Describing individual incidents of sexual abuse: a review of research on the effects of multiple sources of information on children's reports

Objective: For successful prosecution of child sexual abuse, children are often required to provide reports about individual, alleged incidents. Although verbally or mentally rehearsing memory of an incident can strengthen memories, children’s report of individual incidents can also be contaminated when they experience other events related to the individual incidents (e.g., informal interviews, dreams of the incident) and/or when they have similar, repeated experiences of an incident, as in cases of multiple abuse.

Method: Research is reviewed on the positive and negative effects of these related experiences on the length, accuracy, and structure of children’s reports of a particular incident.

Results: Children’s memories of a particular incident can be strengthened when exposed to information that does not contradict what they have experienced, thus promoting accurate recall and resistance to false, suggestive influences. When the encountered information differs from children’s experiences of the target incident, however, children can become confused between their experiences—they may remember the content but not the source of their experiences.

Conclusions: We discuss the implications of this research for interviewing children in sexual abuse investigations and provide a set of research-based recommendations for investigative interviewers.

Readiness for treatment in high risk offenders with personality disorders

Low engagement and non-completion of therapeutic interventions are important issues in the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders and mentally disordered offenders. Such factors influence a range of outcomes, including the reduction of clinical and criminogenic needs. In this paper it is proposed that low engagement and non-completion are usefully viewed as a consequence of low readiness for treatment. The dimensions of readiness are summarized (from the Multifactor Offender Readiness Model) and applied to high risk offenders with severe personality disorders. A readiness analysis has implications for the assessment and treatment of this patient/offender population and is useful in identifying future research and clinical priorities.

Effect of Phytophthora cinnamomi on the habitat utilization of Antechinus stuartii in a Victorian forest

Phytophthora cinnamomi (Cinnamon fungus) is a pathogenic soil fungus which infects plant communities along the south-eastern coast of Australia, and the south-western corner of Western Australia. The symptoms of this disease include chlorosis, death of branches (ie. ‘dieback’), retarded growth and the eventual death of infected plants. This leads to devastating effects upon plant communities by altering both the structural and floristic characteristics of these communities. Small mammal species are dependent on specific features of their habitat such as vegetation structure and floristics. This thesis investigated alterations to the habitat of the insectivorous marsupial mouse, Antechinus stuartii, due to the presence of P. cinnamomi. The study was undertaken in an area of an open forest in the Brisbane Ranges, Victoria. Significant changes were found in both the floristic composition and structure of the vegetation at study sites infected with P, cinnamomi, compared to uninfected sites. The habitat utilization by A. stuartii of uninfected and infected vegetation was investigated using live trapping and radio-telemetric techniques. Capture rates were higher at sites uninfected by P. cinnamomi, and both male and females selected areas free from infection. Home range areas of males were significantly larger than those of females as assessed by telemetry. Both sexes spent a high proportion of time in areas dominated by Xanthorrhoea australis (Austral grass tree). There were significant relationships between the abundance of A. stuartii and the denseness of vegetation above 1 metre in height, and in particular, the proportion of cover afforded by X. australis. There were no significant differences in the cover of Eucalyptus spp. between uninfected and infected sites, but there were significantly more nest hollows in infected areas. The abundance of invertebrates was examined using pitfall traps. There were no significant differences in the abundance of the larger invertebrate taxa at infected and uninfected sites, but higher abundances of some micro-invertebrate groups in infected areas were recorded. The most likely factors considered to be influential in the habitat selection of A. stuartii were vegetation structure, and the presence of X. australis. To assess whether these factors were important the leaves of X. australis were removed with a brushcutter, to mimic the early effects of infection with P. cinnamomi. Animals did not respond to the alteration of vegetation structure in the short term (3-4 days). Longer-term experiments are required to assess the habitat utilization of A. stuartii at different periods following habitat manipulation. The implications of the presence of P. cinnamomi on the conservation of fauna are discussed. The destructive nature of the pathogen, and the slow rate of recovery from the disease, means that P. cinnamomi can be considered a threatening process to plant communities and the fauna that reside within that habitat. Future management of this disease within natural areas must therefore be cognisant of the potential of P. cinnamomi to significantly affect faunal as well as vegetative communities.

Clinical and demographic differences between sexually violent predators and other commitment types in a state forensic hospital

Sexual offenders who are involuntarily civilly committed to a secure state hospital as Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs) appear to differ significantly from other current patient populations. Demographically, SVPs are older and more predominantly Caucasian than other patients. They are less frequently psychotic than patients committed under other state statutes such as those found incompetent to stand trial, not guilty by reason of insanity and mentally ill prison transfers. Another salient dimension which distinguishes SVPs is the degree of psychopathy observed in these patients. As a group, SVPs display only slightly higher levels of psychopathy than other patient groups as measured by the revised Psychopathy Checklist. Yet when considered by offender type, rapists are found to have significantly higher average psychopathy scores than other patients, while child molesters are assessed as having lower average psychopathy scores than most other patient commitment categories.

