Quiz 1 and Essay 1
 
I. Quiz 1 on Chapter 2: Risks
A. Your first reading quiz will be graded (so that you can see how well you did) but everyone who tries hard will get 100%. In other words, this is a practice quiz.
B. You are allowed to use your reading notes.
C. Do NOT refer to you books; you will get a 0 on this quiz if you refer to your texts.
D. For this quiz ONLY (NOT FOR OTHER QUIZZES) you may also work with a partner.
E. If you have a concern about any question now is the time to bring it to my attention, not afterwards.
1. Based on your reading, briefly define a risk factor (note: don’t provide an example)
2. Based on your reading, define a protective factor (note: don’t provide an example)
3. Briefly, how does Werner’s longitudinal study of children in Kauai support the use of mandatory community service for at-risk youth?
4. You are a Marital and Family (MF) therapist. Another MF therapist is involving in helping a child that has fetal alcohol symptoms. You, on the other hand, are helping a “crack baby.” According to the text, which child is MOST likely to experience long-term developmental problems regardless of the quality of care of the postnatal environment?
5. Temperament. The reading claims that child temperament itself is not a significant predictor of abuse or poor outcomes but temperament may interact with parents’ ____________ and lead to problems.
6. Parenting Risk Factors. In your reading, Patterson and his study describe a cycle of interactions between parents and children leading to abuse. Label two of the elements of this cycle.
7. Foster care. Why do foster children tend to react intensely and negatively when foster parents usurp or undermine their autonomy?
8. Witness of violence. As a MF therapist, your clients are a mother who has been battered and a child, age 4, who has witnessed the violence. Child has NOT been abused, however. Why might the mother not realize that her young child may be harmed by witnessing the violence.
9. Parental psychopathology. Why do children of mothers who are severely depressed tend to be highly enmeshed and, in a sense, over-attached?
10. Community-level risks. According to the text, children and youth exposed to high levels of community violence often display symptoms of PTSD. What else? What is their attitude about the future.
II. Activity
A. The purpose of this activity is practice risk-protective assessment and also compare risk and protective factors across groups.
B. I would like you to meet with your partner and do a risk and protective factor assessment as described in the text. Follow these steps:
1. Decide on a child case. Preferably this will be a case you have dealt with in a clinical situation. If necessary, it could be you or it could be someone you are familiar with. No real names please!
2. Identify 1 major child risk factor
3. Identify 1 major family risk factor
4. Identify 1 major community risk factor
5. Identify 1 major child protective factor (note: do not write “absence of risk X”)
6. Identify 1 major family protective factor (note: do not write “absence of risk X”
7. Identify 1 major community protective factor (note: do not write “absence of risk X”
8. List the six factors on your worksheet concisely. Be specific.
III. Essay
A. Most of the chapter focused on risk factors. Much less attention was focused on protective factors. Positive psychologists believe that a better way to help people is to start with their strengths/assets rather than their weaknesses/liabilities. By assets, I do not simply mean money but inner and external resources individuals can call upon. These resources are often not physical things but abilities, services, attitudes. As part of a longitudinal study, you are asked to devise a protocol (criteria or research design) to separate families into two groups: high-assets and low-assets. Briefly describe your protocol. As space is limited, use scratch paper to outline your response then summarize clearly and concisely on your worksheet. You are encouraged to confer with others.