Journal of Child Sexual Abuse最新文献

This commentary presents a framework guided by contemporary research for the new area of the field of sexual abuse: technology-facilitated youth sexual abusers (TFYSA), extrapolated from studies one representative validation and cross-validation samples (totaling 3,901 youth). The samples were employed in validating a risk assessment tool for youth (adjudicated and non-adjudicated) who engage in persistent coarse sexual improprieties and/or sexually abusive behaviors. The artifacts for the nomenclature for TFYSA were also extrapolated by victims' reports from several sources providing information and descriptive variables of the perpetrators of their trauma. Thus, the combined information on sexual development of youth from the Zeitgeist era, the validation study samples in a risk assessment study, coupled with the information provided by victims who suffered sexual trauma (i.e. direct contact and online), are the primary source data to create the nomenclature for TFYSA.

The Roman Catholic Church provides a fruitful contextual basis for assessing good faith reporting of child sexual abuse. Drawing on the literature of organizational decoupling and organizational misconduct reporting, content analysis of recently implemented web-based reporting mechanisms and safeguarding policies of 30 Catholic dioceses across Canada was used to study misconduct and abuse reporting practices in this institution. Our findings provide evidence of gaps and inconsistencies with regard to accessibility and visibility in reporting mechanisms and corresponding communications on diocesan websites. Most dioceses seem to continue to prioritize internal reporting to church officials over reporting to civil authorities. Discourse analysis reveals that in some cases reporting practices appear to be decoupled from RCC policy and values. We conclude with a discussion and implications for research and practice.

This qualitative research study explored social media, particularly Instagram, as a platform for disclosures of sexual violence among college students. Given the stigma and victim-blame often associated with formal disclosures, anonymous social media platforms can offer survivors a unique space to share their stories, build community, and engage in activism. This research seeks to contribute to the ongoing scholarship about the role of digital platforms in supporting survivors. The study analyzed 232 posts from an Instagram profile dedicated to survivors of campus sexual violence, collected between May 2020 and June 2023. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. Themes that emerged showed the importance of an anonymous and public space for disclosure, reflections of sexual violence within the specific context of campus environments, and dynamics of consent. Understanding the role of social media within the context of student disclosures of sexual violence has the potential to enhance the existing knowledge of student experiences, which, in turn, can inform how campuses respond to sexual violence, including the tailoring of prevention, intervention, and policy efforts focused on supporting students after trauma, along with resources for mental health clinicians.

It is developmentally normal for children to display some sexual behaviors but concerning sexual behaviors (CSBs) that deviate from societal norms are potentially harmful. The development of CSBs is influenced by various factors, including family dynamics, parental stressors, and disruptions in psychosexual development. Historically, sexual abuse was seen as the primary cause of CSBs, but current research suggests that nonsexual abuse and family environment also play significant roles. This scoping review synthesized literature on the psychological characteristics of children and youth who engage in sexual contact with animals, providing guidance for practitioners. The 17 studies reviewed, primarily from the U.S. documented a range of sexual behaviors toward animals by youth. These youths were often linked to troubled backgrounds and mental health issues, though some cases showed no significant psychological problems. The findings underscore the need for thorough psychological assessment to determine if these behaviors are isolated incidents or part of a broader pattern requiring intervention. This study highlights the lack of research in this area and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, emphasizing that these behaviors are often associated with mental health issues and family instability, making early intervention crucial.

Sexual minority (SM) men's sexual revictimization (SR; i.e. experiences of adult victimization among childhood sexual abuse survivors) is an understudied topic despite evidence that SM men are disproportionately impacted by sexual violence (SV) over the life course. This study addresses this gap utilizing a diverse sample (n = 2859) of SM men (age 18-30) from the U.S. Results demonstrated that over 10% of SM men had experienced SR. Further, strength-based (e.g. sense of LGBTQIA2S+ community) and minority-stress (e.g. internalized homonegativity) related factors were examined as moderators of the relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and adult sexual assault victimization (ASAV) in the past six months. One factor emerged as a significant moderator of the CSA-ASAV relationship: perceived discrimination. Practice-based implications are provided.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are frequent in child victims of sexual abuse. Authors argued that early trauma could lead to alterations in development that go far beyond the primary symptoms of PTSD and have proposed that Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) involving alterations in attachment, biology, affect regulation, consciousness, behavioral regulation, cognition, and self-concept, may better describe children experiencing chronic trauma at an early developmental stage. The aim of the study was to disentangle the diversity of profiles in child victims of sexual abuse based on the C-PTSD framework. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct subgroups in a sample of 861 sexually abused children aged 6 to 12. Children and their non-offending parents completed questionnaires evaluating PTSD symptoms and measures documenting alterations in development characteristics of C-PTSD. Latent profile analysis identified a best-fitting model consisting of three profiles: PTSD (40.7% of children), Resilient (32.8% of children), and C-PTSD (26.5% of children). Compared to others, children in the C-PTSD profile were more likely to have experienced more forms of interpersonal trauma and showed impairments in several domains. Findings underscore the importance of tailoring interventions to efficiently address the needs of young victims of sexual trauma.

