Violence against women with disabilities has received more attention in recent years recognizing the intersectionality of experiences of abuse, yet little is known about the less visible forms of disability such as speech and language disorders. This review aimed to identify and synthesize existing literature exploring the relationship between speech and language disorders and victimization, including child sexual abuse (CSA), exposure to domestic violence in childhood, and intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault in adulthood. Five electronic databases were systematically searched using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Studies were included if they were English-language peer-reviewed articles or grey literature publications focusing on domestic violence and/or sexual assault and speech and language disorders. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings showed a clear link between childhood exposure to domestic violence and/or CSA and speech and language disorders. Women with speech and language disorders appear to be at heightened risk of IPV and sexual assault relative to the general population. Nonfatal strangulation emerged as a growing area of concern in the literature with acute and chronic symptoms requiring treatment from speech and language therapists. Practice implications include enhanced training at the undergraduate and professional level for therapists to better identify and respond to suspected abuse in their patients. Emergency and specialist support services need protocols and training to better support women with speech and language disorders. Future research should examine the help-seeking behavior of women with speech and language disorders post-victimization and collect longitudinal data to understand the long-term consequences of abuse.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a global concern that has a large impact on both victims and society. Understanding factors that contribute to the perpetration of IPV can help prevent harm. Personality disorders are largely related to IPV perpetration according to recent research; however, there is a large amount of overlap between different personality disorders, and it has been suggested that personality traits may provide a clearer picture on the aspects of personality that result in IPV. Personality traits develop during childhood, and, despite being largely stable, can be modified through intervention. A systematic review was carried out by searching three large databases, examining personality traits from the Five-Factor Model, the prevailing personality model, and IPV perpetration. Eleven studies were included in the final analysis, largely from community samples. The results suggested that neuroticism demonstrates a significant relationship with the perpetration of IPV. There were some differences between community and forensic studies; however, these could be explained by exploring the different types of IPV in line with Johnson's distinction between common couple violence and intimate terrorism. Intimate terrorism, which is more likely to be displayed by clinical samples, is less likely to be emotionally motivated and therefore may not be linked to neuroticism. Limitations to the method used in the review and the impact of these on the findings are discussed.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can be extremely traumatic, and their impact on health throughout the life course has been a public policy issue all around the world. Oral health conditions significantly influence quality of life, but its relationship with ACEs among children and adolescents is not well defined. This systematic review investigated the association between ACEs and oral health outcomes in children and adolescents. The search was conducted across six databases and the gray literature, with no restrictions. It included studies evaluating the association between ACEs and oral health outcomes (oral health condition, utilization of dental services, oral hygiene habits, or oral health related to quality of life) in individuals aged 0 to 19. Data of included studies were extracted and methodological quality was assessed. Meta-analysis was used for quantitative synthesis, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach assessed evidence certainty. From the 12 included studies, 11 had a cross-sectional design, and 1 was a cohort study. Seventeen types of ACEs were investigated, including neglect; violence between parents or caregivers; alcohol and substance abuse; and peer, community, and collective violence. The methodological quality compliance ranged between 38% and 100%. The meta-analysis revealed associations between ACEs and lower use of dental services, toothache, gingival bleeding, and dental cavities. Cumulative exposure to more than three ACEs was associated with poorer oral health. The certainty of the evidence varied from low to very low. These results highlight that children and adolescents with ACEs are more likely to present higher oral health problems, including decreased use of dental services.
The role of bystanders in bullying and cyberbullying prevention is crucial. Strategies must be tailored to address the shared and unique factors in online and offline contexts, ensuring that interventions create an environment where bystanders are empowered and feel responsible to act against bullying and cyberbullying. This meta-analysis examines and compares the effectiveness of interventions in enhancing bystander behaviors in bullying and cyberbullying scenarios. A comprehensive search was conducted using databases including PsycINFO, Medline, Sociological Abstracts, Social Service Abstracts, ERIC, and Scopus. Quasi-experimental and randomized controlled trials published before March 31, 2024 that reported that the effects of bystander interventions were included. The synthesis comprised 49 studies, reporting an overall random effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.25. The results highlight the crucial roles of enhancing knowledge, self-efficacy, and coping skills. Subgroup analysis revealed that the effective bystander interventions include smaller sample sizes (<100 participants), shorter durations (<1 month), targeting college students, and utilizing offline intervention approaches and digital techniques. These findings emphasize the promising effects and tailored characteristics of bystander intervention programs in bullying and cyberbullying contexts. Our review identifies avenues for future research within educational settings to develop more effective bystander behavior interventions to reduce bullying and cyberbullying.
