Abstract This paper reviews a selection of scholarly articles addressing aspect of childhood verbal and emotional abuse. The paper highlights the importance of and the deficits of the findings.
From the Paper "Physical and sexual abuse of children are well recognized by the medical and legal systems but there have been difficulties in addressing the verbal abuse of children. Hamarman and Bernet positioned verbal abuse within the general context of emotional and or psychological abuse and noted that these forms of abuse distort the processes of attachment and affective development and can impair the capacity of a child to develop appropriate emotional responses. In this report a selection of scholarly journals addressing aspects of childhood verbal.
Abstract This paper presents a definition of drug and school substance abuse and explains that it is the nation's number one health problem. The paper discusses adolescent substance abuse, including its incidence and treatment measures as well as risk factors involved.
Abstract This paper analyzes a 1999 journal article that shows that preteens and teens of addicted parents have a high rate of substance and alcohol use and other deviant behaviors.
From the Paper "In "Early Deviance and Related Risk Factors in the Children of Narcotic Addicts", Nurco, Blatchley, Hanlon and O'Grady report the results of a meta-analysis on the self-reported behaviors of male and female adolescents ages of narcotic-addicted parents participating in methadone programs. The results of the self-report measures found that early deviance is related to current adolescent drug and alcohol use, association with deviant peers, a negative view of self and psychological symptomatology. There are a number of risks and protective..."
Tags: preteens, teenagers, addicted parents, deviance, deviant behavior, alcohol and substance abuse, protective and at-risk factors, crime
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses the factors that influence adolescent perception. The writer looks at the main influences upon adolescent perception. The writer continues that these perceptions include parents, siblings, peers and the mass media. The writer examines how adolescents can bring their perceptual distortions closer to reality.
From the Paper "Because adolescence is a time of rapid growth and change in the human developmental process, at this time in their lives adolescents are particularly susceptible to outside influences upon their behavior and perceptions of their lives. The main influences upon the perceptions of adolescents are generally considered to be their parents, siblings, peer groups and mass media. Here, we will not only examine how these particular influences can alter the perceptions and behaviors of adolescents, but also examine how adolescents can bring their perceptual distortions closer to ... "
Abstract In this article, the writer applies two psychological concepts that coincide with the movie 'Good Will Hunting'. The writer discusses the selected concepts of giftedness and creative thinking that appear in the movie. The writer looks at Will's early psychological trauma. Will's potential as a gifted individual is also examined in the paper.
From the Paper "Will is a young man gifted with a photographic memory and a genius IQ, but he prefers to hang out with his blue collar South Boston friends rather than to use his talents. This is likely the result of deep psychological trauma he suffered by first being orphaned and then being physically abused in a series of foster homes. Will works as a janitor at MIT where he anonymously solves math theorems posted on a bulletin board to stump graduate students. A math professor ... "
Tags: gifted, creative thinking, movie plot, Good Will Hunting
Abstract This paper examines the psychological implications of child abuse. It attempts to explain the problem of child abuse, identify factors that generate child abuse and explore the effects of child abuse on development. The paper reports that the United States Department of Health and Human Services contends that a variety of signs may be evident in a child that lives in an abusive environment. For the educator key signs of abuse may include injuries that are reported to the parent but that are left untreated for no apparent reason (Recognizing sec. 2). The child might display a sudden lack of interest in school coupled with the inability to complete assignments or provide homework in a customary fashion.
From the Paper "Child abuse has many terrible implications on a child's development. Several explanations of human development have been given through history to understand human behavior. Inside these diverse development concepts, psychology plays an outstanding part. These explanations recognize and explain the processes by which human beings, from a biological base, will undertake a road that will be good for them to reach maturity. Specific Objectives: * To explain the problem of child abuse * To identify the factors that generate child abuse. * To explore the effects of child abuse on development. A child needs to interact with his environment and in this way to establish a good quality of life, that is to say, the necessary conditions so the human being can reach a state that allows him to mature and adapt in a natural way and in reciprocity with his environment. For that reason when the conditions of the quality of..."
Abstract This paper notes that juvenile offenders have long been treated differently by the criminal justice system, but this has been changing as community attitudes have shifted so that more and more juveniles are tried as adults. This trend largely reflects an increasing fear of crime and a belief in the power of punishment over rehabilitation. Trying juveniles as adults is not the best approach to take.
