William G. Wagner

Child sexual abuse: Who is to blame?☆

This study utilized written descriptions of sexual activity between an adult and a child to examine the impact of victim sex, perpetrator sex, respondent sex, and victim response (i.e., encouraging, passive, resisting) on the attribution of responsibility to the child and the adult perpetrator. A total of 360 college undergraduates (male = 180; female = 180) participated in the study. A main effect for victim response indicated that respondents attributed significantly more responsibility to the child and significantly less responsibility to the perpetrator when the child was described as encouraging the encounter. Children who remained passive were also held significantly more responsible than those who resisted, but there was not a significant difference between resisting and passive conditions in ratings of responsibility to the perpetrator. Several significant interactions affected ratings of responsibility to the perpetrator. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the need for educational programs to raise public awareness about the helplessness felt by sexual abuse victims and the needs of male victims in particular.

Undergraduate students' perceptions of child sexual abuse: The impact of victim sex, perpetrator sex, respondent sex, and victim response

Written descriptions of sexual interaction between an adult and. a 15-year-old were utilized to study the impact of victim sex, perpetrator sex, respondent sex, and victim response (i.e., encouraging, passive, resisting) on labeling of child sexual abuse, perception of realistic victim behavior, and effect on the child. Results of responses collected from 180 male and 180 female undergraduate students revealed that participants tended to view the interaction of a male victim with a female perpetrator as less representative of child sexual abuse. Respondents also thought that male victims of this interactional pattern would experience less harm than would victims of other interactional types (e.g., female victim-male perpetrator). Findings are discussed with regard to their generalizability and the need for child sexual abuse education programs.

Depression in mothers of sexually abused vs. mothers of nonabused children.

A total of 104 mothers whose children were receiving a psychological evaluation at a university outpatient clinic completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as part of their childs evaluation. Of these, 32 (31%) mothers were seeking treatment for children who were victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse, 26 (25%) were requesting help for child victims of extrafamilial sexual abuse, and 46 (44%) were seeking counseling services for nonabused children who were exhibiting a variety of common childhood problems. Although there was no significant group difference for BDI raw scores or BDI score categories (i.e., Normal Functioning, Moderate Depression, Moderate-Severe Depression, Extremely Severe Depression), results revealed that 16 (50%) of the intrafamilial abuse mothers, 18 (69%) of the extrafamilial mothers, and 23 (50%) of the mothers of nonabused children reported experiencing at least a moderate degree of depression. Results are discussed relative to their clinical significance, and recommendations are provided for future research with mothers of sexually abused children.

Childhood Nocturnal Enuresis: The Prediction of Premature Withdrawal from Behavioral Conditioning.

Predictors of premature withdrawal from a 12-week program of behavioral conditioning for childhood nocturnal enuresis were examined for 47 children treated at a university outpatient clinic. All children were administered the Piers-Harris Childrens Self-Concept Scale; parents completed the 55-item Behavior Problem Checklist and the Tolerance Scale for Enuresis. Parents also reported the methods (i.e., random awakening, restriction of fluids, rewards,punishment, medication, other) previously used to control their childs wetting. A stepwise discriminant function analysis revealed that the function containing number of previous techniques used, presence of child behavior problems, and parent tolerance of enuresis was a significant predictor of early termination of treatment.

The Attitudes Toward Multiracial Children Scale

The Attitudes Toward Multiracial Children Scale (AMCS) was developed to measure adults’ attitudes concerning the psychosocial development of multiracial children. Two separate studies were conducted to evaluate the items devised for the scale. In the first study, an initial version of the AMCS was administered to 250 college students from racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds. Results revealed that scores on the 43-item scale were internally consistent (Cronbach’s alpha = .92) and that four factors (i.e., Multiracial Identity, Multiracial Heritage, General Adjustment, and Social Relationships) could be identified. The AMCS was then revised and administered to a group of 187 participants. Again, factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution (i.e., Psychosocial Adjustment, Self-Esteem, Multiracial Identity, and Multiracial Heritage). The internal consistency for scores on the resulting 23-item scale was good (Cronbach’s alpha = .87) and 3-week test-retest reliability (n = 15) was .77.

India vs. United States undergraduates' attitudes concerning child sexual abuse: The impact of survivor sex, survivor age, survivor response, respondent sex, and country of origin

Abstract Written descriptions of sexual interaction between an adult and a 15-year-old child were utilized to study the impact of survivor sex, perpetrator sex, survivor response and country of origin (India vs. United States) on attribution of blame, labeling of child sexual abuse, perception of realistic survivor behavior, and effect on the child. MANCOVA results of responses collected from 720 undergraduate students (360 = Indian students: 360 = U.S. students) indicated that country of origin was related to the respondent ratings for the five vignette items. Other interactions obtained were related to the sex of the respondent, perpetrator and survivor, or the response of the survivor. Results are discussed relative to generalizability of results, child sexual abuse in India, and the need for educational programs in child sexual abuse.

Sexually Abused Girls' Verbalizations in Counseling: An Application of the Client Behavior System.

The Client Behavior System was used to evaluate the therapeutic process with 27 sexually abused girls enrolled in psychoeducationally based individual counseling. Based on ratings collected for the session in which the topic of sexual abuse was formally introduced, it was found that girls were more likely to provide abuse-related answers in response to questions pertaining to child sexual abuse, regardless of whether they were treated by a male or female counselor. These findings provide reason to reconsider previous recommendations that sexually abused girls are best treated by female counselors.

An Interview Skills Training Program for Undergraduate Majors in Music Education

Job responsibilities of the public school music teacher are many and varied. In addition to helping students learn performance skills and an appreciation for the arts, music specialists must be adept at budget preparation and management, public relations, and curriculum development (Klotman, 1973). A music teachers responsibility also extends into areas normally considered foreign to music. One such area is that of counseling students who come to their music teacher for assistance.