Enligt svensk lag har förskoleanställda en obligatorisk skyldighet att anmäla till socialtjänsten vid misstanke om att ett barn far illa. Trots detta uteblir många anmälningar även när misstanke finns. Syftet med denna studie är främst att undersöka och öka förståelsen för vilka faktorer förskoleanställda själva anser påverka deras beslut att anmäla misstankar om att ett barn far illa. Vidare undersöks hur väl förskoleanställdas tankemönster kring barn som far illa samt deras egen roll i "anmälningsprocessen" överensstämmer med de överlevnadsstrategier som definierats av Dr. Kari Killén. Studien genomfördes genom kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra respondenter som arbetade på samma förskola. Resultaten jämfördes med tidigare forskning kring ämnet och Dr. Killéns psykologiska perspektiv om olika överlevnadsstrategier. Resultatet analyserades och jämfördes även med det sociologiska perspektivet Symbolisk interaktionism. I sitt beslut om huruvida respondenterna anmälde misstanke om att ett barn far illa eller inte ansåg de själva sig påverkas av osäkerhet och rädsla att missta sig, stöd från kollegor och chefer, relationen och lojaliteten hos föräldrarna eller att föräldrarna t.o.m. byter förskola. De ansåg sig även påverkas av personliga erfarenheter (delvis av socialtjänsten), socioekonomisk status samt handlingsplaner. Starka kopplingar till både den tidigare forskningen, Symbolisk interaktionism samt Dr. Killéns överlevnadsstrategier kunde även påvisas. / According to Swedish law, pre-school staff has a mandatory duty to notify social services if they suspect that a child is mistreated. Despite this, many fail to report even when suspicions have arisen. The primarily aim of this study is to investigate and gain greater understanding of the factors considered by preschool staff when deciding whether to report suspicions of a child being mistreated. Their own thoughts regarding their tendency to report such suspicions are therefore further investigated. The paper also explores whether the thoughts of preschool staff regarding child abuse and their own role in the reporting process correspond with the survival strategies described by Dr. Kari Killén. The study was conducted through qualitative interviews with four respondents who worked at the same preschool. The results were compared with previous research in the field, the sociological perspective Symbolic interactionism and the psychological perspective of different survival strategies defined by Dr. Killén. 3 When deciding whether to report suspicions of child mistreating the respondents considered themselves to be influenced by insecurity and fear of making mistakes, losing support from colleagues and managers, destroying relationships and loyalty with the parents or even making them change preschool. They also thought they would be affected by personal experiences (partly of social services), socioeconomic status, as well as action plans. A strong connection to the previous research, Symbolic interactionism and Dr. Killéns survival strategies was revealed by the interviews.

Educators play a crucial role in the detection of child abuse, but there is limited research understanding the role of teachers in responding to maltreatment concerns. The purpose of this dissertation was to utilise three sequential studies, with multiple methodologies, to understand how Canadian educators are situated to detect, respond, and report suspected child abuse. In the first study, a national Canadian database was utilised to compare educator reported cases of child maltreatment to reports from all other professionals. In study two, 245 teachers completed a questionnaire examining their experiences of reporting child abuse, attitudes and beliefs, and perceived barriers and supports in reporting. Lastly, in the third study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seven teachers who had recently reported child abuse. In integrating the results from these studies, three conclusions were drawn regarding the role of educators within the child welfare system. These included; 1) Teachers are well-positioned to detect and advocate for the needs of maltreated children; 2) Teachers have a need for greater confidence, and an increased ability to cope with uncertainty, when responding to child abuse; and 3) There is often a mismatch between the goals of teachers in the education system and the perceived response of the child welfare system. Three recommendations were then presented; 1) Educators are a key resource in supporting early detection and intervention initiatives to address child abuse and their role in these initiatives should be further explored; 2) Teachers should be provided with additional strategies to address perceived barriers in reporting child abuse; and 3) Initiatives to promote increased communication between the education and child welfare systems are required. Overall, results supported the unique child-centred perspective of educators in reporting child maltreatment. Study limitations and areas for future research were then discussed.

