Kyle P Rawn, Mary M Levi, Andrea M Pals, Holly Huber, Jonathan M Golding
{"title":"Impacts of Victim Resistance and Type of Assault on Legal Decision-Making in Child Sexual Assault.","authors":"Kyle P Rawn, Mary M Levi, Andrea M Pals, Holly Huber, Jonathan M Golding","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2180468","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2180468","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prior studies have examined the effects of victim resistance and type of assault (attempted or completed) on perceptions of adult rape cases. However, research has not yet tested whether these findings extend to verdicts rendered in child rape cases, nor has research focused on how perceptions of victim and defendant characteristics in child rape cases may contribute to legal decision-making. In the present study, a 2 (attempted or completed sexual assault) x 3 (victim resistance: verbal-only, verbal with outside interruption, or physical) x 2 (participant sex) between-participant design was used to assess legal decision-making involving a hypothetical criminal case of child rape, with a six-year-old female victim and a 30-year-old male perpetrator. Three-hundred and thirty-five participants read a criminal trial summary and answered questions about the trial, the victim, and the defendant. Results revealed that: (a) when a victim physically resisted, compared to verbally resisted, more guilty judgments were rendered, (b) when the victim physically resisted, higher ratings for aggregated factors for Victim Credibility and Negative Perceptions of the Defendant were given, leading to more guilty verdicts, and (c) female participants were more likely than male participants to render a guilty verdict. No differences in verdict rendered between the verbal with interruption (e.g., knocking on door) and verbal-only conditions were found, nor did type of assault lead to differences in verdict rendered. Implications for child sexual assault cases and the courtroom, as well as implications for practitioners, are provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9736323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katie A Berens, Shelbie F Anderson, Madison B Harvey, Patricia I Coburn, Heather L Price, Kristin Chong, Deborah A Connolly
{"title":"Categorizing Complainant-Accused Relationships in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse: The Distinctive Nature of Community Connections.","authors":"Katie A Berens, Shelbie F Anderson, Madison B Harvey, Patricia I Coburn, Heather L Price, Kristin Chong, Deborah A Connolly","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2194297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2194297","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We examined the categorization of relationships between child complainants and accused perpetrators in cases of child sexual abuse (CSA). Researchers that have focused on complainant-accused relationships and other case variables, often combining two extrafamilial complainant-accused relationship categories: Relationships where the accused is connected to the child through their position in the community (i.e. community connections) and relationships where the non-relative accused is known to the child through a connection to the child's family (i.e. non-relative family connections). Using a database of 4,237 Canadian judicial decisions in cases of CSA, we reviewed a subset of 1,515 judicial decisions to explore differences between these two relationship categories. Compared to cases involving non-relative family connections, cases involving community connections had more male complainants, more multiple complainants, older complainants, higher frequencies of abuse, longer durations, and longer delays. We conclude that community and non-relative family connections are distinct relationships that should be separated for analyses in future research. Practical implications of recognizing the distinctiveness of non-relative family and community connection relationship categories in the context of abuse prevention and treatment are also discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9736899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Associations between Self-Silencing and Delinquency in Adolescent Who Experienced Child Sexual Abuse.","authors":"Élizabeth Hébert, Laurie Fortin, Andréanne Fortin, Alison Paradis, Martine Hébert","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2177222","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2177222","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A large body of research reveals that child sexual abuse is an adverse experience associated with many negative socioemotional and behavioral consequences during adolescence. Notably, adolescent victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior, which has importance for their adaptation later in life. While research on the psychological antecedents of delinquent behavior has independently considered each core feature of silencing the self (i.e., low assertiveness and self-expression, conflict avoidance, presenting a non-authentic self, anger, and hostility), it has failed to jointly consider these as potential predictors of delinquent behaviors in adolescent victims of child sexual abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between the two dimensions of self-silencing (i.e., divided self and silencing the self) and delinquency in adolescent victims of child sexual abuse. A sample of 110 adolescents seeking services following child sexual abuse completed self-reported questionnaires, and case files were analyzed to gather information regarding child sexual abuse severity. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, after controlling for the effect of age, gender, parental monitoring, and child sexual abuse severity, self-silencing was positively associated with delinquent behaviors, affiliation with delinquent peers, as well as alcohol and drug use. Divided self contributed to the prediction of aggressive behaviors. Implementing interventions aimed at increasing adolescents' assertiveness, conflict management skills, and emotion regulation and promoting congruence between their behaviors and authentic selves may lower their involvement in delinquency.