Journal of Child Sexual Abuse最新文献

This exploratory study investigated group differences and pre-post changes in knowledge, beliefs, and behavior by mandatory reporters and Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) survivor status for a CSA prevention training designed for the general public. Of the 8,114 study participants, 32% identified as having experienced CSA, and 77% indicated they were mandatory reporters for child abuse and neglect. Mandatory reporters had higher baseline knowledge about CSA than those who were not mandatory reporters and reported more CSA preventative behaviors. Mandatory reporters continued to have higher levels of knowledge following the training. Survivors of CSA also had higher baseline knowledge about CSA and preventative behavior scores than individuals who are not survivors of CSA. Unlike mandatory reporters, they experienced fewer increases in knowledge. At posttest, there was no evidence of a difference in knowledge between CSA survivors and non-CSA survivors. For items related to beliefs, mandatory reporters had higher baseline scores than other participants. However, they had smaller gains, so mandatory reporters and non-mandatory reporters had more similar beliefs related to CSA after the training. There were few differences between CSA survivors and non-survivors on baseline beliefs related to CSA, though CSA survivors reported greater increases in beliefs that CSA prevention is their responsibility and in the idea that they know what to do to prevent CSA. These results have significant results for the development and evaluation of trauma-informed prevention programming.

Despite the alarming increase in incidences of child sexual abuse (CSA) in India, intervention research remains preliminary and generic. Although Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been found to be consistently effective in addressing the adverse consequences of CSA, none of the cultural adaptations of CBT have been evidenced in India so far. Hence, the present study was conceived to develop a CSA-focused brief CBT intervention for children between 7 and 13 years of age. Intervention development progressed through four steps: 1) a systematic review of literature; 2) a qualitative study, including focused group discussions, conducted with 19 mental health professionals; 3) development of the intervention; 4) expert evaluation and finalization. We developed the intervention with three key elements: restoring the child's functioning, assisting the child in processing, and managing trauma effectively and initiating the process of growth. The intervention predominantly followed the CBT framework while integrating culturally specified techniques. The intervention contains 8 modules and 18 sub-modules structured around three phases of intervention. The intervention is spread across a minimum of 6 required sessions and a maximum of 12 session held twice weekly for approximately 90-120 min duration. A list of 35 activities corresponding to each phase and sub-module of the present intervention has been designed as an intervention workbook. In conclusion, the newly developed intervention is a manualised, culturally competent, psychological intervention developed within the CBT framework for children aged 7-13 years with experience of CSA. The next phases include piloting intervention for feasibility.

There is a limited understanding about how an association with those that download Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), a highly stigmatized crime, impacts the lives of their innocent family members. Non-offending family members are often considered a valuable protective resource for offender desistance and in safeguarding children from abuse. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the lived experiences of female family members of CSAM offenders in Ireland and the United Kingdom to both identify and target areas for intervention thus ameliorating their ability to protect. A qualitative research design was adopted, and data analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis. Fifteen individuals self-selected for participation and interviews resulted in the identification of three key themes: Shattered Worldview, The Injured Self; Contamination by Association. The analysis highlighted how non-offending family members experienced considerable shame, trauma, and stigma with consequences that reached into every aspect of their lives. The findings are discussed in the context of the limited available literature along with research implications and recommendations for both policy and practice.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide phenomenon that has been linked to deleterious consequences. Adverse life events, such as sexual abuse, can compromise the development of emotional competencies, an important dimension of children's psychosocial development. This study aimed at evaluating emotion recognition competencies in sexually abused and non-abused children. The sample consisted of 97 sexually abused children (65 girls) and 78 non-abused children (56 girls) aged between 6 and 12 years. They were recruited in specialized intervention centers and elementary schools from the Montreal area. Recognition of joy, anger, fear, sadness, and neutral expressions was assessed using the Developmental Emotional Faces Stimulus Set (DEFSS; Meuwissen et al., 2017). Results of an ANCOVA revealed that the total scores of emotion recognition were significantly lower for victims of SA (M = 18.12, SE = 0.33) relative to non-abused children (M = 19.36, SE = 0.37), F(1,170) = 5.70, p < .05. Analyses performed on specific expressions yielded lower scores for the recognition of anger, F(1, 170) = 6.12, p = .014, partial η² = .03, and joy, F(1, 170) = 8.04, p =.005, partial η2 = .04. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing emotion recognition competencies to improve intervention programs provided to sexually abused children and prevent the development of severe psychosocial problems.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors often experience long-lasting shame, which can significantly impede their healing process and overall well-being. This letter to the editor, written by psychiatrist LienChung Wei, discusses the valuable insights gained from the article, "The Legacy of Shame following Childhood Sexual Abuse Disclosures." By better understanding the dynamics of shame and its relationship with CSA, mental health professionals can provide more empathetic and effective care to their patients who have experienced such trauma. The letter emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive and safe environment for patients to disclose their experiences and overcome the barriers that shame creates in their journey toward recovery. By applying these insights in clinical practice, mental health professionals can facilitate the healing process for CSA survivors and improve their overall well-being.

