Sarah E Ullman, Veronica Canadas, Chloe Lowry, Casey Harris, Teuta Peja
{"title":"Survivor- and Informal Support-Initiated Disclosures of Alcohol/Drug Sexual Assaults.","authors":"Sarah E Ullman, Veronica Canadas, Chloe Lowry, Casey Harris, Teuta Peja","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2611105","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2611105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ample research exists on sexual assault (SA) disclosure from the survivor perspective, yet studies with dyadic data, including their informal support providers (SPs), remain scarce. This is particularly true for substance-involved assaults which have been less studied. The present study of 29 survivors, 13 of whom were survivor-SP dyads, used interview data to address this gap. We examine how romantic partners, family, and friends experience SA disclosures from survivor and informal SP perspectives. SP-initiated disclosure themes include a) SPs prompting survivors to disclose after noticing mood/behavioral changes that gave them concern about the survivor, and b) SPs specifically disclosing their own past traumatic experience, which led to survivor SA disclosure. Survivor-initiated disclosure themes include a) survivor fear/anxiety related to disclosing due to fear of receiving negative reactions from SP, b) survivor disclosure prompting SP trauma disclosure, and c) positive and negative disclosure experiences affecting survivor perceptions of whether to disclose to other people. Implications are drawn for how to provide advice to survivors and SPs on improving disclosure experiences of substance-involved assaults, whether survivor or SP-initiated. Survivor anxiety regarding disclosure and feared negative social reactions are common, which requires improving societal culture to support victims and reduce social stigma via education on responding to survivors of diverse familial and cultural backgrounds. The role of survivor and SP disclosures of assault/trauma in facilitating/eliciting disclosures from the person they tell, and motivations for disclosing, are addressed to better understand mutual disclosure in dyadic relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"4-26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13092205/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sharon S Wang, Jessica A Blayney, Anna E Jaffe, Cynthia A Stappenbeck, William H George, Kelly C Davis
{"title":"Childhood Sexual Abuse, Adolescent-Adult Sexual Assault, and Revictimization: Do Emotion Regulation and Mindfulness Buffer Associations with Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms?","authors":"Sharon S Wang, Jessica A Blayney, Anna E Jaffe, Cynthia A Stappenbeck, William H George, Kelly C Davis","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2634242","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2634242","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and/or adolescent-adult sexual assault (ASA) can have different trauma-related symptom presentations in early adulthood, but the role of coping resources in mitigating victimization-related distress is understudied. Thus, the present study examined women with sexual victimization histories by developmental period (CSA-only, ASA-only, or CSA + ASA) and the role that mindfulness and emotion regulation play as coping resources that may buffer against post-traumatic stress. Participants were 247 cisgender community women aged 21-30 recruited for a larger study on high-risk drinking and sexual behaviors. Negative binomial regression models revealed significant differences in PTSS severity by victimization pattern: CSA + ASA was associated with the greatest PTSS severity, followed by ASA-only, and CSA-only reporting the lowest severity. Though no buffering effects were found, emotion regulation and mindfulness were directly associated with lower PTSS severity across all victimization patterns. Results indicate the need for targeted interventions for those who have experienced both CSA and ASA. Findings also suggest that improving mindfulness and emotion regulation may be beneficial, though not sufficient, for recovery following sexual victimization regardless of victimization pattern. Future interventions could prioritize increasing coping resources to reduce distress for victim-survivors of sexual victimization.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"27-47"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13075379/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147348945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editor-in-Chief Acknowledgements and Announcements.","authors":"Robert Geffner","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2650935","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2026.2650935","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":"35 1","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147822205","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}
Sarah Evans Zalewski, Julia Jc Blau, Patrick Biggins, Julianna Vass
{"title":"School Counselors and Child Sex Trafficking: Insights into Their Training, Practices, and Perceptions of Competence.","authors":"Sarah Evans Zalewski, Julia Jc Blau, Patrick Biggins, Julianna Vass","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2630831","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2630831","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this empirical study is to examine the preparation and perceived competence of school counselors in addressing instances involving children at risk of or who are victims of child sex trafficking. This national study convenience sampled 158 self-identified school counselors using a quantitative survey inquiring into their knowledge and training pertaining to students at risk for sex trafficking. The results indicate that school counselors do not see themselves as competent nor do they have training in identifying and aiding students at risk for child sex trafficking. Since school counselors are perhaps the most easily accessible mental health professionals for children, charged with caring for and advocating for all students, they should be provided training about child sex trafficking so that they can identify and help these students.