Alcohol and brief intervention for trauma victims

Objective:to describe the causes and severities of trauma in patients who met the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence according to Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and to display the pattern of alcohol consumption and subsequent changes one year after trauma.Methods:a transversal and longitudinal quantitative study carried out between November 2012 and September 2013 in the ED. Medical and nursing students collected blood samples, applied the J section of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and submitted alcohol abusers and dependents to BI. One year after admission, patients were contacted and asked about their patterns of alcohol use and their reasons for any changes.Results:from a sample of 507 patients admitted to the ED for trauma, 348 responded to MINI, 90 (25.9%) being abusers and 36 (10.3%) dependent on alcohol. Among the abusers, the most frequent cause of injury was motorcycle accident (35.6%) and among the dependents it was predominantly interpersonal violence (22.2%). Positive blood samples for alcohol were identified in 31.7% of the abusers and 53.1% of the dependents. One year after trauma, 66 abusers and 31 dependents were contacted, and it was ascertained that 36.4% of the abusers and 19.4% of the dependents had decreased alcohol consumption. The main reported reason for the reduction was the experienced trauma.Conclusion:the motorcycle accident was the most common cause of injury. The detection of problematic alcohol use and implementation of BI are important strategies in the ED, however for alcohol abusers and dependents, BI was not the most reported reason for any changes in patterns of alcohol use.

Comparing adult-youth and adult-adult online sexual solicitation: Manipulative behaviors, situational factors, and outcomes

