Ron Shor

The approach of Israeli health and mental health students toward child maltreatment.

Child maltreatment is a multidisciplinary problem with legal, medical, social service, public policy, and mental health components. Therefore, it is essential to understand how members of different disciplines approach this problem. Studies are lacking on this subject in Israel. A preliminary study was conducted with 1,302 students of the four main disciplines dealing with the problem of child maltreatment: psychology, social work, education, and medicine. An instrument constructed for the purpose of this study was utilized to examine the following main areas used by professionals in determining cases of maltreatment: (a) their perception of the various situations of child maltreatment; (b) their awareness of the risk factors of child maltreatment; (c) their awareness of the signs of child maltreatment; and (d) their willingness to report various cases of maltreatment. The results indicate important areas in detecting cases of child maltreatment which students from the four disciplines may disregard. Those areas which could be strengthened in preparing future professionals for fulfilling their roles are discussed.

Meeting unmet needs of families of persons with mental illness: evaluation of a family peer support helpline.

Family members of persons with mental illness experience multiple stressors stemming from the burdens of caring for the ill family member. A potential source of help for this population is a family peer support helpline. Knowledge, however, is lacking about the types of help offered in such a service and its benefit for this population. In a study conducted in Israel, 800 calls made by family members of persons with mental illness to a family peer support helpline were analyzed utilizing an instrument developed for the family peers’ evaluation of the calls. In addition, researchers conducted 77 follow-up interviews with callers who agreed to be interviewed. The findings indicate the importance of the life experience, flexibility and anonymity of the family peers in providing types of help that are complementary to the help provided by formal services. The most frequent categories of support provided were emotional support, information and advice. This help could assist family members of persons with mental illness with their care-giving role, as well as provide them with an alternative source of help if they experience difficulties with professionals. It could also serve as a catalyst in encouraging them to establish and maintain contact with the formal mental health services. Recognizing and supporting the contribution of a family peer support helpline would encourage its development within the range of services available for this population.

Identification and Reporting of Maltreated Children by Teachers in Israel.

Teachers have a central role among professionals responsible for the welfare of children in identifying child maltreatment. However, studies conducted with teachers indicate that the rate of their reports of such cases is low. Factors which can affect teachers’ judgement were examined in a study conducted among 161 teachers in Israel. An instrument constructed for the purpose of this study served to examine teachers’ perception of the level of risk to the welfare of the child in situations of abuse and neglect, their willingness to report situations to the police and welfare department and factors which may affect their approach towards such cases. The results indicate a number of areas in identifying and reporting cases of child maltreatment which teachers may disregard. Suggestions which could aid teachers to fulfill their important responsibility in the protection of children are discussed. *This research was supported by the Milton Rosenbaum Endowment Fund for research in psychiatric sciences.

Identifying Barriers to Improving the Wellness of Persons With Severe Mental Illness in Community Residential Mental Health Facilities

Persons with severe mental illness are at increased risk of suffering from severe physical illnesses. Health promotion programs focusing on improving the quality of nutrition and physical activities are especially important for this population. However, attempts to advance the quality of these wellness components may encounter difficulties within the context of community residential mental health facilities. To identify barriers to wellness, a qualitative study was conducted in Israel with 84 persons with severe mental illness who lived in these facilities and who participated in a health promotion program in a psychiatric hospital. The findings illuminate that this population may face some unique biological–social barriers, in addition to the psychological effects of their mental illness, that hamper the advancement of their wellness. The barriers may include the side effects of medications and/or the results of lack of companionship. In addition, organizational and broader systemic barriers, such as organizational culture and policies that do not support the advancement of wellness, may contribute to an accumulation of barriers. The eco-systemic perspective could be useful in identifying biological–psychological–social–organizational and broader systemic barriers to the advancement of wellness as well as areas needing to be strengthened or developed in order to support the advancement of wellness.

Differentiating the Culturally‐Based Help‐Seeking Patterns of Immigrant Parents From the Former Soviet Union by Comparison With Parents in Russia

Whom do immigrant parents turn to when their children encounter problems? To begin to answer this question, the help-seeking patterns of 100 immigrant parents from the Former Soviet Union were compared with 100 parents in Russia, with the goal to differentiate patterns that were more likely to be culturally based from those reflective of the new social context of this immigrant population in Israel. Similarities were found in the level of willingness and rationale for reluctance to seek help from formal sources. Differences were found in the level of willingness to seek help from informal resources and in the nature of the problems justifying help-seeking. Such knowledge can inform efforts to reduce barriers that immigrant parents confront in situations in which their children could benefit from help, but they do not seek it.

