Search

In situations where parents do not accept support while their family situation is assessed as unsafe (for instance in cases of child abuse and neglect), it is sometimes necessary to offer mandatory support to families. The aim of the current study is to investigate how parents perceive the results of mandatory support from Child Protection Services (CPS) and which elements of the mandatory support parents mark as crucial for the results of the support. In‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 18 parents. Parents report mixed feelings about the results of the mandatory support. According to parents, reaching alignment with professionals about the problem definition, as well as the aims of CPS at the start of mandatory CPS, is a crucial element contributing to results of CPS. Additionally, the perceived quality of the support (both on the organizational and professional level) is simultaneous important conditions for a positive view on the support of parents. Implications for practice include the importance of multi‐directed partiality of professionals to reach an agreement about the problems definition and the aims of the mandatory CPS involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One's attachment style forms early in life and can aid in dealing with future setbacks. Equally, Coping and resilience are two specific psychological mechanisms that form how one deals with problems and recovers from stressful situations. These three concepts are well-known interrelated concepts within psychology but to what extent they overlap is still unclear. The present study investigated attachment, resiliency and coping using structural equation modeling. Participants (N = 390), aged between 9 and 12 y old, completed an paper survey including Experiences in Close Relationship-Revised questionnaire (ECR-RC-12), Resiliency Scales for Children & Adolescents (RSCA), and the Brief-CPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced). Path analysis revealed strong associations between attachment and resiliency as well as strong associations between resiliency and coping. Specifically, the predictive value of anxious attachment on resiliency was seen for all three resiliency sub-scales. However, the predictive value of avoidance attachment on resiliency was only revealed for two of the resiliency sub-scales. The two resiliency protective factors (sense of mastery and sense of relatedness) have a positive predictive value for three coping strategies. Equally, the resiliency risk factor (emotional reactivity) also positively predicted two coping strategies. The current findings demonstrate clear associations between these three concepts. Equally, the theoretical connections are discussed in light of these findings. Equally, stemming from this study, clinical implications are discussed that can inform practice in terms of approaching psychopathologies from different angles (resilience, coping, and attachment) as well as, the development of coping and resilience skills in order to support healthy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents in secure residential care mostly suffer from serious behavioural problems, often accompanied by trauma and adverse family circumstances. This paper presents findings of a comparison of behavioural problems and risk factors of 255 boys and girls (aged 12 to 18 years) in secure residential care in the Netherlands and their association with behavioural problems. A cross‐sectional design and standardized questionnaires were used to measure behavioural problems and individual and familial risk factors. By using independent‐sample t tests, the severity of these factors in boys and girls was compared, and by using structural equation modelling (SEM), associations between these factors and behavioural problems were investigated. The findings of the study show that post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, maladaptive emotion regulation, impaired perceived competence and internalizing behavioural problems were more severe in girls than in boys. Boys experienced more severe externalizing behavioural problems and more family problems than girls. Maladaptive emotion regulation, PTSD symptoms, perceived competence and parenting problems were related to behavioural problems. The results indicate that treatment for girls should address PTSD symptoms, perceived competence and maladaptive emotion regulation and that extra attention for family problems in the treatment of boys is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depressive disorder is the most common mood disorder in the United States today and the need for adequate treatment has been universally desired for over a century. Harry Harlow, famous for his research with rhesus monkeys, was heavily criticized when he undertook his controversial experiments trying to find a solution for depression in the 1960s–1970s. His research, however, did not just evolve gradually from his earlier research into learning and into love. Recently disclosed hand‐written notes show, for the first time, the severity of Harlow's depressions as he wrote in detail about his feelings and thoughts during his stay in a mental hospital in 1968. In these notes, Harlow repeatedly vowed to put every effort into finding a cure for depression. This may, for a large part, explain why he did not stop his rigorous animal experiments where critics argue he should have, and he eventually managed to book positive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment theory, developed by child psychiatrist John Bowlby, is considered a major theory in developmental psychology. Attachment theory can be seen as resulting from Bowlby's personal experiences, his psychoanalytic education, his subsequent study of ethology, and societal developments during the 1930s and 1940s. One of those developments was the outbreak of World War II and its effects on children's psychological wellbeing. In 1950, Bowlby was appointed WHO consultant to study the needs of children who were orphaned or separated from their families for other reasons and needed care in foster homes or institutions. The resulting report is generally considered a landmark publication in psychology, although it subsequently met with methodological criticism. In this paper, by reconstructing Bowlby's visit to several European countries, on the basis of notebooks and letters, the authors shed light on the background of this report and the way Bowlby used or neglected the findings he gathered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Child safety is an important outcome of child protection services (CPSs); however, this is often assessed in terms of official registries (e.g., rereports). Little empirical evidence is available about how the frequency of child maltreatment changes during CPS intervention by using self‐report measures. The present study evaluates the frequency of child maltreatment experienced by children receiving mandatory child protection support compared to carefully matched children receiving voluntary child protection support. The current study is part of an ongoing Dutch longitudinal study on family violence consisting of several cohorts with similar designs. Both parents and children reported on the frequency of child maltreatment using validated questionnaires at two timepoints, 12 months apart. To facilitate careful comparison, both groups were matched using propensity scores based on background variables, resulting in two groups of N = 178 children. GLMM analyses showed a significant decrease in the mean number of child maltreatment incidents over time in the total group. However, this decrease did not differ for children receiving mandatory and voluntary child protection support. The findings indicate that, despite possible motivational challenges in the mandatory group, mandatory child protection support elicits comparable results as voluntary support. Implications for further research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment theory, developed by child psychiatrist John Bowlby, is considered a major theory in developmental psychology. Attachment theory can be seen as resulting from Bowlby's personal experiences, his psychoanalytic education, his subsequent study of ethology, and societal developments during the 1930s and 1940s. One of those developments was the outbreak of World War II and its effects on children's psychological wellbeing. In 1950, Bowlby was appointed WHO consultant to study the needs of children who were orphaned or separated from their families for other reasons and needed care in foster homes or institutions. The resulting report is generally considered a landmark publication in psychology, although it subsequently met with methodological criticism. In this paper, by reconstructing Bowlby's visit to several European countries, on the basis of notebooks and letters, the authors shed light on the background of this report and the way Bowlby used or neglected the findings he gathered., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of The History of the Behavioral Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

In this contribution the reciprocal influence of Harlow and Spitz concerning the consequences of maternal deprivation of monkeys and men, respectively, is described. On the basis of recently disclosed correspondence between Harlow and Spitz, it is argued that not only was Spitz's work on hospitalism an inspiration for Harlow to start his cloth and wire surrogate work with rhesus monkeys but, at the same time, Harlow's work was a new impetus for Spitz's work on the sexual development of (deprived) infants. It is described how the two men first established personal contact in the early 1960s, after Harlow had published his first surrogate papers, how they became close friends subsequently, and inspired each other mutually.