Suchergebnisse

PurposeAlthough school bullying is an important social problem, its long‐term relation to mental health and behavioural outcomes is rarely investigated. The purpose of this paper is to address the relation between bullying in childhood and behavioural and emotional problems in adolescence.Design/methodology/approachBullying and victimization were assessed in a sample of 557 German children (mean age 9 years). Nearly five years later anxious, depressive, delinquent, aggressive and other outcomes were assessed via self‐ and mother‐reports. Data analyses contained bivariate correlations and hierarchical regressions in which family and individual risk factors (measured two years before bullying/victimization) were controlled.FindingsIt was found that there were mostly small, but highly significant correlations between bullying perpetration and later antisocial behaviour. Among girls, bullying also predicted later symptoms of anxiety, depression and social withdrawal. The same was the case for victimization. Victimized girls also showed more antisocial outcomes. When controlling for other risk factors, bullying perpetration remained as a predictor of externalizing problems, however, there were no significant relations between victimization and internalizing or externalizing outcomes.Originality/valueThis paper presents longitudinal data on a large sample from a country under‐represented in the English‐language literature on bullying, also its findings reveal that bullying perpetration is a highly significant predictor of later antisocial and delinquent outcomes in adolescence.

Abstract
Homelessness is a serious social and health problem that is very important for community care and problem-oriented policing (POP). As this vulnerable population is difficult to reach, sound empirical data on psychosocial characteristics and contacts with the police are rare. This article reports a study of people experiencing homelessness from Berlin (Germany). Based on concepts of psychological and social functioning as well as social distance to the police we investigated their relation to reports of violent victimization to the police. A sample of 60 homeless males was contacted in the streets and anonymously answered interview questions and German versions of the Symptom Checklist 9, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Perceived Social Distance Scale. Only participants who had experienced violent victimization within the last 5 years were included for the study. The results showed enhanced psychological problems and social isolation from the society, although there were some close relations to other people experiencing homelessness. Psychological problems and social distance to the police clearly differentiated between those participants who reported their violent victimization to the police and those who did not. Multivariate analyses stress the importance of social distance to the police, psychological functioning, and age as predictors of reporting victimization to the police. Moderator analyses suggested that if social distance to the police is low, people tend to report victimization independent of psychological functioning. The findings are relevant for POP and support the involvement of police in multi-agency-based community crime prevention. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.

This article investigates children's contact with their imprisoned fathers and the influence on their relationships following release. It is based on data from a mixed-methods prospective longitudinal study of 45 children (aged four to 18) in England whose fathers had played an active role in their lives prior to the prison sentence. The study found that face-to-face contact and telephone calls correlated significantly with the father–child relationship after the father's release, as reported by both parents. Written contact played less of a role. The longitudinal correlations remained significant after controlling for the level of the father's involvement with his children before imprisonment. The quantitative findings were supported by qualitative data from the children, fathers and mothers, which illustrated how contact supported the father–child relationship through the facilitation of familiar interactions (physical comfort, emotional support, discipline, guidance) even if in a limited and altered form.

This article highlights three dimensions to understanding children's well‐being during and after parental imprisonment which have not been fully explored in current research. A consideration of 'time' reveals the importance of children's past experiences and their anticipated futures. A focus on 'space' highlights the impact of new or altered environmental dynamics. A study of 'agency' illuminates how children cope within structural, material and social confines which intensify vulnerability and dependency. This integrated perspective reveals important differences in individual children's experiences and commonalities in broader systemic and social constraints on prisoners' children. The paper analyses data from a prospective longitudinal study of 35 prisoners' children during and after their (step) father's imprisonment to illustrate the arguments.

Aim: Parental depression is a strong risk factor for depression in children and is associated with offspring's behavioral problems. Therefore, prevention measures should aim to reduce the transmission of risk to children of depressed mothers. In this paper, description and evaluation results are reported for EFFEKT-E (Entwicklungsförderung in Familien: Eltern- und Kinder-Training in emotional belasteten Familien), a prevention program to be used in the setting of mother–child rehabilitation clinics. EFFEKT-E is a family-oriented program including parent training and social skills training for pre-school children. Subjects and methods: The evaluation study contained 375 mothers and their children. The program was evaluated in a quasi-experimental pre-post-follow-up design using instruments on parenting behavior and children's emotional and behavioral problems. Results: Evaluation showed satisfying out reach and implementation of the program. Compared to a treatment-as-usual condition, EFFEKT-E children exhibited less emotional disruption and hyperactivity. Mother's sense of parental competence was promoted, problematic parenting behavior decreased. Conclusion: EFFEKT-E is an evidence-based selective program which has the potential to prevent intergenerational transmission of depression.

Zusammenfassung. Kinder (subklinisch) depressiver Mütter haben ein erhöhtes Risiko, Verhaltensauffälligkeiten auszubilden. Einige der Faktoren der Transmission liegen direkt in der Interaktion, wie das Erziehungsverhalten. Weitere Risikofaktoren wie Alleinerziehendenstatus oder geringe soziale Unterstützung können die Auswirkungen auf die Kinder noch verstärken. Da Erlebens- und Verhaltensprobleme häufig bereits im Vorschulalter auftreten, sollten Präventionsprogramme möglichst früh ansetzen. Dem folgt die vorliegende Studie, die in 13 Mutter-Kind-Kliniken durchgeführt wurde. Geprüft wurde, ob Kinder von emotional und sozial belasteten Müttern von einem Präventionsprogramm (EFFEKT-E) profitieren, das einen Erziehungskurs für Mütter und ein soziales Kompetenztraining für Kinder umfasst. Dazu wurden 194 Mütter mit 4- bis 7-jährigen Kindern in der Kontrollgruppe und 169 Mütter in der Interventionsgruppe in einem Vortest-Nachtest-Design untersucht. Abhängige Variablen waren kindliche Erlebens- und Verhaltensprobleme sowie das mütterliche Erziehungsverhalten und Kompetenzerleben. Neben allgemeinen Effekten wurden eventuelle Moderatoreffekte von mütterlichen Risikofaktoren geprüft. Es zeigten sich positive kurzfristige Effekte auf das kindliche Problemverhalten. Mittelfristige positive Effekte gab es bei der elterlichen Kompetenzeinschätzung (Sechs-Monats-Follow-up). Dies galt insbesondere für Mütter, die eine hohe soziale Unterstützung erlebten. Die Ergebnisse werden unter methodischen und praktischen Gesichtspunkten diskutiert.