Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment最新文献

Ample research explores individual factors associated with sexual violence, yet individual, dyadic, and environmental influences on intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) occurring in the larger context of non-intimate partner violence (NIPSV) remain relatively unexplored. The current study aimed to determine the extent to which county-level indicators in combination with individual and dyadic factors are associated with sexual violence across relationship types. Reported IPSV and NIPSV cases were obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's (TBI) online incident-based reporting system. County-level variables indicative of neighborhood physical disorder, violent crime, income inequality, firearm prevalence, and community alcohol use patterns were retrieved from the online resource County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Using a nested case-control design, we determined significant sexual violence risk within younger cohorts and across relationship types, finding three significant county-level factors: 1) income inequality, 2) rate of firearm fatalities, and 3) percentage of female residents. Suggested prevention and intervention efforts include targeting younger age groups for IPSV and NIPSV education, developing resources for a range of relational partners, improving legal access and law enforcement training for reporting, and continued examination of the role of firearms.

University-based sexual aggression is an international public health issue; however, to date, there have been no formal assessments of the prevalence or psychological indicators associated with the proabuse behaviors of the most common perpetrators at UK universities: heterosexual male students. To facilitate the development of effective primary prevention interventions for domestic students who have sexually harmed, we assess across two empirical studies (Ns = 259 and 295) the psychological risk factors associated with recent sexual aggression amongst two distinct samples of UK male university students. Cumulatively, results highlighted that one in nine participants (11.4%) self-reported recent sexual aggression. These participants could be statistically differentiated from their non-offending peers on various established indicators of general sexual offending, of which logistic regression analyses highlighted atypical sexual fantasies, general aggression, hostility toward women, and rape myth acceptance as being the most reliable predictors. Our data extend the international evidence base by providing the first detailed overview of sexual aggression amongst UK male university students, as well as the psychological risk factors associated with their proabuse behaviors. We discuss the importance of our findings for the development of more effective evidence-based reduction strategies and primary prevention interventions for male students who have sexually harmed.

A Five-Level Risk and Needs system has been proposed as a common language for standardizing the meaning of risk levels across risk/need tools used in corrections. Study 1 examined whether the Five-Levels could be applied to BARR-2002R (N = 2,390), an actuarial tool for general recidivism. Study 2 examined the construct validity of BARR-2002R risk levels in two samples of individuals with a history of sexual offending (N = 1,081). Study 1 found reasonable correspondence between BARR-2002R scores and four of the five standardized risk levels (no Level V). Study 2 found that the profiles of individuals in Levels II, III, and IV were mostly consistent with expectations; however, individuals in the lowest risk level (Level I) had more criminogenic needs than expected based on the original descriptions of the Five-Levels. The Five-Level system was mostly successful when applied to BARR-2002R. Revisions to this system, or the inclusion of putatively dynamic risk factors and protective factors, may be required to improve alignment with the information provided by certain risk tools.

By using a qualitative study involving 80 participants, the aim of this study is to investigate the relevance of the MeToo movement as a tool for responding to sexual violence among women in Zambia. Our findings suggest that rather than definitively establishing the MeToo movement as an incontestable good or as useless because it ignores cultural realities as argued by its critics, our findings demonstrate the diversity of how this movement is locally viewed and also illustrates the complexity and multidimensionality of how it is characterized in Zambia. Our findings thus question the folly of a "one-size-fits-all" understanding and characterization of the MeToo movement. The study ends by providing suggestions about how to navigate this complexity.

Providing treatment to those who have committed sexual offenses can be difficult and challenging work. Older studies have suggested that service providers may experience changes in mood, symptoms of trauma, and countertransference reactions due to their work. Recent research has found that effective coping and self-care strategies may mitigate these negative outcomes. Given the relative dearth of recent empirical studies, we assessed the prevalence of self-reported mood, trauma symptoms, and countertransference reactions and their relation to coping styles and self-care practices in a sample of 32 male and 52 female therapists who provided treatment to individuals convicted of sexual offenses. As expected, we found minimal levels of clinically significant depressive (4%) and trauma symptoms (9%). Some countertransference reactions to clients were reported, including intense anger, retributive fantasies, sexual attraction, and arousal. A problem-solving coping style was associated with higher levels of psychological well-being, while avoidant coping was related to increased depressive and trauma symptoms. Approximately 10% of therapists with an abuse history reported re-experiencing their own victimization. The majority of therapists reported engaging in self-care practices. The findings are discussed as they pertain to those who provide services to individuals convicted of sexual offenses.