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"70-90"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146214491","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":"Unprotected and Unheard: Professionals' Perspectives on Sexual Violence Against SGM Youth.","authors":"Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan, Ruth Berkowitz, Shir Maoz","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2615992","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2615992","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth face a heightened risk of sexual violence, yet their experiences are often overlooked in mainstream frameworks of prevention and care. Access to appropriate support may be further limited by biased or uninformed professional attitudes toward both SGM identities and sexual victimization. This study explored how professionals in Israel understand and interpret sexual violence against SGM youth and how structural, psychological, and cultural factors shape vulnerability and barriers to healing. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty professionals working with SGM youth in clinical, educational, and community settings. Three interconnected themes emerged: (1) Longing for Recognition, showing how unmet attachment needs and isolation drive SGM youth into unsafe digital spaces; (2) When Shame Meets Shame, illustrating how internalized stigma and identity-related shame complicate the recognition and disclosure of harm; and (3) Silenced Pain, highlighting how family rejection, institutional neglect, and intra-community denial contribute to systemic invisibility. Five subthemes, including digital risk-taking and the burden of double disclosure, further detailed these dynamics. Identity-based stigma, digital vulnerability, and institutional gaps converge to create complex pathways of harm. Trauma-informed, LGBTQ-affirming interventions are urgently needed across clinical, educational, and policy domains.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"48-69"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145967386","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}
Kristi K Westphaln, Marie Masotya, Bridget Haas, Wendy Regoeczi, Lolita McDavid, Jennifer Johnson, Sarah Ronis
{"title":"Socioecological Perspectives on Healing After Child Sexual Abuse: An Application of the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework.","authors":"Kristi K Westphaln, Marie Masotya, Bridget Haas, Wendy Regoeczi, Lolita McDavid, Jennifer Johnson, Sarah Ronis","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2638980","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2026.2638980","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Children who experience childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and their non-offending family members are frequently referred to Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) for multisector service coordination and evidence-based treatments. Little is known about how interactions with the CAC model impact healing after CSA from a socioecological context (child, parent/caregiver, family). This qualitative study explored facilitators and barriers to healing after CSA within a socioecological context among families that received care at an urban Midwestern CAC. Semi-structured interviews (<i>n</i> = 15) were conducted with parents of children who experienced CSA and received services at the CCAC. Data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six phase method of thematic analysis and a family-centered adaptation of the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework. Findings reflected three main themes: healing, facilitators and barriers, and opportunities for CACs to promote healing after CSA. In conclusion, CAC-based interventions that incorporate a socioecological approach and community-engaged perspectives may reduce barriers to care and promote healing after CSA for children, parents, and families.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"91-116"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147366940","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}
Kathryn E L Grimes, Marni L Kan, Rebecca J Macy, Sandra L Martin, Randall Eckhoff, Meghan K Root, Leah Frerichs, Angela M Stover, Christopher M Shea, Nichole M Scaglione
{"title":"A Pre-Post Evaluation of the Sexual Communication and Consent Training Program in United States Air Force Basic Military Training, 2019-2020.","authors":"Kathryn E L Grimes, Marni L Kan, Rebecca J Macy, Sandra L Martin, Randall Eckhoff, Meghan K Root, Leah Frerichs, Angela M Stover, Christopher M Shea, Nichole M Scaglione","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2598559","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2598559","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the proximal outcomes of the Sexual Communication and Consent program (SCC): a novel, tailored sexual assault (SA) prevention intervention implemented in the United States Air Force Basic Military Training from 2019 to 2020. Trainees received classroom instructor-led training and one of five tablet-delivered interventions that were tailored based on individual SA risk for perpetration, victimization, or revictimization assessed with a screening instrument. Using multilevel regression modeling, we assessed six proximal outcomes of SCC exposure in a sample of 3557 trainees with matched pretest and posttest data, analyzing results for both the overall sample and across the five SCC intervention subgroups. Within the overall sample, participation in SCC was associated with statistically significant increases in SA knowledge, consent knowledge, and self-efficacy to resist unwanted advances and statistically significant decreases in date rape attitudes and, unexpectedly, bystander intentions. Stratified analyses revealed consistent SA knowledge increases across subgroups, whereas consent knowledge and date rape attitudes were only significant in the male Healthy Relationships/Bystander Intervention subgroup. Self-efficacy to resist unwanted advances was significant in all victimization-focused subgroups except male Primary Victimization Prevention. There were no observed changes in protective dating behaviors in the overall sample or any intervention subgroup. Expanding the limited evidence-base of SA prevention programming in the US military, findings highlight the potential for tailored interventions that address SA risk factors for perpetration, victimization, or revictimization, to improve proximal outcomes known to be associated with SA incidence. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"902-921"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145726599","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}