Primary mental health care reform in Australia : the vision and the reality

Reports on primary mental health care reform in Australia 1991-2001 and the involvement of general practioners as the key providers. Investigates the degree to which the vision of policy makers and key stakeholders for a more integrated and effective system had been achieved. Findings suggested there is a considerable mismatch between the policy vision and the implementation reality and that the current system falls short of providing the support and systemic changes necessary for GPs to provide effective mental health care.

Viewer characteristics, film context and habituation/desensitisation to filmed violence

This thesis comprises three studies aimed at examining viewers' responses to filmed violence. The first focused on habituation, the second desensitisation and the third compared the paradigms. Results indicated that several factors influence how an individual responds to filmed violence and provide some insight into the impact of repetitive exposure to media violence. The portfolio presents four case studies emphasising the difficulties for assessing risk and associated interventions in the client population of individuals found not guilty because of mental impairment. This as an area of fundamental discord between psychology and law.

Sentencing pathways for offenders in Victoria : clinical influences and considerations

This portfolio aims to review aspects of the sentencing of violent offenders under Victoria's criminal justice system. Focuses on a critique of current legislation, the way the rights of special needs offenders are acknowledged and enshrined in law, how these provisions are expressed in practice, and the clinical factors that contribute to, and influence, the dispositions individuals receive.

Renegade judgement : a study of madness in medicine and literature

Explores socio-historical understandings and treatments of madness, examining literary works alongside contemporary medical texts. Incorporating notions of scientific objectivity, individual subjectivity and social totality, the thesis shows conceptual overlaps between art and science, identifying continuities and conflicts between fictional, clinical and cultural investigations into madness.

Dual disability : the inherent difficulties in service provision and client management

Dual disability is a particularly important area of study, as the co-occurence of intellectual and psychiatric disability presents signficant challenges to professionals within the health and disability services. Four case studies are presented.

The language of Well-Being

The language of Well-Being is a linguistic analysis of acute hospital patients not suffering depression. Despite patients' ill health, their language revealed a 'positive' attitude, particularly a capacity to be resilient, extroverted and optimistic. This thesis describes the language that 'works' for mentally healthy people in extremely challenging circumstances.

Beyond mental illness

The Introducing Me program was developed as a recovery-oriented intervention program for people with mental illness. Program trials revealed improvements in self-concept, self-esteem, reduced social anxiety, and overall positive feedback. This novel and innovative program has important implications for the treatment and wellbeing of persons with a severe mental illness. The Professional Portfolio discusses issues relating to the assessment and diagnosis of depression in adolescents and factors determining appropriate treatment recommendations. Four case studies are presented.

Societal constructions of the psycho-legal notion of mental impairment in Victoria

This thesis explored the factors relevant to decision-making when the defence of mental impairment is raised in Victoria. Findings indicate that disorder type, crime outcome, and the relationship between victim and offender were significantly associated with verdict decisions, while offender gender did not play a significant role in responsibility decisions. The portfolio discusses the role of co-morbid psychopathology in the assessment and treatment of veterans with chronic PTSD by presenting four case histories.

Disturbing the dream of the autonomous subject

This concept-empirical inquiry investigated tensions between practitioners and their clients' significant-others. At its root, this difficulty was found to reflect embedded ideological, professional and organizational factors aligned with the process of individualization, a disposition which renders significant-other relationships as, at best, irrelevant to the professionals' understanding of their project.

Factors facilitating successful engagement among patients with first-episode psychosis

This thesis investigated factors that facilitate successful engagement with psychiatric treatment among young patients experiencing first-onset psychosis. The results revealed the importance of the treatment setting and key relationships in achieving engagement. Service delivery implications include the need for a social relationship model between clinicians, patients, and their peers.

Photochromic fabrics from hybrid silica surface coatings

In this study, hybrid silica prepared by a sol-gel technique and doped with a photochromic dye was used to produce photochromic coatings on fabric surfaces. The coated fabrics showed a strong photochromic effect with very fast optical response speed. Good coating adhesion was obtained on wool fabrics. The photostability of the photochromic fabrics was improved by three different processes: adding a photo stabilizer, adjusting the surface wettability and sealing off the dye-containing pores with additional silica coating. Four UV stabilizers were added separately to the photochromic silica coatings to investigate their influence on the photostability and photochromic behaviour. The addition of UV stabilizers retarded the photochromic response and reduced photochromic absorption, but increased photochromic lifetime. Among the four UV stabilizers studied, the quencher resulted in the best improvement to the photostability with minimal reduction in the photochromic absorption. Increasing the hydrophobicity of the coating, and sealing-off the dye-containing pores were also found to improve photostability.