When parents perpetuate abuse against their children, it is all too likely that they themselves were also victims of abuse. Children who have experienced maltreatment face significant barriers to flourishing when they reach adulthood, but with support and the right tools, it is possible for individuals to make different choices and break the cycle of abuse in their family.

This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Savannah Nelson, an undergraduate student at BYU-Idaho and recent author of an op-ed for the Institute for Family Studies, “Ending the Cycle of Intergenerational Child Abuse.” Savannah discusses her personal connection to the topic, sharing how her mother overcame the abuse she endured from her parents and was able to make a different choice when starting her own family. She also shares what she has learned from her research, including how forming strong marriages is associated with lower risk of abuse, and how marriage and family education can be an effective tool for equipping parents to create healthy relationships with each other and with their children.

Resources

-Ending the Cycle of Intergenerational Child Abuse | Savannah Nelson and Timothy Rarick

-Married Fatherhood | Ian Rowe

Show Notes

-00:52 | How did you come to write about this topic?

-03:03 | What does it mean to be a “transitional character”?

-04:24 | What kind of process must an individual go through in order to become a transitional character?

-05:57 | How must a child make the choice to make a change even when the change hasn’t been modeled for them?

-07:17 | How can we help children who have experienced abuse feel confident that they are able to form healthier relationships in their own life?

-09:37 | What role does marriage play in breaking the cycle of abuse, and what do you think of the fact that more and more young people are not considering marriage or children within marriage as part of their future?

-12:26 | What resources are available through churches and religious communities to educate individuals on ending the cycle of abuse? Is this topic incorporated into family and marriage education in the context of the LDS church?

Concerns about a mental health crisis among young people have produced broad initiatives to improve overall mental well-being or “prevent” mental illness. But what evidence do we have that these programs are producing desirable outcomes?

This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Carolyn Gorman, the Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute. In a new report to be released on September 12, Carolyn examines whether school-based mental health initiatives are useful for combatting mental health issues among kids. She explains that, in many cases, the continued effort to broadly incorporate mental health treatment, awareness, and “prevention” programs into school systems do more harm than good. In light of the recent Georgia school shooting, the current conversation around mental health continues to be a pressing one. However, as Carolyn notes, policies targeted specifically toward individuals with severe mental health disorders are more likely to affect change than broad funding for mental health awareness and prevention.

Resources

-A Better Youth Mental Health Policy | Carolyn D. Gorman and Scott Dziengelski

-Senate Gun Bill Includes Solid Mental Health Policies—But Must Focus on Serious Mental

Illness | Carolyn D. Gorman

Show Notes

• 00:40 | What were the findings of your research on the
• impact of current mental health policy initiatives on the well-being and
• educational outcomes of kids?
• 02:29 | What are the downsides of the prevailing approaches
• to mental health policy?
• 05:38 | You divide mental health approaches into three
• tiers. Can you break those down?
• 08:58| What is considered a mental illness and what is not?
• When are services at school appropriate, and where are the areas where schools
• are attempting to treat kids when they shouldn’t?
• 11:51 | What do you mean when you say the distinct goals of
• mental health and education are often in direct conflict?
• 14:28 | What is the right role for schools to play in the
• realm of children’s mental health?
• 17:16 | How do mental health professionals view the
• encroachment of mental health treatment into schools? How can we untangle this?
• 22:49 | How do social emotional learning programs
• exacerbating mental health issues?
• 28:11 | What are the final policy recommendations from your
• report, and is there any distinction in recommendations based on the age of the
• child?

Policymakers, researchers, and activists in the child welfare field frequently point to racial disparities within the system, as evidence of the systemic bias. But what are the true causes of these disparities? And how should governmental bodies tasked with protecting civil rights understand this issue?

This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Rafael Mangual, Nick Ohnell Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, to discuss his recent resignation from the New York State Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights after it conducted an investigation of racial disparities in the child welfare system. Rafael discusses the report published by the committee, which includes recommendations that would significantly diminish the power of the child welfare system. He includes data from his own research that challenges the findings of the committee and expresses concern that other state committees are going to engage in the same kind of work that is thin on evidence and heavy on ideology.

Resources

-Kids In Jeopardy | Rafael Mangual

-The Radical Push to Dismantle Child Protective Services | Naomi Schaefer Riley and Rafael Mangual

-Advisory Committees | US Commission on Civil Rights

Show Notes

04:00 What are the disparities in the child welfare system, and what are the potential explanations for them? How did the committee go about gathering information to answer that question?

11:30 How do committee members respond when alternative data is presented that suggests other causes for disparities besides systemic racism?

20:48 How would you respond to the claim that cash payments to families involved in child welfare will effectively address issues of abuse or neglect, and what do activists believe will be accomplished by this idea?