Beliefs and Recommendations Regarding Child Custody and Visitation in Cases Involving Domestic Violence A Comparison of Professionals in Different Roles

Research is lacking on differing perspectives regarding custody cases involving domestic violence (DV). In a survey of judges, legal aid attorneys, private attorneys, DV program workers, and child custody evaluators (n = 1,187), judges, private attorneys, and evaluators were more likely to believe that mothers make false DV allegations and alienate their children. In response to a vignette, evaluators and private attorneys were most likely to recommend joint custody and least likely to recommend sole custody to the survivor. Legal aid attorneys and DV workers were similar on many variables. Gender, DV knowledge, and knowing victims explained many group differences.This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, 2007-WG-BX-0013.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116619/1/Saunders-Faller-Tolman 2015 Comparison of Professionals re Beliefs about DV & Cutsody - Violence Against Women.pdfDescription of Saunders-Faller-Tolman 2015 Comparison of Professionals re Beliefs about DV & Cutsody - Violence Against Women.pdf : Articl

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

MEDIA REVIEWS

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68571/2/10.1177_088626091006004012.pd

The Need to Carefully Screen for Family Violence When Parental Alienation is Claimed

When a child does not want to visit or live with a parent after divorce or separation, the public and professionals may assume that the other parent has turned the child against the unwanted parent. This behavior is referred to as parental alienation behavior and the outcome as parental alienation. This article presents research on the likelihood that family violence, rather than parental alienation, is very often the explanation for the child’s reluctance. It also describes screening procedures for detecting family violence. For the best interests of the children, professionals need to be open to the possibility of many explanations for a child’s behavior, to diligently investigate each possibility, and to focus in particular on the widespread, serious problem of family violence.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/122720/1/Saunders & Faller 2016 The need to carefully screen for family violence when PA is claimed MFLJ -secure.pdfDescription of Saunders & Faller 2016 The need to carefully screen for family violence when PA is claimed MFLJ -secure.pdf : Main Articl

Polyincestuous Families

Forty-eight polyincestuous families were examined to determine the characteristics of this type of sexual abuse and subcategories of polyincest. The mean number of perpetrators per family was 3.3, and the mean number of victims 2.7. Almost 40% of perpetrators were female. Five families had only male victims, 19 only female, and 24 both male and female victims. In 71% of cases, there were offenders from both within the nuclear family and the extended family. In approximately 60% of cases, there were victims or offenders from outside the family who were involved in the sexual abuse. In more than a third of cases, there appeared to be a belief system supporting incest, and in about 40% victims seemed to find something positive in the sexual abuse. Forty-five of the cases could be classified into one of three categories, based on some perpetrator characteristics: (a) offenders: a mother and a father figure; (b) offenders: male relatives; and (c) offenders: a mother figure, a father figure, and others.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68472/2/10.1177_088626091006003004.pd

The Characteristics of Disclosure among Children Who May have been Sexually Abused

Seventy-six children (5 to 10 years old), who were referred because of concerns about sexual abuse, were interviewed as part of a larger study testing the efficacy of a computerassisted interview in sexual abuse evaluations. Data from initial interviews were coded according to the presence of disclosure and the details revealed about sexual abuse. The presence and amount of corroboration were coded through case review. Although 56 children were coded as having disclosed prior to evaluation, only 44 subjects disclosed during the initial interview. Only 1 child disclosed spontaneously. An additional 8 children (11%) disclosed possible sexual abuse in a second or later interview. Although girls disclosed at a higher rate than boys, children did not differ in the amount or types of information they provided about alleged sexual abuse. Findings are discussed in terms of the conceptualization of disclosure as a process. Implications for interviewing strategies are addressed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66798/2/10.1177_1077559599004003003.pd

The spectrum of sexual abuse in daycare: An exploratory study

Findings from an exploratory study of 48 children sexually abused in daycare centers and daycare homes are presented. About two thirds were female and one third male. Approximately half of victims were maltreated by a single perpetrator and about half by more than one perpetrator, in the latter instance almost always by both men and women. On average, the children were subjected to 5.3 types of sexual abuse, experienced 2.1 different sorts of threats to obtain their cooperation or prevent disclosure of their victimization, and suffered from 3.7 symptoms regarded as sequelae of sexual abuse. Differences in the characteristics of offenders, victims, the sexual abuse, threats, and sequelae were found based upon the daycare context, that is, whether children were victimized in a center with multiple perpetrators, a center with a single perpetrator, or a daycare home .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44916/1/10896_2004_Article_BF00989978.pd

The Parental Alienation Syndrome: What is it and What Data Support it?

This article describes the parental alienation syndrome, its proposed characteristics and dynamics, and the methods used to document its presence. Research related to various tenets of the parental alienation syndrome is then reviewed. Finally, the syndrome's utility for mental health professionals and courts in explaining allegations of sexual abuse in situations of divorce is evaluated.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67847/2/10.1177_1077559598003002005.pd