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9372468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cultural Determinants and Parent-Child Communication as an Effective Tool to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse: A Quick Qualitative Study.","authors":"Fakunle S Olutayo, Opadere A Aderemi","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2190736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2190736","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The current study's sole specific goal was to use a qualitative approach, from the parents' emic perspective, to investigate the cultural determinants that influence using parent-child communication as an instrument to protect children from sexual abuse in the six electoral wards of Ife-East Local Government that covered the rural settlement of Ile-Ife. The study adopted a simple random sampling method to select a village from each ward and a convenient sampling method to select six parents from each village, making a total sample size of 36. The study utilized in-depth face-to-face interviews to garner the primary data and content analysis for data analysis. This study found and concluded that parents' economic activities, religious beliefs, fear of stigmatization or mockery, belief that giving a child sex education via parent-child communication promotes waywardness in the behavior of such a child, belief that sex education should be best confined to formal education, and overconfidence of the parents in their wards were among the cultural determinants influencing the efficacy of parent-child communication as a device to shield young ones from being victims of sexual abuse in the study location. The study recommended public enlightenment via various social institutions on dealing with these cultural determinants.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9424344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amy E Ellis, Steve Martino, Vanessa Simiola, Chyrell Bellamy, Maria O'Connell, Joan M Cook
{"title":"Training Male Sexual Abuse Survivors as Peer Leaders to Deliver Motivational Interviewing and Trauma-Informed Affirmative Care.","authors":"Amy E Ellis, Steve Martino, Vanessa Simiola, Chyrell Bellamy, Maria O'Connell, Joan M Cook","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2203691","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2203691","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper provides a description and evaluation of training male sexual abuse survivors to deliver Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Motivational Interviewing with Trauma-Informed Affirmative Care (MI-AC) online to sexual and gender minority (SGM) men with sexual assault histories and depression. After a search and selection process, 26 men with lived experience of sexual abuse received MI training that included the use of role-playing, video demonstrations, and practice followed by weekly supervision while co-leading groups. Peer leaders completed several measures pre and post training, including beliefs about MI and self-reported learning of MI and satisfaction with the training. A sample of MI and MI-AC audio sessions were independently rated for adherence and competence. Peer leaders' beliefs about MI changed over time, while self-rated skill level stayed consistent. Peer leaders demonstrated good adherence to the MI and MI-AC conditions. Results suggest that men with lived experience of sexual trauma effectively learned to deliver MI and/or MI-AC to SGM male survivors in online groups. These interventions have the potential to expand the reach of limited services for this population as well as reduce their depression and assist in SGM men with histories of sexual abuse entering into formal mental health services.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9426317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Fitzgerald, Lindsay E Wright, Alex J Bishop
{"title":"Does Forgiveness Enhance Or Detract From Relationship Quality Among Sexual Abuse Survivors?","authors":"Michael Fitzgerald, Lindsay E Wright, Alex J Bishop","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2174469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2174469","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many women experience childhood sexual abuse (CSA) during their childhood and CSA often negatively impacts adult's romantic relationships. Consequently, it is important to understand the protective factors that buffer against the detrimental impact of CSA on the quality of women's romantic relationships. Forgiveness may be one such factor. The current study looked at trait forgiveness as a moderator of CSA and overall relationship quality, positive relationship quality, and negative relationship quality. A sample of 171 women completed an online survey. Using hierarchical regression, forgiveness was found to moderate the association between CSA and overall relationship quality and negative relationship quality, but not positive relationship quality. Findings indicate that the interaction between CSA and forgiveness was significant, but higher levels of forgiveness actually decreased overall relationship quality and increased negative relationship quality. The relationship between CSA and overall reports of relationship quality and negative relationship quality were stable at low levels of forgiveness, but when forgiveness was high overall relationship quality decreased and negative relationship quality increased. CSA was also directly associated with lower levels of positive relationship quality. Findings from the study indicate continued conceptual refinement when considering CSA, forgiveness, and relationship quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9735864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparison of Sorority and non-Sorority Women: Risks for Different Sexual Assault Types.","authors":"Kimberly A Tyler","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2170845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2170845","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Though rates of sexual assault are high among college women, some studies find even greater prevalence rates among women who are sorority members. This study examined the association between familial risk factors (e.g., child physical abuse), PTSD symptoms, and proximal risk factors (e.g., sexual risk behavior) with three sexual assault types (i.e., coercive, incapacitated by alcohol or drugs, and physically forced) among sorority and non-sorority women at a large Midwestern university. Participants completed a paper-and-pencil survey that included measures of different sexual assault types, childhood maltreatment, parental rejection, PTSD symptoms, and sexual and substance use behaviors. A fully recursive path model was estimated to examine the pathways to three different sexual assault types. Results revealed that sorority women experienced coercive and incapacitated sexual assault more so than non-sorority women though there was no significant difference for physically forced sexual assault. Sorority women also reported engaging in more sexual risk behaviors, which was in turn, associated with all three sexual assault types. Sorority women also reported heavier alcohol use, which in turn, was positively associated with coercive and incapacitated sexual assault. These findings have implications for prevention among college undergraduate women.