Friday, October 30, 2009
RJA #11b: Visual Aids
1. Charts of statistics re: divorce, marriage and children.
2. Graphs of statistics re: divorce, marriage and children.
3. Copy of Colorado Statute defining a Child & Family Investigator's (CFI) role and purpose of court appointment.
4. Copy of actual CFI report with quotes from children about their experiences with parents' divorce.
5. Research data (questions, etc.).
2. Graphs of statistics re: divorce, marriage and children.
3. Copy of Colorado Statute defining a Child & Family Investigator's (CFI) role and purpose of court appointment.
4. Copy of actual CFI report with quotes from children about their experiences with parents' divorce.
5. Research data (questions, etc.).
RJA #11a: Introduction
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2,244,000 marriages were recorded in the United States in 1998, and during this same year, more than 50% or 1,135,000 marriages ended in divorce. This divorce rate excludes data from four states (California, Colorado, Indiana and Louisiana) and there is no record of the divorce rates after 1998. To fully understand the true implications of this divorce rate, you must first understand the meaning of the term divorce. Divorce can be defined as “a complete or radical severance of closely connected things” and “to cut off; separate or disunite.” Technically this definition applies to husband and wife, but realistically this definition could apply to their children. As a result of a divorce, a “radical severance of [a child's] closely connected things” can include the child's home and the way child's life as he/she knows it. A change like this can be a very traumatic experience for a child. As with most traumas, negative effects can ensue. Children can carry the negative effects from their parents' divorce into adulthood.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
RJA #10b: Argument
Research question: What effects of divorce do children carry with them into adulthood?
Thesis: Children carry the negative effects of their parents' divorce into adulthood.
Ethos:
Judith Wallerstein studied 100+ children of divorce for more than 10 years and found that almost 50% of the children entered adulthood as "worried, underachieving, lonely, ..."
A study by a major researcher of 1000+ divorced families over 30 years found that 20-25% of young adults from divorced families "experienced long-term damage - serious social and emotional problems - compared to 10% of young people from intact families."
Studies show that the effects of divorce can stay with children for years and it has been found that some common characteristics of adult children of divorce include low self-esteem, mistrustfulness and fear of commitment.
Pathos:
No matter what the level of conflict in a divorce, a completely new family life emerges for children after a divorce. Their life as they knew it is destroyed. A divorce separates what was once an intact family and creates two new and separate worlds for children to grow up in - two new homes; two new lives and sometimes two separate identities, which can be hard and painful for children.
Logos:
It is not hard to believe that a child would experience negative effects from their parents' divorce that could carry on into their adulthood. Children, who have their entire worlds turned upside down, do not have the same coping mechanisms as an adult who might experience a traumatic experience.
In my line of work, I have seen the results of divorce on young children. Two four year-old twins who have to participate in therapy; a six year old boy with an eating disorder; and a ten year-old in a mental institution for wanting to kill herself. Granted there may be other underlying factors in these children's lives, but you cannot ignore the fact that in all three situations, the parents are involved in a divorce.
Thesis: Children carry the negative effects of their parents' divorce into adulthood.
Ethos:
Judith Wallerstein studied 100+ children of divorce for more than 10 years and found that almost 50% of the children entered adulthood as "worried, underachieving, lonely, ..."
A study by a major researcher of 1000+ divorced families over 30 years found that 20-25% of young adults from divorced families "experienced long-term damage - serious social and emotional problems - compared to 10% of young people from intact families."
Studies show that the effects of divorce can stay with children for years and it has been found that some common characteristics of adult children of divorce include low self-esteem, mistrustfulness and fear of commitment.
Pathos:
No matter what the level of conflict in a divorce, a completely new family life emerges for children after a divorce. Their life as they knew it is destroyed. A divorce separates what was once an intact family and creates two new and separate worlds for children to grow up in - two new homes; two new lives and sometimes two separate identities, which can be hard and painful for children.
Logos:
It is not hard to believe that a child would experience negative effects from their parents' divorce that could carry on into their adulthood. Children, who have their entire worlds turned upside down, do not have the same coping mechanisms as an adult who might experience a traumatic experience.
In my line of work, I have seen the results of divorce on young children. Two four year-old twins who have to participate in therapy; a six year old boy with an eating disorder; and a ten year-old in a mental institution for wanting to kill herself. Granted there may be other underlying factors in these children's lives, but you cannot ignore the fact that in all three situations, the parents are involved in a divorce.