Online sexual solicitation (solicitation) of youth has received widespread media and research attention during the last decade. The prevalence rates of youth who have experienced solicitation or solicitation attempts vary between studies depending on the methodology used (e.g., whether youth or adults are the target study group). In studies focusing on youth victims, the prevalence of solicitation attempts made by adults during the past year is typically reported to be between 5 and 9%. Adults who solicit youth online have been found to use deception and other manipulative behaviors to gain access to sexual activities with youth. However, previous studies have lacked a control group of adults who solicit other adults online. Without this comparison, one could argue that deceiving others online about one’s identity, and engaging in manipulative behaviors, is an inherent part of most online sexual interactions with strangers. Additionally, little is known about the associations between manipulative behaviors and the solicitation outcomes. In research concerning offline sexual behaviors, it has been noted that situational factors, such as sexual arousal, may alter both sexual interest and behavior. The effects of situational factors on online sexual behaviors have been less extensively studied (especially so with a quantitative approach); no studies have to date focused on adults’ solicitation of youth. Investigating the role of a lowered sexual age preference and the role of situational factors in the soliciting adults could be an important step in order to receive deeper knowledge of the role of traits and states in the context of solicitation. Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge of the effect of the age of the youth. Although previous studies on solicitation has found that older youth, compared with younger youth and children, are more often solicited, the possible reasons for this have not been investigated. Are adults who solicit youth affected by legal deterrence (through the legal age of consent), is it because older youth are more available online, or are the adults’ age preferences merely a product of a normally distributed age preference in the population? The purpose of the present thesis was fivefold: 1) to obtain an estimate of the frequency of adults’ solicitation of youth as self-reported and observed in actual behavior; 2) to explore whether the legal age of consent (LAC) affects solicitation frequency, or whether a normally distributed sexual age preference more accurately describe the proportion of solicited youth of different ages; 3) to investigate the associations of both traits (e.g., lower sexual age preference) and states (immediate situational factors, such as alcohol intoxication), and the solicitation target; 4) to explore whether adults who solicit youth and adults who solicit adults are equally deceitful and manipulative online, and whether the different solicitation outcomes are as common in both groups; and 5) to investigate whether the deceitful and manipulative behaviors engaged in had different associations with the solicitation outcomes depending on the age of the solicited. In the survey study, a convenience sample of 1393 adult participants (aged 18 years or older) self-reported any online communication with strangers during the past year. Of these, 56% (776 respondents) reported that they had solicited or attempted to solicit at least one stranger. Of the respondents, 453 (58.4%) were men, and 323 (41.6%) were women. Participants with only adult contacts (18 years or older) constituted the majority (640 respondents). In contrast, 136 individuals reported a youth contact (a 13 year old or younger, or a 14 to 17-year old). Approximately half of the participants were men in the adult contact group, while 75% of the participants were men in the youth contact group. Approximately 60% of the participants with youth contacts were recruited from two websites associated with a pedophilic sexual interest. In an online quasi-experimental study, with researchers impersonating youth of different ages (10–18 year olds) in chat rooms, 251 online conversations with chat room visitors made up the entire sample. All chat room visitors alleged to be men. The self-reported frequency of having solicited youth (0–17-year olds) during the past year was approximately 10% in our sample of adults who reported communicating with any strangers online. When we observed this behavior in chat rooms, we found that approximately 30% of the chat room visitors who believed they interacted with a 10 to 14 year old attempted to solicit the youth. We found that solicitation attempts increased equally much when increasing the age of the impersonated youth from 14 to 16, as from 16 to 18. Thus, we concluded that a normally distributed age preference in the population was a more plausible explanation to the effect of the age of the solicited, rather than the LAC (here; 15 and 16). If the chat room visitors would have been deterred only by the LAC, we would have expected that the change in amount of solicitation attempts from an illegal age group to a legal age group would have been significantly stronger than changes between age groups within illegal-illegal and legal-legal groups. Our subsample of survey participants from the pedophilia-related websites expectedly reported that they had solicited youth more often in comparison to the sample gathered through general (i.e., not associated with any particular sexual preference) websites. We also found that participants with a youth contact reported higher levels of sexual arousal and shame before the sexual interaction with their online contact, compared with participants with an adult contact. Additionally, the participants with youth contacts who reported consumption of child- and adolescent pornography also reported being more sexually aroused before the interaction, compared to the participants with youth contacts who did not report consumption of these kinds of pornography. We also found clear indications that the online sexual interaction had an alleviatory effect on reported levels of sadness, boredom and stress, independent of the age of the contact. Generally, the participants with youth and adult contacts reported deceiving their contacts as often and suggesting keeping the communication a secret from someone as often. Participants with a youth contact, however, reported using more persuasion techniques for online sexual purposes or for the purpose of an offline meeting, compared to those with an adult contact. In the chat rooms, we found that more indirect ways of future sexual communication (e.g., continuing chatting) was suggested by the chat room visitors that were under the assumption of interacting with youth aged 10 to 14, compared with more direct means (e.g., meeting offline). Survey participants with youth contacts who had used deception, suggested keeping the interactions a secret, and/or persuaded their contact by appealing to the contacts feelings of love and attachment for the participant had also more often engaged in cybersex with the contact. No other manipulative behaviors were associated with the other investigated solicitation outcomes (receiving a sexual picture, meeting offline, and engaging in sexual contact offline) within this group of participants. However, using deception, suggesting secrecy and using persuasion was also positively associated with certain solicitation outcomes within participants with an adult contact. In summary, adults’ solicitation of youth is much more frequent when observed in chat rooms than self-reported. Additionally, an underlying lowered sexual age preference seems to be a motivating factor on a group level in adults who solicit youth. We concluded that directed prevention efforts should be made on pedophiliarelated websites. Additionally, the role of situational factors, especially sexual arousal in persons with a pedo- or hebephilic sexual interest should be investigated further in the context of online sexual solicitation.

Predicting Physical, Verbal, Social, Racial, and Sexual Bullying with Individual and Environmental Factors from an Evolutionary Ecological Framework

Evidence exists for subtypes of bullying, but there is a lack of studies simultaneously investigating the factors that influence each subtype. The purpose of my thesis was to investigate how individual and environmental factors independently and interactively predict physical, verbal, social, racial, and sexual bullying using an evolutionary ecological framework. Adolescents (N = 225, M = 14.05, SD = 1.54) completed self-reports on demographics, HEXACO personality, Rothbart’s temperament, parenting, friendship quality, school connectedness, and socio-economic status. Subtypes were predicted by low Honesty-Humility in addition to other personality and demographic factors with the exception of physical bullying, which was predicted by environmental factors. Results suggest adolescents adaptively and selectively use bullying to exploit victims and obtain resources, although the subtype used may depend on individual factors bullies possess within Bronfenbrenner’s microsystem, instead of the meso- and exo- systems. Anti-bullying efforts should target these factors and reinforce alternative strategies to obtain resources.