From the Paper "The American juvenile-justice system was designed a century ago to reform children found guilty of minor crimes, but more and more, the system has to cope with more violent crimes committed by younger people. As Gil Garcetti, then District Attorney of Los Angeles, noted..."
Abstract This paper analyzes the poem "Immigrants," written by Pat Mora. It describes the poem as a discussion about parents who immigrated to America and want their children to be only American, abandoning all ties to their home country. The paper provides an analysis of the poem by breaking down many lines and parts of the poem and by providing an interpretation of the poem. It also discusses the concept of what it means to be "American".
From the Paper "What does, "As American as apple pie" mean? Certain images may rush to people's minds as that phrase is heard. But do we all see the same thing? It is doubtful. Being an American of European decent, I automatically think of the boy and girl next door; blonde haired and blue eyed. Not all Americans share my sentiments though. The poem "Immigrants" by Pat Mora addresses the issue of not only what is an American, but what is thought of as American. For many immigrants, no matter how much they may desire to be accepted as the norm, it may never happen for them because their skin is a darker tone than their blonde haired counterparts or for various other reasons. "Immigrants" is a poem about acceptance. Two parents have a deep-rooted desire for their children to be American in every way; even at the expense of rejecting their own heritage."
Abstract This paper dicusses the effects of media violence on children. The paper explains that with children, the perception of the model to which they are exposed to, leads to the imitation and learning of that social model. In particular, the paper looks at how one of the important behavioral theories that actually explain this phenomena, is the social learning theory of media violence presented by Albert Bandura.
From the Paper " Bandura's formulation of the theory of social learning in media violence has also served many other researchers like Huesmann, who advanced Bandura's formulation by holding that young television viewers develop a mode of understanding violence as they watch violent action on the screen. According to Huesmann, in the "script theory" of the effects of television violence, the viewers develop a script "that guides their expectations in relevant situations-in this case, expectations about what produces aggression as well as expectations about the likely consequences of this behavior-and thus provides a strategy for dealing with certain problems" (as cited in Berkowitz, 1993 p. 230). "
Abstract This paper discusses how childhood obesity rates are continuing to rise and how effective actions need to occur to prevent childhood obesity and lower rates of obesity. The paper looks at how many factors contribute to childhood obesity and how there are many prevention strategies. It also examines how obesity increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and many other chronic diseases. The paper contends that childhood obesity not only affects the parents and the children, but everyone, including the money spent on obesity related healthcare. This epidemic is changing our society, and America needs to wake up and change how the food industry is working right now.
From the Paper "Moreover, childhood obesity can have a big impact on the child's health. Type II diabetes was referred as Adult diabetes because adults were the ones who were mainly affected and were at risk for this disease, however since so many children are being affected by this disease it is now referred to as Type II diabetes. "The parallel increase of obesity in children and adolescents is reported to be the most significant factor for the rise in diabetes" (American Obesity Association). Childhood obesity can also lead to asthma as well as hypertension; obese children are nine times more likely to suffer from hypertension than a non-obese child (American Obesity Association). Children who are obese can also suffer from orthopedic conditions because their bones are not strong enough to hold the excess weight their bodies have."
Abstract The incidence of obesity has increased to epidemic proportions in Europe, the US and Canada. This paper discusses how, as nurses interact with young families and with communities, they are in position to have a positive impact on addressing this pubic health problem. It looks at how nurses have the ability to use many of the standards of practice when intervening with childhood obesity and how assessment and implementation are probably the two most important nursing standards when trying to combat childhood obesity. Through assessment the nurse can determine if the patient is obese and through implementation will educate and identify ways to promote a healthier lifestyle. The different actions nurses can take are also explored.
From the Paper "Research shows that there numerous factors can affect a child's tendency to gain weight. In some cases, there is a genetic propensity to gain weight, while in other individuals, eating serves as a psychological "release" mechanism (Banning, 2005). Expert's estimate that genetic factors could be responsible for around 25 to 70 percent of the variations in body weight (Banning, 2005). As this suggests, nurses, first of all, should understand the processes involved and the latest research data on the causes of obesity and the mechanisms involved. Obesity is regarded as an "abnormality of the feeding regulatory mechanism" (Banning, 2005, p.165). In obese children, the number of fat cells present in the body can be as much as three times higher than in normal weight children (Banning, 2005). "
Abstract This paper discusses data from various sources including the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBSS) by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which provides current data every two years about the prevalence of health risk behaviors, including sexual behaviors of high school students' grades 9-12. The author points out that distribution, determinants, negative and positive outcomes and prevention programs are all included in current epidemiological studies. The paper also relates that the surveillance of prevention programs are conducted periodically to provide data to improve prevention programs such as polling parents to gather data for future curriculum changes in pregnancy prevention.