Sexual violence is a worldwide issue that impacts many individuals, often with serious and long-lasting effects. Students represent a high-risk group for sexual violence on campuses. As a result, various government initiatives have called for Universities and Colleges to develop policies and sexual violence prevention initiatives. However, much of the focus has been on the effect of the initiatives with less attention to students' experiences. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative systematic review with meta-synthesis was to critically appraise and synthesize the evidence (e.g., themes) regarding students' experiences with campus sexual assault prevention initiatives. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines were followed. Six databases were systematically searched, which yielded 2,090 papers. This resulted in 21 published papers meeting the inclusion criteria of a primary, English language, qualitative or mixed-methods study exploring students' experiences of campus sexual assault initiatives. Two researchers independently extracted data and completed quality appraisals. The meta-synthesis identified four synthesized findings: (1) dichotomous perceptions of sexual violence initiatives, (2) the need for enhanced awareness, (3) modality matters, and (4) intended and unintended outcomes. Overall, these findings suggest that students valued the attention to the issue of sexual violence; however, they identified concerns that warrant attention. This has important implications for program and policy development as having programs that meet students' needs may result in enhanced student engagement which may, in turn, lead to increased efficacy. Moreover, initiatives that may result in harm to survivors require careful consideration.
The use of alcohol or other drugs to facilitate sexual violence (AOD-facilitated sexual violence) is a public health concern. There are significant gaps in knowledge on victimization, perpetration, contexts, impacts, and attitudes. Using a scoping review method, we mapped existing peer-reviewed, global literature to examine what is known about AOD-facilitated sexual violence to inform the development of AOD-facilitated sexual violence targeted interventions. We searched databases such as: Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, ProQuest, PubMed, and EBSCO. Studies were included if they examined sexual violence where alcohol and/or other drugs were opportunistically or proactively used to facilitate sexual offending, within intimate partner and non-intimate partner (acquaintance or stranger) relationships. We reviewed 53 articles and mapped the findings to five knowledge areas: (1) prevalence; (2) victim-survivors and perpetrators; (3) location, nature, and substance used; (4) predictors, risk factors, and impacts; and (5) representations and attributions of blame. Although conclusions are difficult to draw due to the limited disparate literature, our review extends existing knowledge, highlighting that perpetrators are often known to victim-survivors, AOD-facilitated sexual violence also occurs in private locations, and alcohol is a common substance utilized in AOD-facilitated sexual violence (though its role is complex). Troubling myths and misconceptions about victim-survivors and negative representations in the media affect attributions of blame, particularly in cases where victim-survivors voluntarily consume substances. To inform interventions, this review identifies the need for consistent definitions and measurement of AOD-facilitated sexual violence, greater diversity of experiences, and the need to challenge attitudes that blame victim-survivors where substances are involved.
This review aims to contribute to the understanding of violence against women and girls in conflict-affected and fragile settings through a systematic review and meta-analysis to document the available evidence on the prevalence of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence during periods of armed conflict and in post-conflict periods. A total of 45 studies were included. Inclusion criteria were: population-based, observational studies that collected quantitative data with women (aged 15 years or older), included prevalence data on intimate partner violence or sexual violence, was collected in a conflict-affected context (active conflict or within 10 years after conflict) and was self-reported by women themselves. PubMed (Medline), PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched, and Demographic and Health Surveys were included for conflict-affected settings. The search covered literature published between January 1990 and August 2023. The results estimate that 39% of women and girls in conflict-affected settings have experienced physical or lifetime IPV, while 24% reported this violence in the past 12 months. For non-partner perpetrated violence, an estimated 21% of women and girls had experienced this violence in their lifetime and 11% reported having this experience during a period of conflict. When looking at sexual violence overall, an estimated 21% had experienced this violence, though there was considerable heterogeneity depending on the source of this data.
Researchers are increasingly conducting research using primary source data involving observation of, and exposure to, violent extremist individuals, their acts, their online content, and the ideologies that they act in support of. Of concern is that this increased use of primary source material has not occurred alongside a serious investigation of the traumatic outcomes that may result from constant exposure to such materials within the process of conducting academic research. As such, the goal of this review is to conduct a rapid evidence assessment to identify (a) What theories currently exist that conceptualize trauma stemming from vicarious observation of extremist atrocities? (b) In what similar domains (if any) have researchers conceptualized the trauma that stems from vicarious observation of extremist atrocities? (c) What is the current evidence base for these theories? And (d) What are the immediate research needs to extend this research and support the research workforce? Articles were identified using search strings related to types of trauma, and relevant domains of work (e.g., criminal justice, healthcare, national security, content moderation). In total 34 articles were screened and assessed in full. The work domains of these articles ranged from drone warfare to digital forensics and interrogation interpreters. Overall, exposure to traumatic images, videos, and events is associated with burnout, secondary traumatic stress, turnover intentions, and a host of wider negative psychosocial outcomes. Furthermore, this process is impacted by several factors including the nature of the content, the wider organizational culture, and individual differences.