Sexual Violence Beyond all Reasonable Doubt

Establishing the pattern of crime is fundamental for the successful investigation ofinternational crimes (genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity). A patternof crime is the aggregate of multiple incidents that share common features related tothe victims, the perpetrators, and the modus operandi. Pattern evidence and analysishave been used successfully, mainly in the investigation of large-scale killings, destruction,and displacement; the use for sexual violence charges has been remarkablymore limited. There is a need to overcome this gap by setting proper methods of datacollection and analysis. At the level of evidence collection, under-reporting should beaddressed through victimization surveys or secondary analysis of data available fromdifferent sources. At the level of analysis, the available evidence needs to be subject toimpartial examination beyond the pre-conceptions of the conflict parties and advocacygroups, in compliance with scientific standards for quantitative, qualitative, andGIS (Geographic Information Systems)methods. Reviewing the different investigativeexperiences and jurisprudence will help to set the right methodology and contribute mostefficiently to putting an end to the impunity regarding sexual crimes.

Sexual Violence Against Women as a Strategy to Dispossess Land in the Colombian Armed Conflict

This article reviews the evidence collected by diverse national and international organizations regarding the relationship between sexual violence against women, forced displacement, and dispossession in the context of the Colombian armed conflict. To this end, it uses the concept of “sexual violence regimes” to highlight that the endspursued by sexual violence are not always exhausted by simple consummation (that is, the act of sexual violence itself), but depending on the context, can be connected with broader strategic goals of armed actors. At the same time, this document admits the difficulty of proving this relationship with respect to judicial procedures, and thus sets out the possibility of creating a rebuttable presumption, in the framework of “unconstitutional state of affairs” created by judgment T-025 of 2004, that alleviates the burden of proof of the victims, and serves as a catalyst to promote new genderbased mechanisms of reparations.

Feminist Debate around ‘Trafficking’ in Women for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation in Prostitution

Women trafficking, as a widespread phenomenon, is a complex topic with manifold consequences which have a direct bearing on the way in which the problem of trafficking is understood by regulatory institutions and their proposed solutions. The governmental strategy must respond to this multidimensional phenomenon through state tools to counteract the effects of crime and recognize that women, men, children and adolescents may be indiscriminately vulnerable to this scourge. Nevertheless, we must recognize that, due to cultural facts, women and girls constitute the majority of its victims and specific actions are required for them.

Students' perceptions of the prevalence, forms and causes of child abuse in Edo State, Nigerian. 'Percepci??n de los estudiantes acerca de la prevalencia, formas y causas de abuso a menores en Edo, Nigeria'

Resumen basado en el de la publicaci??n

La credibilidad del testimonio infantil ante supuestos de abuso sexual: indicadores psicosociales