Characteristics associated with individuals who frequent the emergency department at higher rates have been well established; however, factors associated with greater emergency department visits following a recent sexual assault are largely unknown. The current study evaluated the associations between pre-assault factors such as substance use and physical injuries, assault characteristics such as genital injury, non-genital injury, alcohol or drug use involvement, intimate partner involvement, and emergency department visits one-year after a sexual assault medical forensic exam (SAMFE). The current study included a medical record review of 123 individuals who received a SAMFE at a hospital in the United States. Demographic variables, characteristics of the sexual assault, pre-sexual assault diagnoses, frequency of SAMFEs, and post-SAMFE emergency department visits were examined. A negative binomial regression was used to examine these factors on post-SAMFE emergency department visits. Results indicated that alcohol or drug use during an assault was associated with fewer emergency department visits post-SAMFE. Substance use and physical injury disorders pre-SAMFE were positively associated with post-SAMFE emergency department visits. Findings provide important insight for prevention strategies to potentially increase access to mental and physical health care post-assault to reduce the risk of repeated emergency department visits among recent survivors of sexual assault.

This special issue, edited by the co-editors of the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma (JAMT) and the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse (JCSA) is designed to promote JCSA's expanded scope to include sexual victimization across the lifespan. The 12 articles included in this special issue are in three main areas reflective of this expanded scope of the Journal. The first of these is understanding the significant and persisting negative impacts of childhood sexual abuse into adulthood. The second is understanding the prevalence and impact of different forms of sexual victimization among members of historically understudied groups. The final is on the development of assessment instruments and programs to prevent sexual violence and reduce its impacts. It is hoped that this expanded scope of JCSA on sexual victimization across the lifespan will foster future scholarship that seeks to understand, prevent, and respond to sexual violence in its various forms, as well as greater collaboration among scientists, practitioners, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, respond to, and ultimately eradicate sexual violence.

The current study evaluates a single-day youth-designed sexual assault prevention summit for adolescents. Attendees (N = 284) completed pre-and post-summit surveys addressing 1) confidence in consent knowledge; 2) perceived capability to respond to someone who was assaulted or harassed; 3) awareness of Title IX rights; 4) perceived capacity to get help for a survivor; 5) perceived acceptability of sexual coercion; 6) endorsement of belief that it is wrong to stop sexual activity once it starts; 7) perceived seriousness of sharing nude photos without permission; and, 8) perceived prevalence of false accusations of sexual violence. At post-summit, participants reported increased perceived confidence in consent knowledge, increased perceived capacity to respond to a survivor, increased awareness of Title IX rights, and increased perceived capacity to get help for a survivor. Both perceived acceptability of sexual coercion and endorsement of the belief that someone should not stop sexual activity decreased at post-summit. Findings provide preliminary support for a youth-developed sexual assault prevention summit.

Bisexual (i.e. those with attraction to multiple genders) women experience disparities in sexual violence and mental health outcomes, including PTSD, depression, and hazardous drinking, compared to lesbian and heterosexual women. Unique stigma due to bisexual identity (antibisexual stigma), negative reactions to sexual violence (SV) disclosure (e.g. victim blaming), and prior child sexual abuse (CSA) may all contribute to shame. We tested whether shame explained the associations of antibisexual stigma, negative reactions to SV disclosure, and CSA severity with PTSD symptoms, depression, and hazardous drinking among young bisexual women. Participants who self-identified as bisexual women, between the ages of 18-35, residing in the US were recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and completed online questionnaires. Women who reported SV since age 18 that they disclosed to someone were included in the current study, yielding a sample of 156 bisexual women (Mage = 25.7; 98.1% cisgender, 86.5% White). Path analysis with bias-corrected bootstrapping was conducted. There were significant direct effects of negative reactions on hazardous drinking and CSA on PTSD, and direct effects of shame on PTSD and depression symptoms. Shame explained the associations of antibisexual stigma, negative reactions, and CSA with PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and hazardous drinking. Shame may explain why stigmatizing experiences related to bisexual identity, sexual violence, and CSA history relate to distress among bisexual women. Shame is an important treatment target among bisexual survivors of SV.