Improving Empathy in the Prevention of Sexual Abuse Against Children and Youngsters.

The aim of this research is to study the improvement of empathy in child-care professionals (i.e., teachers, psychologists, social workers) involved in the prevention of sexual abuse against children and youngsters. An E-Learning training pilot program was conducted with pre- and post-measures (T(1) = at the beginning and T(2) = after 6 months) using the program's standardized questionnaires of Situational Empathy and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) as a Dispositional Empathy measure. A sample of 42 experienced professionals involved in activities with children and youngsters was obtained from the International Movement of Popular Education in Latin America called "Fe y Alegría." Significant progress was found in the scales of Situational Empathy and in some Coping subscales. The final outcomes seem to indicate that the prevention program elicits important changes in the cognitive sphere and that these changes are more intense when the implication level for the situation is greater. This research shows that empathy can be improved through professional experience and careful situational involvement.

Child maltreatment investigations: Comparing children, families, and reasons for referral in three European countries.

BACKGROUND: Almost all countries have developed measures to ensure that children do not suffer from violence in their families. However, the legal framework, definitions of maltreatment, and institutional structures differ. Whereas in other areas of social policy comparative research is very common, child protection research falls behind. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: The article examines the differences between cases referred to local child and youth welfare authorities due to concerns about abuse or neglect in Germany, England and the Netherlands, comparing the characteristics of the child, the family, the person reporting the suspected maltreatment, and the type of maltreatment. METHOD: 1207 case files on children investigated due to suspected child maltreatment from the Netherlands, England, and Germany were analyzed using a standardized coding scheme. RESULTS: The family backgrounds of the children reported differed substantially, with more lone parents in England and more children living in two households in the Netherlands. The persons and institutions reporting their concerns to the local child and youth welfare authorities also differed, with more reports from children and family members in Germany and more from health services in England. In England, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation were more frequently the reason for referral than in the Netherlands and Germany. DISCUSSION: Differences between countries can partially be explained based on differences in policies and relations of other systems to the child protection system.

Sibling relationship pattern in the context of abuse and neglect: Results from a sample of adult siblings.

BACKGROUND: Siblings take care of each other and provide comfort and support. However, the sibling relationship is often also characterized by conflict and rivalry. Accordingly, the sibling relationship can be described by four patterns: harmonious, hostile, distanced, and emotional-intense. The sibling relationship pattern (SRP) depends on the sibling constellation, but also to a large extent on the family environment. Surprisingly little research has focused on the effects of child maltreatment on the SRP. OBJECTIVE: This paper investigates the impact of maltreatment on the SRP during childhood. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 4568 adults provided information about their adverse experiences and SRP while growing up. METHODS: Multinomial logistic regression analyses were calculated to identify unique predictors for different SRP. RESULTS: The number of different types of maltreatment predicted a hostile SRP. A low number was associated with a harmonious SRP. Considering the specific influence of types of maltreatment, emotional abuse was predictive for the hostile and the emotional-intense SRP compared to the distanced and the harmonious SRP. Emotional neglect was predictive for either a distanced or a hostile SRP compared to a harmonious or emotional-intense SRP. CONCLUSIONS: Child maltreatment influences the SRP in childhood. It increases the likelihood of a hostile and less harmonious SRP. However, for some types of maltreatment, especially in the absence of emotional abuse or emotional neglect, exceptions occur. Further research needs to untangle dynamics between siblings throughout childhood. For practice, the findings warrant the need for specific interventions to improve the sibling relationship in cases of child maltreatment.

Risk of maltreatment for siblings: Factors associated with similar and different childhood experiences in a dyadic sample of adult siblings.

Siblings share the same environment and thus potentially a substantial number of risk factors for child maltreatment. Furthermore, the number of siblings and the sibling constellation itself might pose a risk for child maltreatment. Little is known about the likelihood that more than one child in a family is maltreated and which factors increase the risk. This study sought to investigate similarities and differences in maltreatment in siblings and risk factors associated with the maltreatment of more than one child from the same family. Data on maltreatment during childhood and adolescence, family background, and sibling constellation were collected from 870 pairs of siblings. In the dyadic analyses, siblings reported similar maltreatment experiences, especially when any type of maltreatment was considered. Parents' mental health problems were significant predictors for maltreatment of at least one sibling. Father's mental health problems were predictive of maltreatment of both or only the younger sibling, mother's mental health problems of both or only the older sibling. Closeness in age and same gender of siblings did not emerge as a consistent predictor. The increasing number of siblings was a risk factor for any type of maltreatment of both siblings. The results highlight the need for preventive measures for families with a large number of children and with parents with mental health problems as well as a repeated risk assessment of all siblings in a family when one sibling was maltreated.