Anabel De Champlain, Amélie Tremblay-Perreault, Martine Hébert
{"title":"Gender Differences in Behavioral Problems in Child Victims of Sexual Abuse: Contribution of Self-Blame of the Parent and Child.","authors":"Anabel De Champlain, Amélie Tremblay-Perreault, Martine Hébert","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2184740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2184740","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The consequences associated with child sexual abuse are well known. However, factors exacerbating child behavior problems following sexual abuse (SA) deserve further attention. Self-blame following the abuse has been identified as a predictor of negative outcomes in adult survivors, however there is limited evidence regarding the impact of self-blame on consequences in child victims of sexual abuse. This study assessed behavioral problems in a sample of sexually abused children and tested the mediating role of children's internal blame attributions in the association between the parent's self-blame and the internalizing and externalizing difficulties of the child. A sample of 1066 sexually abused children between 6 and 12 years of age and their non-offending caregiver completed self-report questionnaires. Parents completed questionnaires related to the child's behavior following the SA and their own feelings of self-blame regarding the SA. Children completed a questionnaire assessing their level of self-blame. Results showed that parents' self-blame was associated with a higher level of self-blame in the child which, in turn, was linked to more child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. In addition, parents' self-blame was directly associated with a higher level of internalizing difficulties in children. These findings underscore the importance of considering the non-offending parent's self-blame in interventions aiming the recovery of child victims of SA.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10109246","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":"Complex Trauma and Sexual Abuse: Relations to Caregiver-Child Symptom Disagreement.","authors":"Rachel A Wamser","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2257176","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2257176","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trauma-exposed children and their caregivers often differ with regards to how the child is faring following trauma exposure, and this symptom discordance is related to negative clinical outcomes. Even though this symptom disagreement is common, it remains less clear if it is universal across trauma types and there may be sub-groups of trauma-exposed children and their caregivers who are at greater risk for discordance. At this time, prior work has not investigated how more severe traumatic events, such as childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and complex trauma (i.e. chronic/multiple interpersonal traumas prior to age 10), may correspond with caregiver-child symptom concordance. The study objectives were to examine: 1) the level and direction of children's symptom discordance and 2) whether CSA and complex trauma were associated with higher levels of caregiver-child symptom disagreement. Two hundred and sixty-nine treatment-seeking children ages 8-12 (<i>M</i> = 9.91, <i>SD</i> = 2.31; 64.7% female; 51.7% Black) and their caregivers participated in the study. Rates of symptom agreement were in the low range, and caregivers endorsed higher levels of symptoms than children. Complex trauma was only tied to greater posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) disagreement, with caregivers of complex trauma survivors being more likely to acknowledge higher levels of symptoms than children. CSA was not associated with symptom concordance across difficulties. Aspects of the complex trauma definition were also not linked with symptom agreement. Caregivers and trauma-exposed children may have divergent symptom reports and children who have experienced more severe traumatic events may present with greater discordance for PTSS.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10233349","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}
Kate Guastaferro, Mia Melchior, Alexis S Murphy-Costanzo, Anicia Anderson, Nicole Melamed, Stephanie Madden
{"title":"Preventive Education Outreach on Social Media: The Quest to Enroll Community Members in a Child Sexual Prevention Workshop.","authors":"Kate Guastaferro, Mia Melchior, Alexis S Murphy-Costanzo, Anicia Anderson, Nicole Melamed, Stephanie Madden","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2274889","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2274889","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Social media is a frequently used tool in health promotion efforts although less so for the prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA). This is due, in part, to the lack of standardized branding guides for community-based efforts in how to craft messages related to CSA prevention. This study examined the use of Twitter (now \"X\") as a means of promoting participation in the adult-focused <i>Stewards of Children</i> CSA prevention workshop, prior to and following the implementation of a standardized branding guide. The exposure, reach, and engagement of the top tweets and top media tweets were examined over 24-months pre- and post-implementation of a five-point branding guide. Engagement was descriptively compared to the number of adults who enrolled in the <i>Stewards of Children</i> workshop. As evidenced by the increase in tweet impressions and the number of adults trained, it is likely the implementation of the branding guide was beneficial in promoting participation in the <i>Stewards of Children</i> workshop. Though participation in a program does not inherently suggest behavior change, getting participants to enroll is a crucial first step. The findings emphasize the potential of using social media to ultimately promote behavior change in the field of CSA prevention and beyond.