This paper reviews the clinical and empirical literature regarding mother-son sexual abuse and critiques the methodologies that may be responsible for the underreporting of such cases. The review reveals discrepancies regarding estimates of incidence and prevalence of mother-son sexual abuse based on traditional methodologies such as surveys,…

Contends that degree of risk for abuse to children of adolescent parents may well be determined by financial, social, and emotional stresses these families face, with availability of resources which offer support and encouragement perhaps being critical factor. Suggests technique of mapping to isolate these correlates. Suggest reformulation of…

Presents, in the first section, an autobiographical narrative about the author's mother and herself and her own daughter. Discusses, in the second section, issues raised when writing about and thus sharing aspects of a private life. (SR)

Notes that assertion of autonomy helps predict teenager's attitude toward pregnancy and parenthood and that ability to predict future relationship with infant has direct implications for achievement of adaptive outcome. Contends that interpersonal outcome of parent-infant relationship may be predicted by adolescent's behaviors with infant. The…

Notes that sudden loss of child, especially by suicide, can be lifelong sentence of suffering for bereaved parents. Sees reaching out for help as often inconceivable and impossible task for parent survivors because of complex grief process. Explores what role helpers can play, who can fill helper position, and what criteria helpers must meet to be…

Offers suggestions for reducing and counteracting children's exposure to violence. Emphasizes negotiating and listening as well as instilling the values of forgiveness, self-esteem, playing, caring, and courage to socialize children to nonviolence. (YKH)

Proposes that language and social interaction (LSI) scholars can contribute to interdisciplinary efforts aimed at understanding and responding to child physical abuse. Discusses reasons why LSI scholars might shy away from such study and considers links between face-to-face family interaction and child physical abuse, demonstrating the relevance…

Discusses the parental responsibility of giving guidance to young children to provide them with a safe world, set reasonable standards of civilized behavior, and provide a model of responsible action. Describes difficulties in establishing and maintaining firm guidance for children. Maintains that parents need to make demands reflecting children's…

Defends attachment theory and its relation to parental investment. Misunderstandings of the rationale for Parental Investment in the Child Questionnaire (PIC) and the measurement of attitudes in Sharon Hays's article are discussed. Parental and cultural issues are discussed with particular attention to data on fathers and applicability across…

Regardless of custody arrangements, what seems to matter for children is the quality of family functioning. Types of custody arrangements are defined, and the effects of joint custody on parents and children are discussed. Children's developmental needs are considered, and issues for parents and counselors to consider are explored. (EMK)

Professionals often react to their personal beliefs when addressing child sexual abuse concerns. Needs of the child are often lost in an adversarial system that encourages taking a rigid position for one parent or the other. Author suggests that ongoing training of professionals, awareness of personal bias, and the need to examine alternative…

Describes one parent's account of the death of his daughter by a youth suffering from depression. Suggests three levels of prevention (primary, secondary, tertiary) that can be useful in classifying the range of intervention strategies appropriate for preventing or surviving problems of violence. Stresses the importance of connecting with quiet…

Suggests that a simple videotape of biological parents can open up avenues of development and self-exploration for an adoptee that are unavailable in printed information or third-hand verbal information. Notes that generational continuity is a secondary benefit offered by the videotape medium. (HTH)

In this article, the mother of 5-year-old son with autism shares two essays that highlight her son's uniqueness and gifts. She discusses her feelings of coping with the diagnosis, her fear that he will be rejected by his peers, and her trepidation about taking her son to visit his grandparents. (CR)

This article by the mother of a creatively gifted student uses the card game Fluxx to illustrate the constantly changing boundaries and priorities present in her home. Questions are raised about the ways in which society can create structure while allowing for creativity and difference in gifted students. (CR)