Table of Contents:
Epidemiological Data Collection
Elements of Epidemiology
Pregnancy Prevention Programs
Current Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Statistics
Future Considerations for Pregnancy Prevention Programs
Conclusion
From the Paper "The initial data collected for epidemiological studies in teen pregnancy mostly identified the issue and collected information about the risk factors and participants. Program evaluation is a continuous process of measuring effectiveness of programs. Prevention programs should include content to address primary prevention, or preventing first time pregnancies, and secondary prevention, or unplanned pregnancies occurring after the first pregnancy."
Abstract This paper outlines an evaluation plan for a teen pregnancy prevention program and lists all the program objectives of the teen pregnancy prevention program. The paper explains that the purpose of the program evaluation is to ensure that immediate, intermediate and long-term goals of the program are met. The paper also points out that the results of the evaluation are used to further improve the program effectiveness in achieving optimal outcomes. The paper also explains that the prevalent outcome of the program is to reduce teen age pregnancy through education, support, and involvement of the stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and peers.
Outline:
Introduction
Historical Evaluation of Teen Pregnancy
Challenges of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Evaluation
The Logic Model
Benefits of Using a Logic Model
Conclusion
From the Paper "Planned Parenthood designed the logic model as a tool for visualizing new programs and preparing for evaluation. The objective of a teen pregnancy prevention program closely mirrors the format of a logic model. According to Julia Kohn of Planned Parenthood, a logic model is a visual representation of a program. It provides a simple description of the program theory and shows the relationship of what we put in (inputs), what we do (outputs), and what results (outcomes). A logical model depicts the "if-then" sequence of changes that a program intends to affect. The logic model is the core of program planning and evaluation. (Kohn 2008)."
Abstract This paper explains that the connection between substance-abusing parents and child abuse has been studied at length; however, there is a lack of research into the correlation between social support services and the reduction of child abuse by these parents. The paper then proposes a research study that will evaluate if social support networks, such as 12-step programs, rehabilitation programs and related community-based social services, could lead to a reduction of child abuse and substance abuse. The paper explains that the population for this study is parents of African-American children between the ages of two and ten years old, who have a high incidents of child abuse and substance abuse.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Problem Statement
Research Question
Literature Review
Hypothesis
Sample
Human Subject Issues
Conceptualization and Operationalization
Research Design
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Discussion
From the Paper "This is an area where family therapy can be especially facilitative. For families in which self-expression is considered a weakness, an empowerment approach can help define the family in terms of the unique forms, structures, and roles that clients are actually immersed in or are attempting to renegotiate, rather than in terms of an ideal unit. Clients should be supported in defining their families for themselves and then in using creative outreach strategies to actively involve the identified members in a variety of family sessions."
Abstract This paper reviews several studies looking at the causes of adolescent drug and alcohol use. The paper explains that the studies revealed that factors related adolescent drug use fell into two major categories: external, or environmental, and internal, which are the qualities of the individual. The paper then explains and examines these two categories and the implications of the studies. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for children to bond to peers, parents, and others who have drug-resistant attitudes. A successful bond to wholesome individuals will yield adolescents with good habits, and possibly an invulnerability to drug and alcohol use. The paper also concludes that a strong positive relationship between parents and their children will lead to low drug and alcohol use. It also comes down to the internal cues of the individual. A person with low self-esteem is at a higher risk of being an alcohol or drug abuser.
From the Paper "Parental attitudes and substance use also have been linked with adolescent drug use. Several studies indicate that when adolescents perceive that their parents' attitude toward substance use is favorable, they also tend to use substances at a higher rate. Previous studies have found that parental drinking patterns were predictors of frequent and heavy drinking in adolescent offspring. This link was backed up several years later when a team of researchers found that youths whose parents had drinking problems also tended to be heavier drinkers in high school."