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71427901","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":"Awareness, Incidence and Psychological Wellbeing of Childhood Sexual Abuse as Reported by Ultra-Orthodox Mothers.","authors":"Esti Vega, Rivka Tuval Mashiach","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2222014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2222014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The harm caused by child sexual abuse (CSA) is well-documented, calling for more awareness and efforts at prevention. However, CSA in closed religious societies is still tightly under wraps, and therefore underreported and understudied. We chose to use the mother's point of view, in order get an estimate of the prevalence, the reporting rates and their psychological wellbeing. The current study aims at addressing this in the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community, an insular religious one, which may thus serve as a test case for understanding other closed, religious communities. Three hundred forty-seven ultra-Orthodox Israeli women completed self-report questionnaires and reported on their, or their children's exposure to CSA sexual abuse, about their emotional coping, and about considerations regarding disclosing the abuse. About 24% the participants reported that they were victims of sexual abuse. Only 24.3% of cases were reported to the police or official welfare services, with cultural reasons offered by the women to explain it. Lower psychological wellbeing was found among mothers who themselves or their children were victims of child sexual abuse, compared to controls. Interestingly, mothers who reported having undergone psychological treatment suffered a higher degree of distress than those who had not. These findings contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of sexual abuse exposure and disclosure in the ultraorthodox community, and in close societies and highlight the changes required to improve safeguarding of children.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10094933","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":"Effects of Guiding Ground Rules and Individual Differences on the Accuracy of Children's Free Recall and Suggestibility.","authors":"Seungjin Lee, Hyun Jin Chung","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2261925","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2261925","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This research examines how the presence or absence of ground rules and children's temperamental tendencies affect children's free recall accuracy and suggestibility. Participating children showed richer free recall with open-ended questions and displayed greater resistance to suggestive questions when provided ground rules during the interview. In addition, children's recall accuracy varied based on their prosocial orientation: the presence or absence of ground rules influenced memory accuracy more in children with a low prosocial orientation than in those with a high prosocial orientation. These results demonstrate the importance of ground rules for obtaining reliable statements from children during investigative interviews. Findings further suggest that children can provide more detailed information when temperamental characteristics (e.g. prosocial tendencies) are considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41139726","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}
Jill A Schulte, Mandie K Boone, Keith R Aronson, Daniel F Perkins
{"title":"A Non-Clinical Referral Tool to Help Identify Problematic Child Sexual Behavior: Development, Training, and Initial User Feedback.","authors":"Jill A Schulte, Mandie K Boone, Keith R Aronson, Daniel F Perkins","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2276289","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2276289","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early identification of children and youth who engage in problematic sexual behavior is important for all parties involved, such as children who exhibit and are impacted by the behavior. There are several reliable and valid identification tools that can be used to recognize problematic sexual behavior in children and youth (PSB-CY) in clinical practice; however, professionals who work with children in non-clinical settings (i.e., child development centers, youth programs, and schools) often have limited resources and tools when they encounter PSB-CY. This paper describes the development, content, and user feedback of a referral tool (RT) that was designed to help identify incidents of PSB-CY for use with military agencies and schools. Specifically, the RT was designed to help professionals, who may have observed or who may have been made aware of sexual behaviors in children and youth, organize their observations of the behavior in alignment with evidence-based information about PSB-CY and consistently document these occurrences. The RT guides users in determining if the observed behavior is normative, cautionary, or problematic and promotes informed decisions about whether the behavior needs to be referred to those who have experience using clinical tools for further review and the identification of next steps for supporting the children and families involved. Early adopters provided feedback on the use of the RT. The feedback suggested that the tool was user-friendly, understandable, and helpful as they made objective decisions about how to identify and handle referrals of PSB-CY.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71427900","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":"Facilitators of Sexual Assault Disclosure: A Dyadic Study of Female Survivors and Their Informal Supports.","authors":"Sarah E Ullman","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2217812","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2217812","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Two-thirds of survivors typically disclose their experience to others at some point following sexual assault, but little in-depth research has addressed factors facilitating disclosure. In the current study, a diverse sample of 45 female sexual assault survivors (75% racial/ethnic minorities) and their 45 informal support providers (SP; e.g., family, friends, romantic partners) were interviewed separately about experiences of disclosure, social reactions, and help-seeking following assault. Disclosure facilitation was expressed by 40 survivors and 31 SPs, of which 28 were matched S/SP dyadic pairs. Narrative data on the overarching thematic category of sexual assault disclosure facilitation was analyzed using descriptive thematic analysis methods. Several themes emerged from the analysis of quotes specific to the facilitation of disclosure, including: individual (e.g., survivor psychological, behavioral, and disclosure recipient factors), interpersonal (e.g., SP-solicited disclosures, helping others, mutual disclosures), and societal (e.g., lack of barriers, formal supports, media). Implications are drawn for future research on facilitators of sexual assault disclosure. Clinical practice implications are provided for professionals supporting survivors and their informal support networks.