Yvonne Vissing
Professor of Healthcare Studies, Salem State University
Founding Director, Center for Childhood & Youth Studies
Policy Chair, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Chapter Member: Boston SSN
Areas of Expertise:
Connect with Yvonne
About Yvonne
Vissing is a pediatric and community sociologist and human rights advocate. She is a board member of the National Coalition for the Homeless, a member of the NH Juvenile Parole Board, and founding director of its Center for Childhood & Youth Studies at Salem State University. Vissing is a Policy Chair for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and works with the international community as well as the state of Massachusetts promoting child rights and wellbeing issues.
Contributions
In the News
Opinion: "Protecting Children Also Protects Colleges," Yvonne Vissing, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 2, 2012.
Opinion: "The Subtle War against Children," Yvonne Vissing, Fellowship Magazine, Spring 2003.
Publications
"Advocacy for Children," in Sociologists in Action: Sociology, Social Change and Social Justice, edited by Shelley White, Kathleen Odell Korgen, and Jonathan White (Pine Forge Press, 2013).
Provides vivid examples of how sociologists are using sociological tools to make a positive impact on our society, helping students better understand how their study of sociology can be put to good use in today’s world.
"How to Keep Your Children Safe: A Guide for Parents " (UPNE, 2007).
Provides detailed information on places where children are under the care of others, including day care, recreational settings, religious and civic organizations, schools, and summer camps; investigates the potential perils of each setting and enumerates ways in which parents can better monitor, or take control of, their child’s safety.
"Parent-to-Child Verbal Aggression," in Communication and Family Violence, edited by Dudley D. Cahn and Sally A. Lloyd (Sage Publicatoins, 2006).
Argues that while child abuse is often thought to just be physical and sexual, the emotional forms of abuse are found to be those that are most detrimental to a child in the long-term; analyzes national data and concludes that emotional abuse is something that everyone needs to be more attentive to preventing.
"Out of Sight, out of Mind: Homeless Children in Small Town America" (University of Kentucky Press, 2006).
Explores the prevalence, etiology and consequences of homelessness on children and their families and provides strategies to prevent it.