School-based child sexual abuse (CSA) programs effectively increase students' CSA-related knowledge. This study focuses on an implementation trial of Safe Touches, an empirically supported, school-based CSA prevention program, that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to demonstrate gains in CSA-related knowledge following Safe Touches but were limited to a pre-post design. A total of 2,210 students across five counties in a Mid-Atlantic state received the Safe Touches workshop between September 2019 and March 2020. McNemar's chi-square test was used to assess changes in the proportion of correct responses pre-workshop (Time 1) and one-week post-workshop (Time 2). Students' CSA-related knowledge increased significantly based on changes in mean CSA knowledge scores and the number of correct item-level responses assessed at Time 1 and Time 2 (p < .000). Leveraging the experience of the facilitators' who delivered these workshops prior to the disruption of implementation, we gathered facilitators' perspectives to explore the viability of offering Safe Touches virtually. In July 2020, 16 facilitators completed an electronic survey designed to understand the viability of a virtual Safe Touches workshop. Three themes emerged from facilitator feedback on virtual programming: student engagement concerns, handling disclosures, and technology access to a virtual program. The findings of this study indicate that the Safe Touches workshop significantly increased CSA-related knowledge and, overall, facilitators supported further exploration and development of a virtual Safe Touches workshop. The transition of empirically supported school-based CSA prevention programs to a virtual delivery modality is necessary to maintain an effective means of primary prevention and opportunity for disclosure.

Considering the emphasis on parent-led sexual abuse education (PLSAE) in child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention, and the imperative of prevention in families living with demonstrated risk factors, it is important to understand the extent to which this group delivers PLSAE to their children, whether this is associated with any barriers or facilitators, whether parents are engaging in other protective behaviors (such as monitoring and involvement) and the relationship between these variables and other risk factors such as parent and child symptomology. We surveyed 117 parents, with children ranging in age from 25-89 months (67% boys), attending a parenting program for assistance with a range of parenting difficulties and child behavior problems from 2020-22. A large majority of parents reported not giving their children comprehensive prevention messages, discussing body integrity and abduction dangers to a greater extent. PLSAE was significantly positively associated with child internalizing and externalizing symptoms; parent and child age; and discussion of body integrity and abduction. However, PLSAE was not associated with any other measured variables (protective parenting; CSA knowledge; parenting self-efficacy; general and own-child risk appraisal; parent burnout, stress, depression or anxiety; child diagnosis; parental education level; employment or marital status; or income). The current findings suggest that investing resources into increasing parental knowledge, risk perception and confidence may be misguided. Future endeavors should consider helping parents be protective in other ways, for example, through the creation of safe environments and reducing the risks of CSA.

Obtaining accurate prevalence rates of sexual violence is made difficult by discrepancies in self-report questionnaires. Thus, the current study sought to explore participants' perceptions of acceptability (i.e., perceived difficulty and preference) as a potential mechanism of discrepancy between different questionnaires. Participants were 673 college students who completed two frequently used sexual victimization questionnaires, the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scales-Victimization (PRSPS-V). Participants then answered questions about each measure's perceived difficulty and their preference between the two. Participants found the PRSPS-V easier to understand and preferred it 2.5 to 1 over the SES-SFV. Preference was related to reporting; participants who preferred the PRSPS-V reported more instances of sexual victimization on the PRSPS-V by 9.8%. Our results indicate that acceptability impacts reported prevalence rates and is one mechanism of discrepancy between questionnaires. Thus, researchers may wish to consider acceptability when choosing sexual victimization questionnaires.

Pedophilia is a significant public health problem. Despite its cost to society, little effort has been directed toward understanding idiographic differences in the development and maintenance of pedophilia. Extant literature emphasizes biological underpinnings and predictors of re-offense. In this article, we posit that pedophilic penchants in males originate due to language, cognition, emotions, and emotion regulation. Adverse childhood experiences, such as emotional and sexual abuse, are posited as a major contributor to the etiology of pedophilia. However, not all individuals attracted to minors present with similar childhood adversities. The development of pedophilia, in the absence of such direct training (childhood adversities), is difficult to comprehend. Relational frame theory, a comprehensive account of human language and cognition, aids in deciphering the idiographic underpinnings of pedophilia. The role of maladaptive emotion regulation in maintaining pedophilia is also described. This article presents examples of how relational frames are established and activated in distressing contexts. Finally, implications for future research are discussed.