NCJ Number
222408
Journal
Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: 2007 Pages: 1-25
Date Published
2007
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Utilizing vignettes, this study examined how adolescent boys with behavioral problems and in treatment viewed personal relationships with females.
Abstract
The boys’ perceptions about the dynamics of relationships between mothers and sons were found to depend on the specifics of the situation. In several vignettes, the participants viewed that the mother was justified in criticizing/berating even if it resulted in her son feeling unloved or “bad”, or resulted in the son acting out. In summary, it was found that the use of vignettes as a means of eliciting dialogue and reflection rather than directly asking boys with behavioral problems personal questions about themselves provided a way of exploring their thoughts and emotions about personal relationships. Adolescent boys with behavioral problems commonly have disturbances in their relationships with women and girls. Previous studies suggest that the causes include conflicts with their mothers and separations from them during childhood. This study had several objectives: to increase the understanding of the social cognitions of adolescent boys with severe behavioral problems, such as truancy and delinquency about personal relationships with girls and women and to develop an assessment method for exploring adolescent boys’ social cognitions about relationships with women or girls for boys who have experienced extreme deprivation. Participants in the study consisted of 27 boys who attended a publicly funded extended day treatment program for truant and delinquent boys under the care of child protective services, who were living in impoverished areas of Philadelphia. Vignettes about relationships between adolescent boys and mothers and other women or girls were used to study how these adolescents viewed personal relationships with females. References