Jacquelynn F Duron, Brooks R Keeshin, Mark D Everson, Kathleen Coulborn Faller, Martin A Finkel, Brian L Thorn, Sonja Brilleslijper-Kater, David L Corwin
{"title":"A Call for Research Funding to Support Early Identification of Child Sexual Abuse.","authors":"Jacquelynn F Duron, Brooks R Keeshin, Mark D Everson, Kathleen Coulborn Faller, Martin A Finkel, Brian L Thorn, Sonja Brilleslijper-Kater, David L Corwin","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2610312","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2610312","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a significant challenge for children in the United States. Despite this, research focused on identifying CSA among children aged 5 and under is underfunded compared to other child health issues and remains a gap in the field. This paper provides five recommendations to support early identification of CSA, including a central call for research to advance key areas such as forensic interview approaches, the use of medical histories, recognition of sexual behaviors, children's knowledge and emotional responses, and the development of trauma-informed screening protocols. The remaining focused recommendations emphasize the need to strengthen investigative protocols, build community-research partnerships, conduct comparative analyses to identify best practices, and develop innovative strategies for translating and disseminating findings - each reinforcing and amplifying the impact of targeted research investment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"855-878"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145953478","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}
Marta Sousa, Sílvia Félix, Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves, Andreia de Castro-Rodrigues
{"title":"In Their Voices: Perceptions of Individuals Who Perpetrated Child Sexual Abuse About the INSIGHT Program.","authors":"Marta Sousa, Sílvia Félix, Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves, Andreia de Castro-Rodrigues","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2603982","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2603982","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Literature suggests that psychological interventions for individuals who perpetrated child sexual abuse (CSA) can be improved. Qualitative approaches are particularly valuable in this context, as they provide deeper insights into individual experiences and therapeutic processes, thereby informing the refinement of such interventions. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine men convicted of CSA, who had completed a newly developed, structured, and manualized individual program based on schema therapy (i.e. the INSIGHT), delivered either in prison or in the community in Portugal. An inductive approach of thematic analysis was used to explore the men's perceptions of the treatment. We identified three themes: expectations before the beginning of the intervention, perceptions of the process of change, and views regarding the program and its impact. Overall, participants indicated that the INSIGHT Program contributed to favorable outcomes, further highlighting the relevance of targeting early maladaptive schemas to complement the intervention programs. Findings are discussed in terms of possible improvements to the program and to the psychological intervention with perpetrators of CSA in general.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"983-1005"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145764280","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}
Bricklyn Priebe, Larissa S Christensen, Nadine McKillop, Susan Rayment-McHugh
{"title":"\"What Could Have Stopped This?\": Exploring Opportunities for Early Intervention Through the Voices of Women Who Have Perpetrated Child Sexual Abuse.","authors":"Bricklyn Priebe, Larissa S Christensen, Nadine McKillop, Susan Rayment-McHugh","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2598546","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2598546","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The voices of individuals convicted of sexual offenses - including the voices of females - are often silenced in research. Exploring the user voice has many advantages, including service improvement and enhanced evidence-based program development and design. The current study utilized the user voice by attaining perceptions of women sentenced for child sexual abuse (CSA) in Australia - to identify what they perceived as missed opportunities for support that may have forestalled onset of their CSA perpetration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 women across three jurisdictions in Australia who had been sentenced for CSA offenses. Two themes were identified from the inductive analysis: (1) desire for early intervention supports and (2) multi-level barriers to accessing support. Although a range of supports were desired spanning various developmental life-stages, personal, relationship, and system-level factors impacted accessibility to services. Three implications were identified from our findings: (1) further research could explore ways to enhance service accessibility, not just availability, ensuring those at-risk of offending are aware of - and can access - various services; (2) a gender-responsive lens in the prevention of female-perpetrated CSA could be adopted; and (3) prevention efforts could utilize a developmental life-course perspective. Such prevention needs to be practical and direct. Limitations and ideas for future research are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":" ","pages":"962-982"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145679139","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}