAP guidelines reported that they received advice primarily from health care professionals. Our results are consistent with previous research in that breastfeeding rates were low, the introduction of solids was early, and caregivers reported controlling feeding behaviors. Future research should focus on understanding the child feeding practices and beliefs of health care professionals.