In the past decade, there has been an increase in child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offenses and convictions. Although research shows that individuals with CSEM offence histories generally are at low risk of reoffending, certain factors do increase in CSEM convictions, in order to assist with case prioritization, management and supervision, risk assessment is helpful across agencies. The Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) was created specifically for this population and shows significant predictive validity for various outcomes. This study aimed to validate the use of the CPORT in a Scottish sample of 141 adult males who were convicted of CSEM offenses. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and logistic regression analyses indicated that the CPORT significantly predicted any recidivism (Area Under the Curve = .81), any sexual recidivism (AUC = .78) and CSEM recidivism (AUC = .74), suggesting that it is a valid risk assessment tool for Scottish populations. Recommendations for further research and clinical implications are discussed.

Data-driven models, addressing the internal motivations, pathways to offending, and supportive cognitions amongst women who have sexually offended have emerged in recent years, with significant consequences for understanding risk factors and developing treatment programmes. In the current research, recent empirically based models were explored in a national sample consisting of all women who had committed sexual offences and were assessed over a 12-year period (n = 28). The utility of the motivational and cognitive models tested was supported, although not all cases could be easily coded, and new categories are suggested in order to better characterize the unique aspects of sex offending amongst women who have sexually offended. Key findings included fewer women than expected who reported being coerced by a male partner, frequent conjunction between sex and intimacy needs, and a lack of a clear relationship between offence-related cognitions and motivational pathways. The results support the importance of integrating and further developing gender-specific clinical factors within a gender-neutral treatment paradigm.

A promising line of research on forensic assessment of paraphilic sexual interest focuses on behavioral measures of visual attention using sexual stimuli as distractors. The present study combined event-related potentials (ERPs) with behavioral measures to investigate whether detection of a hidden sexual preference can be improved with ERPs. Normal variants of sexual orientation were used for a proof-of-concept investigation. Accordingly, 40 heterosexual and 40 gay men participated in the study. Within each group, half of the participants were instructed to hide their sexual orientation. The results showed that a match between sexual orientation and stimulus delays responses and influences ERP before motor responses. Late ERP components showed higher potential in differentiating hidden sexual preferences than motor responses, thereby showing how ERPs can be used in combination with reaction time measures to potentially facilitate the detection of hidden sexual preferences.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are common in the histories of individuals who have sexually offended. Many risk factors for sexual recidivism resemble symptoms of early trauma, and early trauma may present a responsivity barrier to engagement in offense-focused treatment. Using the ACE scale, the current study aimed to (i) examine relationships between ACE scores and static and dynamic risk assessment scores, (ii) examine whether ACE scores differ between treatment completers versus noncompleters, and finally (iii) examine whether ACE scores predict treatment noncompletion. ACE scores were retrospectively coded from files of adult men receiving community-based assessment and/or treatment in New Zealand for sexual offenses against children (N = 491; n = 185-411 for individual analyses). Although effect sizes were generally small, static risk and general self-regulation dynamic risk factors correlated positively with ACE scores, ACE scores were higher for treatment noncompleters versus completers, and higher dynamic risk assessment scores and ACE scores increased the odds of treatment noncompletion. Implications for future research and enhancing treatment responsivity are discussed.

Little is known about the development of childhood sexual behavior problems (SBP) in terms of continuity and discontinuity into adolescence. Prior studies have espoused a nondevelopmental approach focusing on the clinical profiles of these youths at the time of their referral. To address this gap, the current study proposes an examination of the developmental covariates involved in the continuity of SBP among a sample of 340 children and adolescents referred to Child Protection Services (CPS) in Quebec, Canada. Children's CPS contacts from birth up to age 17 were inspected, allowing to recreate the life history of social and familial adversities during that period. Logistic regression models were performed and helped to identify developmental covariates of childhood-onset SBP and its persistence into adolescence. Findings suggest that children with childhood-onset SBP that persisted into adolescence have experienced various life adversities. The study findings provide some preliminary evidence of the developmental pathways of SBP.