Noll named American Psychological Association Fellow
Jennie Noll, director of Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and professor of human development and family studies, was recently awarded fellow status in the American Psychological Association (APA), Division 37, the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice, for her outstanding contributions in research, professional service, and practice.
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2021 Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Conference Scheduled for Sept. 2-3
The 2021 Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Conference will focus on Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research and will present the latest science that is addressing critical gaps in our understanding of child maltreatment and advancing the study of child maltreatment into the 21st century. Stay tuned for more details and registration information!
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Parent Behaviors Supporting Children's Independence Vary by Family Risk
Parental responses that support children’s independence are less common in families facing more risk factors. This may be true regardless of whether parents are responding to children’s on- or off-task behavior, according to Penn State researchers. According to Catherine Diercks, doctoral candidate in developmental psychology, parental scaffolding is a method of structuring activities to help children reach beyond their immediate capacity and develop independence and competence. Research suggests that scaffolding may be one avenue by which self-regulation can be fostered in children in vulnerable families.
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Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Program Effective Addition to Parent Training
Researchers at Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network are using a novel approach to further prevent child sexual abuse. They tested whether a child sexual abuse prevention program, Smart Parents–Safe and Healthy Kids (SPSHK), could be implemented as an additional module to already existing, evidence-based parent training, Parents as Teachers, which is a widely used parent-education program implemented by several states to bolster the parenting skills of at-risk parents. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of SPSHK as an innovative strategy to impact parents’ awareness and behavioral skills for protecting children from sexual abuse.
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Spring 2021 internship sites
CMAS 493 is the capstone experience for the Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies minor (CMAS). It requires students to complete a 100-hour internship in addition to their other classes. The program has placed students all across the state/country but is left to rely on local resources each semester to help students achieve their minor. Without the support of agencies, organizations, faculty members doing research, the CMAS minor would not be able to prepare students to the level it does. Click here to see our Spring 2021 internship sites. To see all the locations currently serving the CMAS minor, click here.
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Kate Guastaferro, PhD, MPH
Kate Guastaferro, Ph.D., is an assistant research professor at Penn State. She has a doctorate and masters of public health with a focus on prevention science. Dr. Guastaferro completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in the Prevention and Methodology Training program at Penn State with advanced training centered substantively upon the prevention of child sexual abuse and methodologically on innovative methods for the optimization, evaluation, and dissemination of interventions (e.g., the multiphase optimization strategy [MOST]) with high public health impact. Working at the cutting edge of prevention and intervention science, Dr. Guastaferro’s program of research is devoted to the development, optimization, and evaluation of effective, efficient, economical, and scalable interventions, specifically focusing on the prevention of child maltreatment.
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Provider Attitudes and Self-Efficacy When Delivering a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Module: An Exploratory Study
Kate Guastaferro, Sarah A. Font, Sheridan Miyamoto, Kathleen M. Zadzora, Katie E. Walters, Kathryn O'Hara, Allison Kemner, Jennie G. Noll
As constant figures in children’s lives, parents are key in protecting children from sexual abuse. One barrier to reaching parents is that the topic can be difficult to broach and is sensitive in nature. Such barriers can interfere with implementation and fidelity of evidence-based prevention strategies that are focused on reducing rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). In this exploratory study, we examine provider attitudes about delivering CSA-specific content in an evidence-based prevention module and their self-efficacy.
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The Scope, Nature, and Causes of Child Abuse and Neglect
Sarah A. Font, Kathryn Maguire-Jack
Researchers reviewed the discordant definitions and conceptualizations of child maltreatment and considered the implications of broad and narrow definitions for the size and scope of the child welfare system and for child safety. An assessment of the quality and comprehensiveness of existing data for understanding the incidence rates and trends in child abuse and neglect was also provided. They reviewed theory and evidence on the causes of child maltreatment, with particular attention to whether and how social policy can reduce its prevalence. Recommendations were provided for improving the use of data and scientific evidence in child welfare policy and systems.
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The 2021 Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Conference
The event is scheduled for Sept. 2-3. Check out our website for more updates on the upcoming conference, Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research!
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