/pdf/multiple-factor-analysis-1xkff91jny.pdf

Multiple factor analysis.

Battered child syndrome

SYNOPSIS Objective . The present meta-analysis examines the relation between coparenting and child adjustment. Design . The authors integrate 59 studies and differentiate among cooperation, agreement, conflict, and triangulation as dimensions of coparenting. Further, they differentiate internalizing and externalizing symptoms, social functioning of children, and attachment as outcomes. Results . Effect sizes were generally small and, to some extent, moderated by age of the children, percentage of girls in the sample, clinical background of the sample, mono-informant bias, annual family income, and percentage of separated parents. Effect sizes remained significant after controlling for individual parenting or marital quality. Coparenting predicted change in child adjustment. Conclusions . Coparenting is important for the psychological adjustment of children. Research and practice should pay further regard to this construct.

The Association Between Coparenting and Child Adjustment: A Meta-Analysis

This report presents the major findings of the second cycle of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003). In this initiative, data are collected every five years on child maltreatment reported to, and investigated by, child welfare agencies in Canada. The CIS is a collaborative effort of many partners: the federal, provincial and territorial governments; university-based researchers; the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society; child advocacy groups; and most important, child welfare service providers across the country.

Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect. 2000.

For Better or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered. E. Mavis Hetherington & John Kelly. New York: Norton. 2002. 307 pp. ISBN 0-393-- 04862-4. $26.95 (cloth). A trip to my local bookstore revealed an almost dizzying array of books on divorce intended for the lay audience. Unfortunately, few of them are particularly good, most giving advice that can be boiled down to something like "Now that you're divorced, try to get along [for the children's sake]." Another lamentable characteristic of such books is that they tend to rely on almost no empirical data, or are or based on the authors' own "observations or experiences," or, in some cases, are based on the findings of a single study with a small, homogenous sample (e.g., Wallerstein, Lewis, & Blakeslee, 2000). For Better or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered is refreshingly different from the average book of this genre. What I find so wonderful about this book is that it synthesizes the wealth of information researchers have collected over the years regarding the impact of divorce and remarriage and communicates this information to the general public in a useful and responsible way. I have often thought that one of the things that we, as researchers and academics, do not do very well is give back the information we take from so many people (who kindly donate this information to us) to them in a useful, understandable form. Rather, we tend to share the information among ourselves in the form of highly technical journal articles, book chapters, and trade books-all written in such a way as to be fairly uninteresting to the general reader. Although these forms of publication clearly have their own value, they do little to inform the public about the current state of knowledge on important issues or how the public can apply this knowledge to problems in their own lives. In my view, E. Mavis Hetherington and John Kelly have done just that, producing a highly readable book that is of interest to researchers, practitioners, and individuals dealing with their own family changes. Researchers interested in the impact of divorce will recognize many of the studies she refers to (although more specific citations throughout would have been nice), and individuals dealing with their own divorce or remarriage will find the "Points to Remember" sections at the end of each chapter both useful and helpful. Hetherington draws upon the stories of families who participated in the Virginia Longitudinal Study of Divorce over a 20-year period in the 1970s and 1980s. These stories, interwoven with information gleaned from the many other empirical studies of divorce Hetherington has been involved with over the years, as well as the research of others, make this book a "page-turner" and an extremely enjoyable read. …

For Better or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered

Processes that contribute to resilience among youth in foster care

Problem gambling is an important public health issue affecting many spheres of the gambling individual's life, including mental health, finances, and family. The family is a topic that has been given little attention in problem gambling research. After a comprehensive search of the literature, this review identified and analyzed 30 empirical studies conducted between 1998 and 2013 examining the effects of problem gambling on families, the impact of family involvement in problem gambling treatment, or both. The literature shows that (a) problem gambling has several adverse effects on individuals, families, and family functioning, and (b) family involvement in problem gambling treatment is linked with better treatment outcomes and improved individual and family functioning. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Problem Gambling and Families: A Systematic Review

This article presents the results of a qualitative study examining how social stigmatization made the lives of young people in gay and lesbian stepfamilies more complex. The study focused primarily on the young people's viewpoint, which has until now rarely been taken into consideration in studies of gay and lesbian families. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents and young adults from 15 to 29 years old. The results showed that these young people experienced social stigmatization because of the family they lived in, which in turn had repercussions on their personal, family, and interpersonal lives.

Social stigma and the situation of young people in lesbian and gay stepfamilies.

There is a growing trend in social work practice to use a strengths perspective with families in difficulty. Beginning with a description of the characteristics of the strengths-based approach, this article then moves on to examine the interventions of practitioners working in Youth Centers (YCs) and in Centres Local de Services Communautaires (Local Community Services Centers, or CLSCs). A qualitative analysis of the practitioners’ personal practice descriptions and a quantitative study, based on a questionnaire measuring professional behaviors of the practitioners’ work with 118 families, were done. Most of the practitioners concentrated on the personal weaknesses of the parents and accorded little or no importance to their strengths. The results also show that the organizational context influences the emphasis put on the parents’ strengths by the practitioners.

Adopting a Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice With Families in Difficulty: From Theory to Practice

Modern view of child protection services implies that to help young people, simply intervening on their behalf is not sufficient. It suggests that involving parents in the assistance process is essential in order to ensure that they are most likely to play their role as parents to their children in the fullest possible way. Although several articles have dealt with the issue of parent involvement, very few have attempted to document the practices used by practitioners to encourage such involvement. This article presents the findings of a study on child protection practices for involving parents in a child protection context. It is exploratory in nature, and uses a qualitative methodology. The study population is made up of 38 child protection service workers. An analysis of the practitioners’ discourse reveals that the behaviour and attitudes used by them to encourage parent involvement are very diverse. There also appear to be key moments in securing their involvement, that is, making contact, setting objectives and means of action, and applying the case plan. In addition to corroborating earlier studies on the issue of parent involvement, our findings indicate that the majority of the caseworkers interviewed practice an approach that aims to empower clients.

Marie-Christine Saint-Jacques

Papers

Processes that contribute to resilience among youth in foster care

Problem Gambling and Families: A Systematic Review

Social stigma and the situation of young people in lesbian and gay stepfamilies.

Adopting a Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice With Families in Difficulty: From Theory to Practice

Parent Involvement Practices in Child Protection: A Matter of Know-How and Attitude