Educators play a crucial role in the detection of child abuse, but there is limited research understanding the role of teachers in responding to maltreatment concerns. The purpose of this dissertation was to utilise three sequential studies, with multiple methodologies, to understand how Canadian educators are situated to detect, respond, and report suspected child abuse. In the first study, a national Canadian database was utilised to compare educator reported cases of child maltreatment to reports from all other professionals. In study two, 245 teachers completed a questionnaire examining their experiences of reporting child abuse, attitudes and beliefs, and perceived barriers and supports in reporting. Lastly, in the third study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seven teachers who had recently reported child abuse. In integrating the results from these studies, three conclusions were drawn regarding the role of educators within the child welfare system. These included; 1) Teachers are well-positioned to detect and advocate for the needs of maltreated children; 2) Teachers have a need for greater confidence, and an increased ability to cope with uncertainty, when responding to child abuse; and 3) There is often a mismatch between the goals of teachers in the education system and the perceived response of the child welfare system. Three recommendations were then presented; 1) Educators are a key resource in supporting early detection and intervention initiatives to address child abuse and their role in these initiatives should be further explored; 2) Teachers should be provided with additional strategies to address perceived barriers in reporting child abuse; and 3) Initiatives to promote increased communication between the education and child welfare systems are required. Overall, results supported the unique child-centred perspective of educators in reporting child maltreatment. Study limitations and areas for future research were then discussed.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

It was recommended by the American Psychological Association and the American Bar Association in October 1999, that the time had come for psychologists to do more than act as expert witnesses, and that their influence should be felt " ... at the first level of intervention" (Foxhall, 2000, p. 1). The first level of intervention is considered, in this study, to be the decision-making process. This research examines the decision-making processes used by four of the disciplines integral to the child abuse multi-disciplinary team. Social workers, child protection officers of the South African Police Services, psychologists and prosecutors currently involved in the child abuse arena in South Africa were given case vignettes to anchor their decision-making on simulated examples. On the basis of these in-depth interviews, using a Grounded Theory methodology, three specific questions are addressed, namely: how decisions are made and substantiated; how they differ across disciplines; and how they compare to recommended protocol. Results indicate interesting differences across these four disciplines. The differences between the decision-making processes in the disciplines seem to be rooted in their philosophical tenets, which give rise to specific aims in addressing child abuse. Differences between the decision-making processes and recommended protocol were also noted in cases where guidelines are available. In addition differences in expected outcomes of the vignettes, use ofassumptions and a level of mistrust between professionals was shown. If this research can help to sensitise professionals to begin to understand their own decision-making processes and those of their fellow decision-makers, then perhaps key role players and policy makers may be one step closer to responding to the challenge of child sexual abuse in South Africa. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

To encounter children who are being abused or neglected The nurse´s actions and experiences

Differences in college student's psychological well-being, extrapunitiveness, and intropunitiveness were related to the presence or absence of maltreatment during childhood years, and its acknowledgement by the student. Subjects were 56 male and 85 female undergraduate students at the University of North Texas. Subjects were given structural scale v.3 of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), the Extrapunitive (E), and Intropunitive (I) indices of the Hostility-Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ), and the Physical Punishment scale (PP-scale) of the Assessing Environments Questionnaire (AEIII). Results indicate no significant differences in psychological well-being, extrapunitiveness, or intropunitiveness, which would be explained by the presence of maltreatment or its acknowledgement.

Research indicates that victims of childhood abuse are at increased risk for transmitting violence in adulthood-a phenomenon known as the intergenerational transmission of abuse (ITA). Adult survivors of childhood victimization (i.e., child abuse or witnessed parental violence) are at increased risk for becoming abusive parents, perpetrators of intimate partner violence, and victims of intimate partner violence. The current study examined the latter form of ITA, in which a survivor of childhood victimization is re-victimized in adulthood by intimate partner violence. Attachment theory has been used to explain the ITA by positing that abuse is transmitted across generations via insecure attachment. The purpose of this study was to use structural equation modeling to test the attachment theory of ITA by examining the role of childhood and adult attachment in predicting re-victimization and symptoms of distress in adulthood. In the hypothesized model, childhood victimization by one's parents was hypothesized to predict adult intimate partner violence victimization through insecure attachment relationships in childhood (with one's parents) and adulthood (with one's partner). Furthermore, adult romantic attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were hypothesized to predict different symptoms of distress. Self-report measures from 59 adult woman seeking services for intimate partner victimization at a domestic violence clinic were analyzed using a partial least squares path analysis. Results supported a reduced model in which insecure attachments in childhood and adulthood significantly predicted the ITA, but only through father-child attachment and not mother-child attachment. In addition, adult romantic attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance predicted different symptoms of distress. Results supported the attachment theory of the ITA and highlighted the importance of examining outcomes of adult attachment anxiety and avoidance separately. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.