RJA #10a: Thesis Statement
Research question: What effects of divorce do children carry with them into adulthood?
Precise claim: Children carry the negative effects of their parents' divorce with them into adulthood.
Reasons/blue print:
1. the effects of divorce, including low self-esteem, mistrustfulness and fear of commitment, can stay with children for years.
2. more young adults from divorced families experience long term damage (serious social and emotional problems) compared to young people from intact families.
Complete thesis statement: Children carry the negative effects of their parents' divorce into adulthood.
Precise claim: Children carry the negative effects of their parents' divorce with them into adulthood.
Reasons/blue print:
1. the effects of divorce, including low self-esteem, mistrustfulness and fear of commitment, can stay with children for years.
2. more young adults from divorced families experience long term damage (serious social and emotional problems) compared to young people from intact families.
Complete thesis statement: Children carry the negative effects of their parents' divorce into adulthood.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
RJA #9: Evaluation of Sources
1. Author: Elizabeth Marquardt
Title: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce: Between Two Worlds
Place of Publication: New York
Name of Publisher: Crown Publishers
Date of Publication (copyright): 2005
Edition: 1st
I do not believe this author shows any signs of bias. In her book, she doesn't share her political leanings or religious views that could affect her objectivity. I do not believe the author or publisher is associated with any special interest groups that might only see one side of an issue. Although the author is writing about her theory that children are affected by divorce (based on the results of her own independent study), the author does report and address alternative views. I don't think the author's language shows any signs of bias.
2. Author: Claire Berman
Title: Adult Children of Divorce Speak Out about Growing up with and Moving Beyond Parental Divorce
Place of Publication: New York
Name of Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date of Publication: 1991
Again, I do not believe this author shows any signs of bias. In her book, she doesn't share her political leanings or religious views that could affect her objectivity. I do not believe the author or publisher is associated with any special interest groups that might only see one side of an issue. This author is reporting on her own personal experiences and the information she obtained through interviews of adults who experienced parental divorce as children. She does address alternative views. I haven't gotten through this entire book, but from what I've read so far, the author's language doesn't show any signs of bias.
3. Authors: Keith Verna and Barbara Finlay
Title: The Impact of Parental Divorce on Children's Educational Attainment, Marital Timing, and Likelihood of Divorce
Source: Journal of Marriage & Family, August 1988, Vol 50, Issue 3, p797-809
I do not believe the authors of this article show any signs of bias. The don't share their political leanings or religious views that could affect their objectivity. The authors are affiliated with Texas A&M University, but I am not aware if they or the publisher is associated with any special interest groups that might only see one side of an issue. These authors seem to base their article on comparisons of different studies and their own study. These authors do address different points of view as they address different studies done on this subject. The authors language does not suggest any bias.
4. Divorcesource.com: This website has no documented author or sponsorship. This seems to be an informative website and it appears its purpose is to provide information for people going through a divorce. The information includes all aspects of a divorce, including but not limited to issues involving children, finances, assets, etc. This website discusses the effects of divorce on children but not long term effects and therefore, doesn't appear to be relevant to my topic. The website had the current date but I couldn't tell if that is the date that the website was last updated. It doesn't appear that this website is bias.
5. Childadvocate.net: The author of this website appears to be Chris Petersen, M.D. (child and adolescence psychiatrist). Also this website states that it is in compliance with HONcode and was last reviewed by the HONcode team in August 2009. The HONcode pledges to respect and honor 8 principles: authoritative, complementarity, privacy, attribution, justifiability, transparency, financial disclosure and advertising policy. This website's awards and acknowledgments include Family Friendly Cite recognized and respected on the WWW, Editor's Choice Healing Well.com, and Golden Web award 2002-2003. It appears that this website has several contributors including doctors, attorneys, and a former director of the National Counsel of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. The purpose of this website is to "serve the needs of children, families and professionals while addressing mental health, medical, educational, legal and legislative issues." The audience appears to be large and includes anyone needing information about children and it appears this website is relevant to my topic. This website was last revised on October 10, 2009. It doesn't appear that this website is bias.
6. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP.org): This website seems to be authored and sponsored by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Association. This seems to be an informative website and it appears its purpose is to provide information to families, medical students/residents and other medical professionals such as psychiatrists, etc. regarding mental, behavioral and developmental disorders affecting children. Although this website addresses children and divorce, I couldn't find anything about the long-term effects of divorce on children; therefore, it doesn't appear to be relevant to my topic. I couldn't find any information as to when this website was last updated. This website could be bias but it is hard to tell, because it doesn't disclose its affiliations or give information regarding the legislation it supports.