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10330913/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10125273","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":"Diversity of Profiles and Coping Among Adolescent Girl Victims of Sexual Dating Violence.","authors":"Mélina Gilbert, Mylène Fernet, Martine Hébert, Stéphanie Couture","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2195856","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2195856","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sexual dating violence (DV) is common among female adolescents, and victims may experience other forms of DV (physical, psychological, and cyberviolence) and report a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). Heterogeneity of these victimization experiences could influence how adolescent girls' cope. We aimed to identify distinct profiles of victimization experiences among adolescent girls who reported sexual DV and to explore if these profiles were associated to their coping strategies. Of an initial sample of 1,300 female adolescents who completed online questionnaires, 835 (M<sub>age</sub> = 16.8 years) reported at least one experience of sexual DV and were included in the analyses. Hierarchical classification with the Two Step analysis revealed four distinct profiles of victimization. A first cluster named <i>Moderate CSA & Cyber-sexual DV</i> (21.4%) is characterized by moderate percentage of all forms of victimization. The second cluster <i>CSA & DV excluding cyber-sexual DV</i> (34.4%) included victims of traditional DV, moderate rates of CSA and no experience of cyber-sexual DV. A third cluster <i>CSA & DV Co-occurrence</i> (20.6%) regrouped victims who have experienced different forms of DV in co-occurrence and CSA. Finally, the fourth cluster, named <i>No CSA & DV Co-occurrence</i> (23.6%) involved victims who have experienced different forms of DV in co-occurrence, but did not report a history of CSA. Analyses revealed significant differences between the profiles on the use of avoidance coping, in their perceived social support, and on help-seeking strategies deployed toward a partner and a health professional. These findings offer cues for prevention and intervention efforts for victimized female adolescents.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9736623","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}
Daniella K Cash, Kayla D Spenard, Tiffany D Russell
{"title":"Knowledge of Adult Sexual Orientation Influences Perceptions of Adult-Child Interactions.","authors":"Daniella K Cash, Kayla D Spenard, Tiffany D Russell","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2271488","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2271488","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a highly prevalent concern that carries lifelong consequences for the survivor. Many instances of CSA may be prevented when people correctly recognize precursory behaviors to abuse; however, research has shown that people's biases color their perceptions of behavior. Past research demonstrated sexual and gender minority adults are more likely to erroneously be seen as predators and face harsher consequences compared to straight adults. The current study examined how knowledge of adults' sexual orientation influenced perceptions regarding the nature of adult-child interactions. Participants in the current study read a series of vignettes describing interactions between adults and children where the adult sexual orientation (straight male, gay male) and the gender of the child (male, female) were manipulated. Participants then indicated whether they believed the behavior to be predatory or innocuous. Participants were less likely to recognize dangerous behaviors when the adult was described as a straight man interacting with a male child, suggesting that harmful adult-child interactions are more likely to go undetected in these instances.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41239859","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}
Sungwon Kim, Daniel P Connaughton, David P Hedlund
{"title":"Youth Sport Coaches' Perceptions of Sexually Inappropriate Behaviors and Intimate Coach-Athlete Relationships.","authors":"Sungwon Kim, Daniel P Connaughton, David P Hedlund","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2023.2193179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2193179","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although sexual harassment and abuse in youth sport have received increasing research attention worldwide, less is known about youth coaches' perceptions of sexually inappropriate behaviors and intimate relationships with athletes. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine youth sport coaches' perceptions of behaviors that can lead to potential sexual harassment and abuse, as well as to understand how coaches perceive coach-athlete sexual relationships. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 200 male coaches from various U.S. youth sport programs. Overall, a majority of coaches indicated behaviors associated with <i>sexist comments</i> and <i>verbal/physical advances</i> as sexually inappropriate. There was, however, a lack of consensus regarding what constitutes sexually inappropriate behaviors when the behavior was <i>instruction-related/contextually dependent</i>. Results were mixed regarding the perceptions of coach-athlete sexual relationships, with a notable number of coaches agreeing that sexual intimacies with young athletes (17 years or younger) are not always harmful and should not be prohibited. Based on a regression analysis, white coaches were more likely to exhibit negative perceptions about coach-athlete sexual relationships compared to ethnically diverse coaches. Overall, these findings warrant the development or reevaluation of policies and interventions aimed at preventing sexual harassment and abuse in the youth sport environment. Continued research is needed to better understand youth sport coaches as the perpetrators of sexual harassment and abuse.</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":"9367137","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}