Feasibility and Acceptability of Engaging Significant Adults in Youth Sexual and Relationship Violence Prevention Work

Relationship and sexual violence (RSV) disproportionately affect youth in immigrant and other marginalized communities yet few prevention initiatives are truly grounded in their experiences. The current study represents a pilot implementation evaluation of youth-led workshops to engage significant adults (parents, grandparents, aunts, adult siblings, community leaders) as RSV prevention partners in diverse communities in a large urban area. The current mixed methods evaluation examined the perceptions of 66 adults and six youth leaders of four, day-long adult training workshops. Results showed high feasibility and acceptability and an important role for significant adults in enhancing RSV prevention.

EDUCATION OF CIVIL IDENTITY IN CHILDREN THROUGH NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION WITH TEACHERS AND PARENTS

В статье рассматриваются особенности воспитания и формирования гражданской идентичности через невербальное общение ребенка с родителями и педагогами образовательных организаций, анализируется понятие «гражданской идентичности» в отечественной науке, приводятся результаты исследований, демонстрирующих влияние невербального поведения значимых взрослых на формирование личности ребенка, в частности гражданской идентичности. The article examines the peculiarities of upbringing and formation of civil identity through non-verbal communication of a child with parents and teachers of educational organizations, analyzes the concept of «civil identity» in Russian science, presents the results of studies demonstrating the influence of non-verbal behavior of significant adults on the formation of a child’s personality, in particular civil identity.

Characteristics that act in young people as psychological prerequisites to avoid psychological intimacy in relationships

The article empirically substantiates the hypothesis about the severity of the characteristics of avoiding psychological intimacy in young people: low autonomy, self-doubt, the presence of an avoidant type of attachment, counter-dependence, the experienced lack of intimacy in relationships with significant adults in childhood and the needs for isolation and security in subjective perceptions of psychological intimacy. These characteristics were compared in two groups of boys and girls aged 20-25 years, the sample was 60 people. Methods were used: "Questionnaire of interpersonal dependence" (p. Girshfield, adapted by O.P. Makushina), the questionnaire "The experience of close relationships" by K. Brennan and R.K. Fraley, adapted by T.V. Kazantseva, the test for counter-dependence (B.K. Weinhold, D.B. Weinhold). The severity of closeness by significant adults in childhood, the peculiarities of subjective ideas about psychological closeness were revealed by the method of conversation and through the creation of a drawing "The image of the desired relationship". The results of the study showed that the differences between the groups are significant in all parameters stated in the hypothesis (p ≤ 0.01). Subjective ideas about intimacy differ in the severity of the needs to be the center of your world in a relationship; in community; in observing personal boundaries; (p ≤ 0.01); to feel safe in a relationship (p ≤ 0.05).

Experiences of Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Relation to Nonsupportive Significant Adults: A Scoping Review

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a complex trauma with devastating long-term, negative effects on survivors. This study extended the understanding of experiences of women survivors of CSA in relation to nonsupportive significant adults documented in literature, as to date, there exists no summary in literature on this particular topic. As such, a scoping review was conducted on publications between 1980 and January 2020. A total of 26 733 were selected for analysis in accordance with the search terms. After duplicates were removed and the exclusion criteria were applied, a total of 58 articles were selected for inclusion in the review. Thematic analysis was conducted on the studies included, and three themes were developed pertaining to the experiences of women survivors of CSA in relation to nonsupportive significant adults. Theme 1 identified nonsupportive behaviors experienced before disclosure or discovery of abuse. Theme 2 identified nonsupportive behaviors experienced during or after disclosure or discovery of abuse. Theme 3 identified the long-term negative consequences of nonsupportive experiences. These three themes support the findings of Freyd’s betrayal trauma theory and Bowlby’s attachment theory, extend on the global knowledge base of this topic, and identify gaps for further exploration.

Manifestation of trust in adolescents in connection with family deprivation and perception of relationships with significant adults

Features of trust manifestation in adolescents with family deprivation are described in this article, also correlations of interpersonal trust with indicators of social situation of development and perception of relationships with significant adults were investigated. 286 adolescents took part in the research: 144 from full families, 65 from incomplete (single-mothered) and 77 from orphanage. “Interpersonal trust Scale” by J. Rotter was used for the level of trust investigation. Child-parent relationships were investigated by “Child-parent relationships in adolescents” by O. Karabanova and P. Troyanovskaya. We have received the following results: interpersonal trust level does not differ depending on social situation of development in elder adolescents. At the same time the perception of relationships with parents and with caregiver in orphanages differs. Those adolescents, who suffer from family deprivation, note just controlling part of relationships with their significant adult, whereas adolescents living in the family setting percept their relationships with parents as accepting, supporting and collaborating.

Types of Attitude Towards the Child in Significant Adults as a Factor Contributing to Learning Difficulties

The paper presents outcomes of a study on features of school readiness in preschool children and on psychological and pedagogical factors of learning difficulties in first-grade children. The techniques used in the study were aimed at revealing the developmental features of conceptual, logical, abstract thinking (verbal as well as non-verbal test materials), reading skills and psychoemotional development in the children. Types of attitudes towards the children among the significant adults (parents, caregivers, teachers) were also analysed. It is argued that the adult’s constructive attitude towards the child promotes his/her emotional well-being which, in turn, positively affects the child’s academic performance.

Hope and Children’s Health

Childhood is a critical time to develop hopeful thinking that can help children cope with challenges in general and those related to maintaining or improving their health. The purpose of this chapter is to (a) define hope as it applies to children and the growth of hope across developmental stages; (b) describe the way family members, teachers, and other significant adults can foster hope in children; (c) review studies on the relationship between hope and pediatric health and illness, including studies on health promotion, adherence to chronic pediatric diseases, and coping with a chronic pediatric disease; and (d) share knowledge related to patients with chronic pediatric diseases and how they maintain hope given the additional challenges they face in their lives.

Self-relation and relations with significant adults as factors of satisfaction with life in adolescents

The article is devoted to the study of factors influencing life satisfaction of teenagers raised in families as well as those raised in orphanages. Both groups are studied with regard to their self-attitude, self-confidence and relationships with significant adults. Sample: 96 teenagers aged between 14 and 16 years (46 of them live in or- phanages). Methods: Self-attitude methodology by S.R. Pantileev, Trust questionnaire by T.P. Skripkina, Child-parent relationships questionnaire by O.A. Karabanova and P.V. Troyanskaya, Life Satisfaction scale by E. Diner. The research proved the level of trust in orphanage-raised teenagers to be considerably lower than that of family-raised teenagers. The way teenagers see their relationships with significant adults also turned out to be fairly different in case of orphanage-raised groups due to their caregivers' authoritarian attitude towards them and lack of empathy and communication. The study also shows that the level of life satisfaction in the orphanage group is significantly below the average and substantially lower than in the group from family-raised teenagers. Positive self-attitude, person’s approval of his/ her intellectual capacities, as well as the caregiver's understanding of his pupil's features, are predictors of life satisfaction in the group of teenagers from orphanages. Concerning the family-raised teenagers, much more factors are involved in maintaining their subjective well-being. The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanities (project № 16-06-00307а “Psycho-emotional well-being and ways of personality self-fulfillment in adolescent and adult periods of development”).