Title: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce: Between Two Worlds
Place of Publication: New York
Name of Publisher: Crown Publishers
Date of Publication (copyright): 2005
Edition: 1st
I do not believe this author shows any signs of bias. In her book, she doesn't share her political leanings or religious views that could affect her objectivity. I do not believe the author or publisher is associated with any special interest groups that might only see one side of an issue. Although the author is writing about her theory that children are affected by divorce (based on the results of her own independent study), the author does report and address alternative views. I don't think the author's language shows any signs of bias.
2. Author: Claire Berman
Title: Adult Children of Divorce Speak Out about Growing up with and Moving Beyond Parental Divorce
Place of Publication: New York
Name of Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date of Publication: 1991
Again, I do not believe this author shows any signs of bias. In her book, she doesn't share her political leanings or religious views that could affect her objectivity. I do not believe the author or publisher is associated with any special interest groups that might only see one side of an issue. This author is reporting on her own personal experiences and the information she obtained through interviews of adults who experienced parental divorce as children. She does address alternative views. I haven't gotten through this entire book, but from what I've read so far, the author's language doesn't show any signs of bias.
3. Authors: Keith Verna and Barbara Finlay
Title: The Impact of Parental Divorce on Children's Educational Attainment, Marital Timing, and Likelihood of Divorce
Source: Journal of Marriage & Family, August 1988, Vol 50, Issue 3, p797-809
I do not believe the authors of this article show any signs of bias. The don't share their political leanings or religious views that could affect their objectivity. The authors are affiliated with Texas A&M University, but I am not aware if they or the publisher is associated with any special interest groups that might only see one side of an issue. These authors seem to base their article on comparisons of different studies and their own study. These authors do address different points of view as they address different studies done on this subject. The authors language does not suggest any bias.
4. Divorcesource.com: This website has no documented author or sponsorship. This seems to be an informative website and it appears its purpose is to provide information for people going through a divorce. The information includes all aspects of a divorce, including but not limited to issues involving children, finances, assets, etc. This website discusses the effects of divorce on children but not long term effects and therefore, doesn't appear to be relevant to my topic. The website had the current date but I couldn't tell if that is the date that the website was last updated. It doesn't appear that this website is bias.
5. Childadvocate.net: The author of this website appears to be Chris Petersen, M.D. (child and adolescence psychiatrist). Also this website states that it is in compliance with HONcode and was last reviewed by the HONcode team in August 2009. The HONcode pledges to respect and honor 8 principles: authoritative, complementarity, privacy, attribution, justifiability, transparency, financial disclosure and advertising policy. This website's awards and acknowledgments include Family Friendly Cite recognized and respected on the WWW, Editor's Choice Healing Well.com, and Golden Web award 2002-2003. It appears that this website has several contributors including doctors, attorneys, and a former director of the National Counsel of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. The purpose of this website is to "serve the needs of children, families and professionals while addressing mental health, medical, educational, legal and legislative issues." The audience appears to be large and includes anyone needing information about children and it appears this website is relevant to my topic. This website was last revised on October 10, 2009. It doesn't appear that this website is bias.
6. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP.org): This website seems to be authored and sponsored by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Association. This seems to be an informative website and it appears its purpose is to provide information to families, medical students/residents and other medical professionals such as psychiatrists, etc. regarding mental, behavioral and developmental disorders affecting children. Although this website addresses children and divorce, I couldn't find anything about the long-term effects of divorce on children; therefore, it doesn't appear to be relevant to my topic. I couldn't find any information as to when this website was last updated. This website could be bias but it is hard to tell, because it doesn't disclose its affiliations or give information regarding the legislation it supports.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
