Seven men, beginning careers as elementary school teachers, describe their experiences as men working with young children. Issues they confront in their workplaces and assumptions and stereotypes about men in nontraditional occupations are discussed. The call for more men in elementary school oversimplifies complex issues. (SLD)

Examined interrater reliability of information obtained during child sexual abuse assessments using a clinical assessment interview protocol featuring anatomic dolls and patterns of disclosure and doll demonstration across subject's age, gender, and case outcome. Results suggest specific areas that tend to be ambiguous and areas that may be more…

Follow-up of 972 children for 6 months after sexual victimization found that those children most likely to enter therapy were Caucasian, between the ages of 7 and 13, had cases in which the Department of Children's Services of Los Angeles or law enforcement were involved, were placed outside the home, and experienced abuse of greater frequency.…

State responses to child maltreatment are reviewed: magnitude and extent of the problem, how states have addressed the problem through reporting laws and special courtroom procedures. Limits of state approaches to child maltreatment and the potential for an increased federal role in establishing child maltreatment policy are considered.…

Presents the results of a survey on shifts in certain student problems. Mailed to chief student affairs officers, the surveys revealed changes in demographics; psychological problems; drug and alcohol use; sexual abuse, harassment, and dating violence; and stalking. Conclusions indicate an increase in serious psychopathology among students. (RJM)

Sexually abused girls (n=56) and their nonoffending female caretakers from primarily low-income, African American families were assessed to determine factors related to child symptomatology and self-blame. Child self-blame was related to overall relationships with caretakers, disruptions in relationship with a primary caretaker, child age, general…

Screened 391 women for a history of sexual assault during childhood and then assessed subjects for mental disorders. Results indicate that rape and molestation, but not noncontact sexual assault, increased incidents of mental disorders, suggesting that physical sexual contact leads to severe mental health effects. Other findings are discussed.…

Tested the relative influence of relationship variables in the family of origin and sexual abuse characteristics in predicting the long-term adjustment of child sexual abuse survivors. Subjects (n=103) completed self-report measures. Persons with histories of sexual abuse reported greater parental conflict than did their nonabused counterparts.…

States and individual school districts are taking action to avoid hiring people with criminal records by requiring background checks for school employees. Advocates of more stringent measures propose more consistency and cooperation among states and a database of any indictments and convictions for child-abuse crimes. (MLF)

This study, involving 127 poor black pregnant girls (12 to 18 years old) of whom 33% reported previous physical or sexual abuse, found that abused adolescents scored significantly higher on stress and depression scales and rated their families as less supportive than did nonabused adolescents. Abused adolescents were also more likely to report…

Potential helpers often fail to recognize indicators which provide clues to men who were molested as children; male sexual abuse remains underreported. Group counseling can help men overcome their resistance to disclosure and remove other impediments to healing. Discusses group goals and organization, leader characteristics and research…

Discusses clinical concerns of sex offenders such as personal losses and external pressures during treatment; ongoing interface with the mental health, legal and child protection systems; and changes in both the offender's interpersonal system and sexuality. Therapists working with this population require broad-based clinical skills. (RJM)

Four bands within the Cariboo Tribal Council (Williams Lake, British Columbia) undertook a community study examining band members: educational, social, and emotional experiences in residential and nonresidential schools; instances of childhood sexual abuse; family life history; and psychological symptoms. Contains 24 references and 16 statistical…

This article reviews research findings on the types of abuse known to occur in day care; the dynamics involved, including the types of threats used to silence young victims; patterns of disclosure; implications for clinical evaluation of preschool-aged children in suspected cases; and influence on psychosexual development and the development of…

Data from the National Study of the Incidence and Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect were analyzed concerning kinds of cases underreported, overreported, or not reported. The analysis examined age, family income, sex, race, urban or rural, and type of abuse from sexual abuse to educational neglect. (JDD)