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9619478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development and Evaluation of the Teacher Reporting Questionnaire for South African Foundation Phase Educators (TRQ-SA) in Measuring Teachers' Intentions to Report Child Sexual Abuse Suspicions.","authors":"Deirdre Margo Rule","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2193576","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2193576","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Globally teachers are mandated by law to report suspected child sexual abuse (CSA). The Teachers' Reporting Questionnaire (TRQ) was constructed to assess teachers' intentions to report CSA suspicions in Australia. The current research examines the development of the Teacher Reporting Questionnaire for South African foundation phase educators (TRQ-SA) and provides an evaluation of the TRQ-SA as a survey instrument for utilization in other studies. The TRQ-SA is a self-administered survey instrument used in a cross-sectional quantitative study that investigated teacher reporting intentions using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). A stratified random sample of 399 teachers from the eight school districts in the Western Cape province of South Africa was achieved. Before the TRQ-SA was developed, a qualitative elicitation study was conducted. Once developed, the questionnaire was pre-tested before the quantitative central study survey was administered. Cronbach's alpha was used to indicate reliability of scales, where a minimum α coefficient of .7 is considered acceptable. In the quantitative survey, the TRQ-SA had the following results: α = .74 was achieved for the attitude towards reporting scale, α = .78 for the subjective norm scale, α = .74 for the perceived behavioral control scale and α = .79 for the intention to report scale. The TRQ-SA achieved good internal consistency for all its TPB scales. The TRQ-SA is a valid and reliable survey instrument which could be used \"as is\" or amended in similar settings and countries testing the TPB in their own contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9252022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Unpopular Victims: Individuals Who Are Sexually Abusive - The Black Swans.","authors":"L C Miccio-Fonseca","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2190735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2190735","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article contends that youth who engage in persistent coarse sexual improprieties and/or, sexually abusive behaviors are too often viewed primarily through a criminological lens, regardless of their age, gender, judicial status, and/or experiences of past trauma/victimization. Such a posture likely falsifies the clinical perception of the individual referred for \"treatment.\" Assessment and interventions for these youth must be holistic and idiosyncratic, considering numerous multiplex developmental variables (i.e., overall human sexual development, gender identity, sexual identity, sexual orientation, erotic development, intimacy deficits, adverse childhood experiences/trauma), as well as sociological and anthropological fundamentals. The lens for assessing and intervening with youth must also include in its focus the constantly changing <i>Zeitgeist</i>, that is, the spirit or the mood of the times. The proposed lens is applicable to <i>all</i> youth, adjudicated and non-adjudicated. Specific considerations are discussed related to those youth with a history of significant child maltreatment who later engage in persistent coarse sexual improprieties and/or sexually abusive behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9251522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Behavioral Intentions of Bystanders to Image-Based Sexual Abuse: A Preliminary Focus Group Study with a University Student Sample.","authors":"Chelsea Mainwaring, Adrian J Scott, Fiona Gabbert","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2190734","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2190734","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) represents a form of technology-facilitated sexual abuse that encompasses the taking, creating, and/or sharing (including threats to share) of nude or sexual images without consent. Unlike physical sexual violence contexts, little is known regarding if and how bystanders intervene in IBSA contexts. The current preliminary study aimed to address this gap in the literature. Specifically, seven focus groups with a sample of 35 university students (31 females, 4 males) were conducted to explore how they think they would behave (i.e., their behavioral intentions) if they were bystanders to three different IBSA scenarios: non-consensual taking, non-consensual sharing, and threatening to share nude or sexual images. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis and the following themes were identified: <i>perpetrator-centered action</i>, <i>victim-centered action</i>, <i>justice-centered action</i>, and <i>intervention as a well-informed and controlled process</i>. Participants discussed how they would intervene by approaching the perpetrator, either in a confrontational or non-confrontational way, or approach the victim to inform them of what was happening, provide advice, or to support them. They also discussed involving the police. However, some group members were against these forms of intervention, particularly approaching the perpetrator and involving the police. Finally, many participants indicated that their actions need to be well-informed. These findings highlight a wide range of bystander actions in IBSA contexts that have implications for the development of policies, educational materials, and measures of bystander intervention behavior in future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9305718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}