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BackgroundStigma has been frequently cited as a barrier to service use for various mental health problems. Studies suggest that stigma may be greater for childhood mental health problems that are perceived as more atypical.AimsThis study utilized a mixed methods research design (qual + QUAN) to examine parental endorsement of stigma and its impact on service utilization among children with significant anxiety-a common childhood problem frequently perceived as normative.MethodsSemi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 parents of anxious children. Qualitative data were coded using a grounded theory approach, and stigma-related responses were examined for emergent themes. Quantitative data was analyzed with frequency counts and chi-square analysis.ResultsStigma related to children's anxiety symptoms and seeking mental health services was reported by 41.3% (n = 12) of parents. Emergent themes included: 1) Parental Concern for Negative Consequences, 2) Parent Internalized Stigma, and 3) Negative Associations with Mental Health Treatment. Latino parents discussed stigma more frequently than non-Latino White parents (70% vs. 17.6%, respectively, X2(1, N = 27) = 5.33, p < 0.05).ConclusionsAlthough anxiety is a common childhood problem, stigma is still frequently reported by parents and may be an important barrier to mental health service use, especially among Latino youth.

Conductive education (CE) is widely reported as having a range of benefits. In the last two decades, it has expanded internationally. Educational psychologists may well encounter parents requesting this specialist intervention which is not normally offered within Local Authority special needs provision, for children with cerebral palsy and other motor difficulties. This paper reviews the empirical research to investigate the specific claims that CE improves motor skills, thinking skills and independence and the counter claim that it may cause harm. Implications for practice are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)

The heterogeneity of domestic violent men has long been established. However, research has failed to examine this phenomenon among men committing the most severe form of domestic violence. This study aims to use a multi-dimensional approach to empirically construct a classification system of men who are incarcerated for the murder of their female partner based on the Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) typology. Ninety men who had been convicted and imprisoned for the murder of their female partner or spouse in England were identified from two prison samples. A content dictionary defining offense and offender characteristics associated with two dimensions of psychopathology and criminality was developed. These variables were extracted from institutional records via content analysis and analyzed for thematic structure using multidimensional scaling procedures. The resultant framework classified 80% (n = 72) of the sample into three subgroups of men characterized by (a) low criminality/low psychopathology (15%), (b) moderate-high criminality/high psychopathology (36%), and (c) high criminality/low-moderate psychopathology (49%). The latter two groups are akin to Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart's (1994) generally violent/antisocial and dysphoric/borderline offender, respectively. The implications for intervention, developing consensus in research methodology across the field, and examining typologies of domestic violent men prospectively are discussed. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure and 3 notes. Content Dictionary of the 20 Variables Derived from Content Analysis of File Information is appended.)

Background: This study extends previous research (Dixon, Browne, & Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2004) by exploring the mediational properties of parenting styles and their relation to risk factors in the intergenerational cycle of child maltreatment. Families with newborns where at least one of the parents was physically and/or sexually abused as a child (AP families) were compared, in terms of parents' attributions and behaviour, to families where the parents had no childhood history of victimisation (NAP families). Methods: Information was collected from 4351 families (135 AP families) by community nurses as part of the "health visiting" service. The same health visitor visited each family twice at home when the child was 4 to 6 weeks and 3 to 5 months of age, to assess behavioural indicators of positive parenting. Results: Within 13 months after birth, 9 (6.7%) AP families were referred for maltreating their own child in comparison to 18 (0.4%) NAP families. Assessments found a significantly higher number of risk factors and measures indicating poor parenting for AP families. Mediational analysis found that intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment was explained to a larger extent (62% of the total effect) by the presence of poor parenting styles together with the three significant risk factors (parenting under 21 years, history of mental illness or depression, residing with a violent adult). The three risk factors alone were less explanatory (53% of the total effect). Conclusion: This study provides an explanation for why a minority of parents abused in childhood go on to maltreat their own infant, evidencing poor parenting styles and mediating risk factors. Hence, prevention may be enhanced in AP families by the promotion of "positive parenting" in addition to providing additional support to young parents, tackling mental illness/depression and domestic violence problems. [For Part I, see EJ951561.]

Background: This study provides an exploration of factors implicated in the intergenerational cycle of child maltreatment. Families with newborns where at least one of the parents was physically and/or sexually abused as a child (AP families) were compared in terms of risk factors to families where the parents had no childhood history of victimisation (NAP families). The mediational properties of risk factors in the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment were then explored. Methods: Information was collected by community nurses as a part of the "health visiting" service. Data was collated across 4351 families, of which 135 (3.1%) had a parent who self-reported a history of abuse in childhood. The health visitor visited each family at home when the child was 4 to 6 weeks of age to assess the presence of risk factors. Results: Within 13 months after birth, 9 (6.7%) AP families were referred for maltreating their own child in comparison to 18 (0.4%) NAP families. Assessments found a significantly higher number of risk factors for AP families. Mediational analysis demonstrated that the presence of three significant risk factors (parenting under 21 years, history of mental illness or depression, residing with a violent adult) provided partial mediation of the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment, explaining 53% of the total effect. Conclusion: Prevention may be possible, once a history of parental childhood abuse has been identified, by offering services in priority to those families where a parent is under 21 years, has a history of mental illness/depression and/or there is a violent adult residing in the household. However, it must also be acknowledged that these factors do not provide a full causal account of the intergenerational transmission and consideration should be given to additional factors, such as parenting styles (see Part II of this mediational model, Dixon, Hamilton-Giachritsis, and Browne, 2004).