This publication is the sixth annual compilation of summaries of legislation pertaining to children, youth, and families enacted by the individual states and by Puerto Rico. It contains information gathered by National Conference of State Legislatures staff through direct requests from legislative staff, and includes summaries of legislation…

Clearly, the issues in this year's KIDS COUNT Data Book essay represent some of the most formidable barriers facing parents who are trying to connect to the workforce. Substance abuse, domestic violence, prior incarceration, and depression can potentially paralyze even the most eager and enterprising parents and jeopardize the economic security…

This article reports the results of an in-depth, descriptive study of long-term welfare recipients. A random sample of 284 respondents, all of whom had received public assistance for at least 36 months, were interviewed. Results illustrate personal barriers to self-sufficiency, including physical health problems that prevent work, severe domestic…

The "National Index of Violence and Harm" (NIVAH) tracks levels of violence and harm in the United States and identifies trends over the study period 1995-2003. NIVAH is comprised of nineteen variables in the areas of interpersonal, intrapersonal, institutional and structural violence and harm as experienced by people in the U.S. Two…

This study examined the prevalence of psychopathology among women arrested for violence and whether the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) was associated with Axis I psychopathology. Women who were arrested for domestic violence perpetration and court referred to violence intervention programs (N=103) completed measures of IPV…

Obtained data from 39 teenage mothers and 35 teenage non-mothers regarding their demographic and childhood backgrounds. Results revealed that compared to non-mothers, teenage mothers tended to have experienced foster care, family violence, parental substance abuse, lower educational achievements, as well as violence, alcohol abuse, and lower…

An 18-year longitudinal study explored relationships between retrospective reports of exposure to interparental violence in childhood and rate of psychosocial adjustment problems in 1,265 New Zealanders. Participants who reported exposure to interparental violence had elevated rates of adjustment problems at age 18, including mental-health…

This study explored the philosophical issues hindering the linkage of substance abuse and domestic violence treatment. Results suggest that counselors tend to use treatment models that could not concurrently assign responsibility and address either present or past victimization. (Author)

Objective: The purpose of this research was to investigate, within an at-risk population, parent and child characteristics associated with a mother's self-reports of severe physical assault and assault on the self-esteem of the child in the first 3 years of life. Design: The study population consisted of a community-based sample of mothers of…

This curriculum is designed to help schools implement programs to prevent violence among students in grades 6-12. It is a six-session, school based curriculum intended for adolescents who are living in communities experiencing high rates of violence. It is facilitated by trained Teens on Target (TNT) members/peer educators, young people who are…

This publication is a sourcebook of free and low-cost resources to support the work of professional counselors. The information includes: (1) synthesis of current research, statistics, and research reports; (2) background material about current and emerging policy issues; (3) information about model programs and policies; (4) materials and…

Adventure-based therapy has grown in both scope and popularity. These groups are frequently utilized in the treatment of adolescents with behavioral or substance abuse issues. Less evident is the use of this modality with other populations. Described here is a personal account of the author's participation in a wilderness-based group for women.…

A study of 123 families examined the role of parental stress in physically abusive and nonabusive families with conduct-disordered children. Parental stress was found to play an important role in abusive families. Physically abusive families were found to have lower incomes, younger mothers with less education, a history of child abuse, and more…

Drawing from past research on women's motives for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, correlates of women's perpetration, and correlates of nonviolent conflict, we created a scale containing 125 possible motives, representing 14 broad domains (e.g., self-defense, retaliation). Participants were an ethnically diverse sample of women who…

A survey was administered to families in St. Lucia during home visits between November 1993 and July 1995, after the local Parents As Teachers Programme had been affiliated with the Parents As Teachers Program in St. Louis, Missouri (affiliation took place in 1991). In all, 2000 home visits were conducted in the communities of Laborie, Banse,…