Canadian Research in Brief: 22nd Edition (September 2010)
The articles listed below can be accessed through the corresponding journal website or accessed at a local library or university.
Canadian Research in Brief: 22nd Edition (September 2010)
Brown, J.D., Sintzel, J., St. Arnault, D., & George,
N. (2009). . Journal of Child & Family
Studies, 18(6), 633-642.
This study examined foster parent perceptions, specifically
exploring what would increase foster parent confidence when caring
for children from culturally diverse backgrounds. This study was
set in Manitoba, where licensure and monitoring of foster care is
provided through three Aboriginal and one non-Aboriginal authority.
There are disproportionate numbers of Aboriginal children in care
in Manitoba, and there are not enough foster home placements
available in Aboriginal families. The authors used the method of
concept mapping, which is a qualitative data analysis method that
uses quantitative procedures. Interviews were conducted with 61
foster parents. Foster parents emphasized the importance of
understanding the beliefs of other cultures, but most felt that
they required help in accessing appropriate cultural information
and resources for foster children. Foster parents identified child
welfare agencies as a potential source of help, indicating that
agencies should facilitate the learning related to foster
children鈥檚 culture. Participants also indicated that the agencies
should incorporate cultural sensitivity into their policies and
practices. Having connections with other foster parents and key
stakeholders was also viewed as important in enhancing cultural
self awareness and cross cultural foster placements. Overall,
foster parents wanted more support from workers and agencies,
better communication among stakeholders, and more information on
available community supports.
Cl茅ment, M.E., & Chamberland, C. (2009). . Journal of Child
& Family Studies, 18(2), 163-171.
The authors present the idea that family physical and psychological
violence exist on a continuum of severity. Corporal punishment,
defined as a legally and socially acceptable way of physically
controlling child behaviour without causing injury, is viewed as
falling on the less severe end of the continuum. Using data from a
large population survey conducted in Quebec in 2004, the authors
examined the responses of mothers with children age 0 to 17. After
randomly selecting participants from the target population, 3,148
mothers completed a telephone interview. Multiple linear regression
analysis was used to examine the mothers鈥� responses. Mothers were
measured on their sensitivity to the potential consequences of
minor violence against their children. The less sensitive mothers
were, the more likely they were to approve of corporal punishment.
When looking at mothers who experienced violence during their own
childhood and also reported feeling stressed due to their child鈥檚
temperament, these mothers were significantly more likely to
approve of corporal punishment and use the child鈥檚 behaviour as
justification for this approval. Child age and gender did not
appear to influence the attitudes and attributions of mothers with
regard to corporal punishment. Most mothers believed in the
importance of limit-setting for children, and also believed that
parents have the right to 鈥渟lap鈥� their children. Generally,
mothers鈥� attitudes and attributions regarding corporal punishment
appeared to lie on a continuum.
Jespersen, A.F., Lalumiere, M.L., & Seto, M.C. (2009).
. Child Abuse &
Neglect, 33(3), 179-192.
This study examined the 鈥渟exual abuse-sexual abuser hypothesis鈥�,
which posits that sexual abuse in childhood is a unique causal
factor for sexual offending in adulthood. The authors searched
various electronic databases, reviewed each abstract, and selected
relevant studies. Only publicly available articles, theses, and
dissertations published in English between 1975 and 2005 were
included in the meta-analysis. Variables in the 24 studies reviewed
were coded independently by two coders, and meta-analytic
calculations were weighted by sample size so studies with larger
samples made a larger contribution to the average odds ratio. The
results of the meta-analysis showed that sex offenders differed
significantly from non-sex-offenders on sexual abuse history, but
not on history of physical abuse or emotional abuse/neglect. Sex
offenders with adult victims were significantly less likely to
report a history of sexual abuse than those sex offenders with
child victims, but significantly more likely to report a history of
physical abuse. The authors tested to see if studies differed
depending on the source of information for abuse history to test
for a self-report bias. The authors also used a funnel graph to
test for a publication bias. The results suggest that no
self-report or publication bias was present. Overall, the results
of this meta-analysis support the 鈥渟exually abused-sexual abuser
hypothesis鈥�. The authors discuss possible explanations for the
association between childhood sexual abuse and sexual offending,
including learning mechanisms, impact on sexual development, or a
third variable that explains both sexual abuse and sexual
offending.
Kerr, T., Stoltz, J., Marshall, B., Lai, C., Strathdee,
S.A., & Wood, E. (2009). . Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(3),
300-302.
This study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment
and injection drug use initiation among high risk youth. The
authors used data from the At Risk Youth Study, a prospective
cohort study of street-involved youth in Vancouver. All
participants were street youth between the ages of 14 and 26 that
had recently used illicit drugs other than marijuana. The 560
participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire
and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. A multivariate logistic
regression model revealed factors that were independently
associated with initiating injection drug use. Physical abuse was
independently associated with having initiated injection drug use
after adjusting for a variety of socio-demographic and
psycho-social variables, and other forms of maltreatment. The
authors posit that physical abuse may impact the coping skills of
youth, such that these youth are unable to deal with the high-risk
situations that often confront street-involved individuals. This
lack of coping skills may result in a greater vulnerability to
injection drug use. Having a parent who used illicit drugs was
associated with a lower likelihood of having initiated injection
drug use. The authors suggest that these youth witnessed the
negative outcomes associated with injection drug use through their
parents, and thus were less likely to have used injection drugs
themselves.
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