RJA 8c: Multimedia
Resources searched or tool used: Blinkx.com
Keywords used: children and divorce
Search strategies used: Boolean
Date of search: 10/11/09
Number of hits: 8000 videos
Relevance of hits (1 to 5): 3
1. How Divorce Effects Children: children of divorce discuss their experiences
2. Divorce Affects Children!
3. Effects of Divorce on Children
Keywords used: children and divorce
Search strategies used: Boolean
Date of search: 10/11/09
Number of hits: 8000 videos
Relevance of hits (1 to 5): 3
1. How Divorce Effects Children: children of divorce discuss their experiences
2. Divorce Affects Children!
3. Effects of Divorce on Children
RJA 8b: Social Media
Resources searched or tool used: Technorati.com
Keywords used: 1st search - children and divorce; 2nd search - effects of divorce on children
Search strategies used: Boolean
Date of search: 10/11/09
Number of hits: 300
Relevance of hits (1 to 5): 1
1. Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children
2. The Damage of Divorce: Who pays the most?
Keywords used: 1st search - children and divorce; 2nd search - effects of divorce on children
Search strategies used: Boolean
Date of search: 10/11/09
Number of hits: 300
Relevance of hits (1 to 5): 1
1. Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children
2. The Damage of Divorce: Who pays the most?
RJA 8a: Websites
Resource searched or tool used: redz.com
Keywords used: children and divorce
Search strategies used: Boolean
Date of search: 10/11/09
Number of hits: 25
Relevance of hits (1 to 5): 2.5
1. Divorcesource.com
2. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - AACAP.org
3. Oregoncounseling.org
4. Childadvocate.net
Keywords used: children and divorce
Search strategies used: Boolean
Date of search: 10/11/09
Number of hits: 25
Relevance of hits (1 to 5): 2.5
1. Divorcesource.com
2. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - AACAP.org
3. Oregoncounseling.org
4. Childadvocate.net
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Internet Research Project
My assigned Internet research tool is Scout Report Archives a/k/a Internet Scout Project. This tool has been around since 1994 and is part of the University of Wisconsin. It seems to be geared more towards academics. It is a way of keeping informed of what they consider the most valuable online resources (websites, etc.).
Many people feel the Internet Scout Project is a very "important source for new developments and offerings on the web." These "new developments and offerings" can be provided directly to you via e-mail. The Internet Scout Project "aims to be the largest science, technology, engineering and math digital library every created."
This research tool is not very user friendly. There is no help function or any directions as to how to best do a search on this site so you just have to guess. It's an if you don't first succeed, try again and again and again situation.
The easiest way I found to search is through the archive directory as everything is listed by subjects or topics. I can't figure out the operators. The operator "and" works, but if you do an identical search using "or" you don't get any matches.
I did not find this tool very helpful.
Many people feel the Internet Scout Project is a very "important source for new developments and offerings on the web." These "new developments and offerings" can be provided directly to you via e-mail. The Internet Scout Project "aims to be the largest science, technology, engineering and math digital library every created."
This research tool is not very user friendly. There is no help function or any directions as to how to best do a search on this site so you just have to guess. It's an if you don't first succeed, try again and again and again situation.
The easiest way I found to search is through the archive directory as everything is listed by subjects or topics. I can't figure out the operators. The operator "and" works, but if you do an identical search using "or" you don't get any matches.
I did not find this tool very helpful.
RJA #7c: Field Research Plan
For my field research, I'm going to interview Gina Weitzenkorn, a Child & Family Investigator (CFI) and possibly a Guardian ad Litem. I will interview her in her office as that is more convenient for her. I will be using an audio recording device and taking notes. I want to complete my interview with the CFI by the week of October 12th. Some of the questions I will be asking the CFI will include (not in any particular order):
1. What is your role as a CFI?
2. What are some of the issues that see you children dealing with during their parents divorce?
3. How do you see these issues affecting these children in the long run?
4. What do you think parents can do to ease the effects of divorce on children.
I will also be interviewing two adults (A.G. and L.C. and maybe others) about their experiences as children with their parents' divorce and the effects, if any, that they are dealing with now. With these interviews, I will be mailing each of them a questionnaire to complete and then arrange for follow up conversations should I need clarification on any of their responses or additional information. I will conduct the follow up sessions/interviews by phone. I want to send out my questionnaires the week of October 5th and have them returned, reviewed and do my followup sessions the week of August 19th. Some of the questions (open ended, survey and yes/no) I will be asking include (not in any particular order):
1. How old were you when you realized your parents were having marital problems?
2. Did you ever think that your parents might separate or divorce?
3. How old were you when your parents divorced?
4. I had to take sides in my parents' conflicts (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
5. When you were growing up, did you feel too responsible for taking care of your mother/father/brother or sister?
6. At any time in the years after the divorce, were you asked to choose which parent to live with?
7. I often missed my mother/father (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
8. There are things that my mother/father has done that I find hard to forgive (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
9. I generally felt physically safe (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
10. I was alone a lot as a child (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
11. Sometimes I felt like I didn't' have a home (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
12. I generally felt emotionally safe (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
13. I felt like I had two families (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
14. I felt like I had two homes (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
15. When you were growing up did you ever run away from home?
16. When you were growing up were you ever kicked out of the house?
17. I feel I can depend on my friends more than my family (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
18. When I have a conflict with someone, I usually feel it can only get worse, not better (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
19. I have experienced many losses in my life (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
20. I don't feel that anyone really understands me (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
21. In general, would you say most people can be trusted or you can't be too careful in life?
22. What is your marital status?
23. If you are married, taking all things together, how would you describe your marriage (very happy, pretty happy, not too happy).
