In this article, Sioux Hall promotes using a strengths-based approach to examine the interruption of the intergenerational cycle of child abuse and explores the strategies that women who were abused by a parent as children used to raise their children without abuse. She documents the mothers' uses of strategies such as vowing to protect and…

Comments on the article by Robert Bornstein, "The complex relationship between dependency and domestic violence: Converging psychological factors and social forces." Although a more focused examination of the psychological factors involved in domestic violence is welcome, there are some factual errors in Bornstein's article that need attention and…

Provides an overview of current knowledge in the areas of child abuse, wife battering, and elder abuse. Points out the need to go beyond individual explanations of the problem and look to the family and larger social values and institutions for a broader perspective. (Author/JOW)

This issue, containing a special report on abuse, contains stories by sexually abused youth and an abusing parent. The stories emphasize the difficulty children have being believed when they finally decide to share their problems; the difficulties they have getting help; and the fact that, even if the abuse is stopped, there are no simple, happy…

A district attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, argues that prosecution is the most effective and appropriate response to child abuse cases. Two basic premises are advanced. First, anyone who physically abuses, sexually assaults, or rapes a child has committed a serious crime, regardless of the relationship of the victim to the offender.…

Addresses the phenomenon of children with disabilities who are maltreated. The higher risk for children with disabilities being victimized and maltreated because of their dependency and the higher reported incidence of abuse are discussed. Reasons for the higher incidence of abuse, including social devaluation, are provided. (CR)

Examines the dynamics, rooted in early trauma, behind the problem of violence committed by children against foster and adoptive parents. Highlights the painful and often hidden dilemmas experienced by such parents and the failure of many child and family practitioners to alert themselves to the problem. Calls for development of therapeutic…

Explores professionals' practice of heightening the awareness of child abuse victims as either a goal or a by-product of the investigation-treatment process. Suggests guidelines indicating when it may be advisable to heighten awareness during treatment and when it should be avoided. (HOD)

Provides background information on family violence, including both physical mistreatment and sexual abuse, and discusses the role which schools can play in responding effectively to such violence. Includes suggestions designed to assist educators in preventing family violence, identifying its victims, and speeding the healing process. (MAB)

Discusses strategies the government should employ to end violence in the streets: create a Peace Officer Corps, reduce demand for drugs, reduce the prevalence of domestic violence and of child abuse and neglect, reduce violence on television and in movies, and reduce and regulate possession of handguns. (HTH)

As this author traveled around the country, many university professors and domestic violence advocates told him that prosecuting or even intervening with social services is morally "wrong" in cases in which parents fail to protect their children. There are two problems with these arguments. First, these arguments assume that mothers should "never"…

Child advocates have succeeded in getting child abuse recognized as a serious social problem requiring governmental response. Ironically, this success now threatens the viability of child abuse programs: 65 percent of all reports are ultimately dismissed. This flood of unfounded reports violates parental rights and overwhelms the limited resources…

This study examined the incidence and nature of abuse of individuals with developmental disabilities residing with their families in New York State. Informal meetings were held with service providers to discuss the issues, and 84 allegations of familial abuse and neglect were reviewed. The study found that familial abuse of these individuals…

Addresses the issue of incestuous sexual abuse of children, focusing on the definition and prevalence of the problem and associated myths, immediate and longterm consequences and symptoms, and a multidisciplinary approach to prevention and treatment. (JC)

The Study Group on Violence is recommending the implementation of several initial steps that can begin to alleviate the repercussions of pervasive violence in U.S. homes, individual communities and society as a whole. When the Study Group began examining the impact of violence on very young children, their families and practitioners, it realized…