The present study investigated the role of teacher-rated likeability as a mediator of the relation between low academic competence and depressive symptoms in elementary-aged children. Analyses focused on a sample of children at risk for child maltreatment living in Hawaii (n = 380). Structural equation modeling supported the hypothesized negative…

Family engagement in home visiting (HV) is challenging. This study related attachment security of home visitors (n=48) and mothers (n=328) to family engagement in an HV program to prevent child maltreatment. Attachment security was assessed by using the Attachment Style Questionnaire to measure attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Family…

The proportion of school children on Oahu, Hawaii with learning problems who had been independently reported to the state child abuse agency was compared, after age adjustment, to the rate of such reporting for all children on the island and was found to be 3.5 times higher. (Author)

Objectives:: This study examines an expanded version of Belsky's (1984) multi-dimensional process model of parenting to determine whether changes in stress and support influence maternal attitudes during the first year of a child's life. Method:: Data were collected from mothers of newborns eligible for Hawaii's Healthy Start program who had been…

Describes Hawaii's Healthy Start Program (HST), its ongoing evaluation study, and evaluation findings at the end of two of a planned three years of family-program participation and follow-up. HST uses home visitors to help prevent abusive and neglectful parenting. Found significant differences in program implementation among the three…

Discusses ways to prevent child abuse and neglect through parent education and home visiting programs for at-risk families that stress early intervention and preventive measures. Describes the Healthy Start program developed in Hawaii as a model for other states to follow. (MDM)

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of child abuse reporting by school counselors and to examine factors affecting their decisions to report abuse. A sample of school counselors (N = 263) in one Midwestern state completed questionnaires to share their child abuse reporting behaviors, influences with regard to making a…

Objectives: To assess the impact of home visiting in preventing child abuse and neglect in the first 3 years of life in families identified as at-risk of child abuse through population-based screening at the child's birth. Methods: This experimental study focused on Hawaii Healthy Start Program (HSP) sites operated by three community-based…