Physical punishment as perceived by parents in Russia: implications for professionals involved in the care of children

To contribute to a knowledge base about the approach of families in Russia towards implementing physical punishment, a study was conducted with 100 parents in St Petersburg. A majority of the participants indicated that it was legitimate to use some measure of physical punishment. The use of an object as a measure was considered acceptable by one‐third of the participants, especially towards children in the age range 5–12. Forty percent of the participants thought that physical punishment should be implemented in a less harsh way towards girls. The most frequently mentioned rationale for its implementation was violation of collectivist‐based norms. A majority of the participants expressed disapproval for state intervention in the way parents handle inappropriate behavior of children unless the situation was extreme. They also indicated a medium‐to‐low level of willingness to seek help from formal sources if their child has a problem. Since physical punishment is considered a risk factor for physical abuse, the findings illuminate the necessity for professionals involved in the care of children to design prevention and intervention programs that could reduce this risk.

Cultural aspects within caregiver interactions of ultra-orthodox Jewish women and their family members with mental illness.

The role of cultural dynamics and norms within families of persons with mental illness has been an underexplored subject, although the familial context has been recognized as influential. This subject was studied with 24 ultra-Orthodox Jewish mothers of persons with mental illness who live in a relatively closed religious community. While participating in the Keshet educational program designed for family caregivers in mental health, they wrote Meaningful Interactional Life Episodes that involved a dialogue exchange in their lives. Qualitative analysis of 50 episodes illuminates the significant role that religious and cultural norms have in the perceptions of what are considered stressors and the dynamics in these families surrounding these stressors. The necessity and value of incorporating cultural competence into family educational programs and interventions is emphasized, as this may contribute to the potential use and success of mental health service models within a population that essentially underutilizes these services.

Professionals’ approach towards discipline in educational systems as perceived by immigrant parents: the case of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Israel

In the process of acculturation to their new country, immigrants often encounter a common expectation that they will adjust their views to those common in the mainstream culture. However, since adjustment is a long‐term process, differences in the perceptions of the appropriate disciplinary approach towards children may arise between immigrant parents and professionals in educational systems. When differences occur, they could possibly lead to conflicts and difficulties in collaboration between parents and professionals. The objective of this study has been to examine how the immigrant parents perceive professionals’ responses to their children’s misbehavior in educational settings and what their expectations are as to how these professionals should respond. The results of this study, conducted with 104 immigrant parents from the Former Soviet Union in Israel, indicate that conflicts which the immigrant parents experience in that setting could be characterized primarily as culturally‐based disagreements a...In the process of acculturation to their new country, immigrants often encounter a common expectation that they will adjust their views to those common in the mainstream culture. However, since adjustment is a long‐term process, differences in the perceptions of the appropriate disciplinary approach towards children may arise between immigrant parents and professionals in educational systems. When differences occur, they could possibly lead to conflicts and difficulties in collaboration between parents and professionals. The objective of this study has been to examine how the immigrant parents perceive professionals’ responses to their children’s misbehavior in educational settings and what their expectations are as to how these professionals should respond. The results of this study, conducted with 104 immigrant parents from the Former Soviet Union in Israel, indicate that conflicts which the immigrant parents experience in that setting could be characterized primarily as culturally‐based disagreements about how professionals in educational systems should discipline children when they misbehave, in which situations intervention is needed, and how to respond to children’s misbehaviors when immigration‐related difficulties contribute to the misbehaviors. Suggestions to bridge the gaps between immigrant parents and professionals in schools and kindergartens are provided.

Therapeutic Factors in a Group for Parents with Mental Illness

Parents with mental illness face many parenting related challenges that are exacerbated by the lack of services focusing on these needs. A study was conducted with 35 persons who participated in a group for parents with mental illness in Israel in order to examine the parenting related concerns the participants might bring up in a group modality, and the therapeutic factors in the group process. The findings illuminate the centrality of the parenting role in the participants lives and the value of the group modality as a tool enabling the participants to reveal their vulnerabilities. The therapeutic factors at work in the group, such as, imparting information, interpersonal learning, socialization techniques helped them deal with the difficulties of fulfilling their parenting roles at the same time they cope with their own mental illness

Beyond a Cross-Cultural Definition of Child Maltreatment: Comparing Immigrants From the Caucasus and European Countries of the Former Soviet Union

A major barrier to accurate assessment and effective intervention in situations of children at risk among immigrant families could be lack of knowledge what they consider to be the boundaries for inappropriate child rearing practices, their rationale for these beliefs and their help seeking patterns in situations of maltreatment. To acquire knowledge about this subject among immigrant parents from different regions of the Former Soviet Union, a study was conducted in Israel with 53 immigrants from the European countries of this region and 52 immigrants from the Caucasus. A low level of willingness to request help from formal networks was found in both samples. Differences were found in the underlying rationale of the participants’ perceptions of inappropriate parental behaviors. Immigrants from the Caucasus were concerned with the inappropriateness of the parents’ behaviors by relating to what is normative and what is not while immigrants from the European countries were concerned with the potential harm ...