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On September 12 - 15, 2010, the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) will host the 15th International Conference in San Diego California. This Conference has become a unique forum for people from all disciplines and philosophies to gather for in-depth exchange of current information on all facets of violence, abuse and trauma prevention, intervention and research. Topic tracks span intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, children exposed to violence, youth violence, criminal justice issues, sexual assault, people with disabilities, treatment of victims and offenders, elder abuse, trauma, and more.
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This event will be held November 8 - 11, 2010, in New York, USA in which international delegates and child welfare experts will gather. This year’s theme, A World Fit for Children: Advancing the Global Movement, sets the stage for 500 delegates from 40 nations to take stock of current successes and obstacles; to share cutting edge research, innovative solutions, and best practices; and to plan for future action. A parallel forum for young people will focus on the participation of youth in the welfare process. Call for papers submission’s deadline is extended to June 30th 2010.
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This event will be held April 27- 28 2011 in Montreal, Quebec. The objectives are: to understand the practical significance of the concept of resilience applied to rehabilitation or to other areas; develop knowledge on approaches, methods and techniques to integrate the concept of resilience in rehabilitation and to other areas of intervention; consider organizational or management practices that could support the process of resilience for the user of health services or his family; develop links on provincial, national and international levels among researchers, professionals and users in order to develop research projects and interventions that include resilience. Call for proposals must be sent by September 26, 2010 at the latest.
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This report is an attempt to explore the pathways to resilience among Canadian Aboriginal communities facing a period of social crisis. The challenge for many of these communities is to overcome the historical burden of colonization, to repair their social fabric, and to assert pride in their culture. Some attempts to put an end to violence and social disorganization have achieved important marks but there is no single model to reach solutions; these experiments represent
nevertheless a source of inspiration, hope and wisdom for the future.
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Aboriginal Australians have a life expectancy more than ten years less than that of non-Aboriginal Australians, reflecting their disproportionate burden of both communicable and non-communicable disease throughout the lifespan. Little is known about the health and health trajectories of Aboriginal children and, although the majority of Aboriginal people live in urban areas, data are particularly sparse in relation to children living in urban areas. The Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health (SEARCH) is a cohort study of Aboriginal children aged 0-17 years, from urban and large regional centers in New South Wales, Australia.
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Few studies have examined interventions that help adolescents who run away. This study both describes a home-visiting intervention for young sexually assaulted runaways (10–14 years old) and provides preliminary outcomes from the first 20 female participants. Preliminary results suggest that this is an effective intervention for reducing risk behaviors and helping younger runaways reconnect to school and family.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and effects of peer-victimization on mental health problems among adolescents. Results of this study show that peer-victimization carries a serious risk for mental health problems in adolescents. School support is effective in both male and female adolescents by acting as a buffer against the effect of victimization, and school support gains increasing importance in more senior students. Parental support seems to be protective against maladjustment, especially in peer-victimized girls entering secondary school. Since the effect of peer-victimization can be reduced by parental and school support, educational interventions are of great importance in cases of peer-victimization.
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This study uses a risk and resilience framework for conceptualizing the long-term effects of childhood family violence on mental health. It examines sense of community as a protective factor against adult psychological distress associated with experiences of physical or psychological violence in childhood from parents. Reported experiences of frequent psychological violence, regardless of the frequency of physical violence, is found to be positively associated with adult psychological distress. Adults’ sense of community is found to moderate the association between reports of both frequent psychological and frequent physical violence in childhood from parents and adult psychological distress.
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This study examines the interdependent impact of specific adverse events, coping strategies, and familial ties on alcohol and drug use by female adolescent offenders. Coping strategies have a major influence on whether adolescents exposed to stress exhibit emotional and behavioral problems. This study is designed to evaluate the role of family/kinship ties and the efficacy of coping behaviors in the relationship between stress and drug abuse among girls involved in the Mississippi juvenile justice system.
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There is a burgeoning line of criminological research examining the genetic underpinnings to a wide array of antisocial phenotypes. From this perspective, genes are typically viewed as risk factors that increase the odds of various maladaptive behaviors. However, genes can also have protective effects that insulate against the deleterious effects of environmental pathogens. The authors use this logic as a springboard to examine whether four different genes protect against victimization in a sample of youths determined to be at risk for being victimized. Analysis of data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) revealed that certain genetic polymorphisms protected adolescents from victimization. The authors conclude by discussing the complex ways in which genes and the environment can promote resiliency to victimization.
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Influences of resilience on the presence and severity of depression following trauma exposure are largely unknown. Hence, this study examined effects of resilience on depressive symptom severity in individuals with past childhood abuse and/or other trauma exposure. The research shows that resilience moderates depressive symptom severity in individuals exposed to childhood abuse or other traumas both as a main effect and an interaction with trauma exposure. Resilience may be amenable to external manipulation and could present a potential focus for treatments and interventions.
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This study’s objective was to examine whether five child health-promoting behaviors by caregivers would be associated with caregivers’ assessments of their children’s health as “excellent,” controlling for an array of risk factors for adverse health outcomes. The findings suggest that child health-promoting behaviors by caregivers can make a difference in promoting better health for low-income children. Although large systemic changes (for example, changes in health care policy) are needed to reduce overall health disparities and to enhance health for all members of society, individual health-promoting behaviors may lead to incremental improvements in low-income children’s health.
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The aims of this study were to gather preliminary information regarding the feasibility of implementing a group psychosocial resilience training program (REsilience and Activity for every DaY, READY) in a workplace setting, and to assess if program would potentially promote well-being. The program targets five protective factors identified from empirical evidence: Positive emotions, cognitive flexibility, social support, life meaning, and active coping. The results indicate that the READY program is feasible to implement as a group training program in a workplace setting to promote psychosocial well-being.
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The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a programme designed to reduce family boundary ambiguity in families who care for children with epilepsy. The study found that there were statistically significant improvements in family boundary ambiguity and maternal depression was reduced.
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The onset of a mental illness is a traumatic experience for all the members of a family. While the mental illness in their family member may be life long, family members can experience their own recovery from the trauma, just as their family member with a mental illness can experience recovery. This article will describe the family recovery process.