The Wyoming Division of Victim Services contracted with the JCVVS to provide the program Critical Analysis of Victim Assistance March 26-28. This intensive three day learning event challenged participants to critically reflect and consider approaches to effect change in their professional practice and organizational policies. Rachelle Wright, Victim-Witness Coordinator for the Park County Attorney's Office wrote: "This class should be required. It gives us the tools for solutions." Participants may also continue their professional learning by completing the requirements for Professional Certificate in Victim Assistance: Critical Analysis. One of the requirements for the professional certificate will be a presentation of their analysis at the Wyoming Victim Assistance Conference in September.

Two contract programs for the Foundations in Victim Services course are planned for October 2008.

The Washoe County District Attorney's Office will host the course the week of October 6 in Reno, Nevada. The course is not limited to practitioners in Nevada and a small fee is being charged. Christina Conti, Victim-Witness Assistance Center Program Coordinator for the Washoe County District Attorney's office noted: "The Washoe County District Attorney's Office felt now was a great time to partner with the JCVVS and bring the Foundations in Victim Services training program to Reno. The Washoe County District Attorney's Office was the first in the state to have each advocate certified through the JCVVS programs; so we see how important these training can be with the development of advocacy. As Nevada grows, so does the need for professionally trained advocates. This training is an opportunity for the state, including rural areas, to not only expand each advocates understanding of advocacy, but to network with other advocates from around to state to continue to improve victim services around the entire state."

The Oklahoma District Attorney's Council is sponsoring the program the week of October 20 in Midwest City, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The program is open only to practitioners in Oklahoma. Tina Harman, Public Information Officer for the District Attorney's Council writes: "The District Attorneys Council is proud to bring the JCVVS back to Oklahoma City this fall. Victim Advocates in Oklahoma demand relevant and useful training, and the Foundations in Victim Services course is a great start for newbie's and it is a great refresher for the 'not so newbie's' as well. Since 1998, we have been contracting with the JCVVS to deliver! They do every time!"

JCVVS Advisory Council member Kathy Manis Findley, Executive Director of Safe Places in Little Rock, Arkansas, was selected by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society as the Arkansas Honoree for the 2008 Above and Beyond Citizen Honors, called the most prestigious civilian award in America. After a nationwide search and selection process for the Above and Beyond Citizen Honors, the Society selected 51 remarkable Americans to represent their respective states and the District of Columbia. Kathy was selected for going above and beyond as a champion for child and adult victims of violence and abuse. Congratulations Kathy!

Representatives of the JCVVS Executive Committee presented at the American Symposium on Victimology held March 5-7, 2008 at Fresno Pacific University. Dan Petersen presented the workshop "Victimization of Persons with Disabilities: Psychological and Physical Barriers to Accessing Services." Tom Underwood co- presented a panel discussion along with Dr. Robert Jerin and Dr. Deb Stanley "State Victim Assistance Academies: An Examination of Cooperation Between Academics and Professionals."

JCVVS e-newsletter reviews offer a brief synopsis of research and programs relevant to violence and victim studies. Brevity does not allow for comprehensive analysis, rather key points and observations for further review and consideration. Reviews are provided by persons affiliated by the JCVVS and do not necessarily reflect the position of the JCVVS or the affiliate Universities.

Author: El-Sheikh, M., Cummings, E. M., Kouros, C. D., Elmore-Staton, L., and Buckhalt, J.

Title: Marital Psychological and Physical Aggression and Children's Mental and Physical Health: Direct, Mediated, and Moderated Effects.

Source: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol.76, 1, 138-148. (2008)

Reviewed by: Dan Petersen

This article looks at the relationship of marital conflict and aggression on children in the family. What the authors have attempted to do is add to our knowledge base regarding the effects of psychological and physical aggression and how they affect child mental, behavioral and physical health. Different than many studies, El-Sheikh and colleagues have assessed the effects of both male and female parental aggression on children. They note that aggression in the family more commonly involves reciprocal verbal and physical aggression by both the mother and the father as conflict escalates. Their data suggest that while aggression towards the mother is more disturbing to children, aggression towards the father also threatens the child's emotional security in the context of the family. Using and emotional security theory (EST) they argue and present data that supports the contention that interparental aggression results in psychological and behavioral problems in some children.

EST is an interesting explanatory concept that suggests the child's ability to positively mature, relate appropriately to others outside the family, and to maintain emotional health is related to their sense of emotional security within the home. The authors use a metaphor which suggests that emotional security acts a bridge between the child and rest of world. Interparental violence is seen as eroding or collapsing that bridge. When that happens the child is likely to develop maladaptive compensatory mechanisms for relating to others. The child in these families, according to the authors, "may move forward in the dysregulated way, unable to provide appropriate footing within themselves or in interactions with others, increasing risk for problematic outcomes."

This study presents data that suggest ethnicity and socio economic status do not necessarily play a significant role in child symptoms brought on by interparental aggression. Aggression against either parent was found to yield "similar effects" for the children in the 251 community recruited families studied. While the authors acknowledge that there is much we do not know about the effects of interparental violence on children, their study adds to the data base and provides an interesting theoretical structure for examining this complex issue.

email: jcvvs@washburn.edu

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