24. If you are married, how old were you when you got married.
25. Have you ever been divorced? If so, how old were you when you got divorced.
26. Do you have children? If so, how many?
27. What is your level of education (graduate degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, some college, HS degree, no HS degree).
I would also like to ask some questions about premarital history/social relationships, economic circumstances, health, psychological issues, drug/alcohol use/abuse, attitude toward divorce, etc.
1. What is your role as a CFI?
2. What are some of the issues that see you children dealing with during their parents divorce?
3. How do you see these issues affecting these children in the long run?
4. What do you think parents can do to ease the effects of divorce on children.
I will also be interviewing two adults (A.G. and L.C. and maybe others) about their experiences as children with their parents' divorce and the effects, if any, that they are dealing with now. With these interviews, I will be mailing each of them a questionnaire to complete and then arrange for follow up conversations should I need clarification on any of their responses or additional information. I will conduct the follow up sessions/interviews by phone. I want to send out my questionnaires the week of October 5th and have them returned, reviewed and do my followup sessions the week of August 19th. Some of the questions (open ended, survey and yes/no) I will be asking include (not in any particular order):
1. How old were you when you realized your parents were having marital problems?
2. Did you ever think that your parents might separate or divorce?
3. How old were you when your parents divorced?
4. I had to take sides in my parents' conflicts (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
5. When you were growing up, did you feel too responsible for taking care of your mother/father/brother or sister?
6. At any time in the years after the divorce, were you asked to choose which parent to live with?
7. I often missed my mother/father (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
8. There are things that my mother/father has done that I find hard to forgive (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
9. I generally felt physically safe (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
10. I was alone a lot as a child (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
11. Sometimes I felt like I didn't' have a home (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
12. I generally felt emotionally safe (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
13. I felt like I had two families (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
14. I felt like I had two homes (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
15. When you were growing up did you ever run away from home?
16. When you were growing up were you ever kicked out of the house?
17. I feel I can depend on my friends more than my family (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
18. When I have a conflict with someone, I usually feel it can only get worse, not better (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
19. I have experienced many losses in my life (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
20. I don't feel that anyone really understands me (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree).
21. In general, would you say most people can be trusted or you can't be too careful in life?
22. What is your marital status?
23. If you are married, taking all things together, how would you describe your marriage (very happy, pretty happy, not too happy).
24. If you are married, how old were you when you got married.
25. Have you ever been divorced? If so, how old were you when you got divorced.
26. Do you have children? If so, how many?
27. What is your level of education (graduate degree, bachelor's degree, associate degree, some college, HS degree, no HS degree).
I would also like to ask some questions about premarital history/social relationships, economic circumstances, health, psychological issues, drug/alcohol use/abuse, attitude toward divorce, etc.
RJA #7b: Internet Research Tool Test
Resource searched: Scout Report Archives
Keywords used: divorce, dissolution of marriage, children, child; marriage
Search strategies used: I did not have much luck using keywords, so I browsed the archives directory via the "subject headings."
Date of search: 10/4/09
Number of hits: children: 22 hits; child: 14 hits; divorce: 1 hit; dissolution of marriage: 0 hits; marriage: 4 hits
Relevance of hits: 1
Keywords used: divorce, dissolution of marriage, children, child; marriage
Search strategies used: I did not have much luck using keywords, so I browsed the archives directory via the "subject headings."
Date of search: 10/4/09
Number of hits: children: 22 hits; child: 14 hits; divorce: 1 hit; dissolution of marriage: 0 hits; marriage: 4 hits
Relevance of hits: 1
RJA #7a: Internet Research Tools
When I do any Internet research, I regularly use Google (google.com). I like to use Google because it is very easy to use and seems to be geared towards people with minimal computer experience. I like that it will allow me to use phrases when I do searches, and I don't have to worry about using any special symbols or characters, like Boolean operators. I am not familiar with any other research tools. I have heard of some, like Bing and askjeeves.com, but I have never used these research tools.
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