La present tesi doctoral estudiarà la temàtica de la credibilitat del relat que els menors presumptament abusats expressen dels fets, en base a l'anàlisi del contingut del seu relat. Fins al moment, la prova que s'utilitza, anomenada CBCA és fonamentalment d'orientació cognitiva, desconsiderant del seu anàlisi, els possibles criteris psicosocials que els menors expressen. Així, la present tesi, a més d'estudiar la prova CBCA, proposa l'utilització d'indicadors psicosocials que, efectivament, són expressats en el relat dels presumptes fets i que, en base a l'anàlisi mètric pertinent, ens permeten presentar-los com a vàlids per a diferenciar relats creíbles, d'aquells relats inventats o falsejats. La part teòrica de la tesi, presenta un exhaustiu recull de les recerques més significatives sobre les següents temàtiques: la credibilitat, l'instrument CBCA, els factors que influeixen en el testimoni infantil i els indicadors psicosocials de credibilitat. La part empírica, en base a un disseny observacional-correlacional i amb una mostra de casos reals treballats a la seu de l'Equip d'Assesorament del Jutjats de Girona, durant els anys 2000-2001, presenta l'estudi i anàlisi del CBCA, criticant les limitacions importants que presenta aquest instrument i, naturalment, proposant l'incorporació dels indicadors psicosocials com a criteris per la diferenciació dels relats. Es realitza un complert anàlisi mètric i es comprova l'increment de la qualitat psicomètrica (fiabilitat, validesa, discriminació de ítems) del nou instrument proposat amb els indicadors psicosocials presentats: el secret, relació dependent-envolvent, progressió en l'abús, normes de conducta, símptomes psicològics, favors i regals.

Assédio Sexual nas Organizações e aplicação prática da Legislação : análise de Casos Reais

O assédio sexual deveria transformar-se numa preocupação, permanente para os médicos, advogados, magistrados, psicólogos, sociólogos, gestores de recursos humanos, administradores e diretores de empresas, e a sociedade em geral, de forma a manter os valores morais e profissionais. A sociedade atual preocupa-se muito mais com a ostentação de valores materiais visíveis, sendo o assédio sexual considerado como algo oculto, que as vítimas tentam esconder. A maioria das mulheres não denuncia o assédio sexual por vários medos, que alternam entre as represálias ou retaliações, de serem rebaixadas, de perderem o emprego, - já que dependem desse para sobreviver - de serem transferidas, de se expor ao ridículo frente aos colegas, familiares e amigas, de perderem a carta de referência, etc. Habitualmente, têm muitas dificuldades em falar, não só porque revivem algo desagradável que as incomoda psicologicamente, mas também porque não acreditam que existam recursos para tratar de maneira eficaz e eficiente o problema que as afeta dramaticamente.

Violência contra a mulher : estudo de caso em uma instituição de ensino

The study research case with a quantitative approach and prospective data, carried out between December 2010 and February 2011 with the aim of identifying the profile of women in the study, to characterize the acts of violence in the type, frequency, location occurrence and aggressor, analyze the steps taken after the occurrence of acts of violence and the main consequences on the victims. The population consisted of 285 workers in a tertiary institution in Rio Grande do Norte. The results showed that 99 (34.74%) have between 51 to 60 years of age, 78 (27.37%) of 41 to 50 and 62 (21.75%) between 20 and 30 years, are considered color white, 162 (56.84%) have completed higher education, 171 (60.00%) and of these 97 (56.73%) reported having some post-graduate degrees, are married, 141 (49.47%) and have from zero to one child, 148 (51.93%) reside in the south of the city of Natal, 146 (51.23%) have a monthly income of three to five minimum wages, 171 (60.00%) and are mostly in the Technical Administrative Sciences 152 (53.33%), 77 (27.02%) reported having experienced violence, 60 (62.50%) episodes of verbal aggression, 26 (27.08%) of bullying , 05 (5.21%) of physical abuse and 05 (5.21%) sexual harassment; 05 (100.00%) assaults were made by the spouse or partner of the victims and co-workers is another profession were responsible for 18 (30.00%) verbal aggression, 15 (57.69%) bullying and 03 (60.00%) sexual harassment, 02 (40.00%) of victims of physical aggression and 18 (30.00 %) of verbal abused only once, 10 (38.46%) of bullying and 02 (40.00%) of sexual harassment experienced four or more times 05 (100.00%) assaults occurred at domestic and work stood out with 36 (60.00%), verbal abuse, 22 (84.62%), moral harassment and 04 (80.00%) sexual harassment, 35 (36.46%) told colleagues work and 31 (32.29%) for family and friends in 75 (78.13%) cases there was no intervention, 07 (7.29) were unable to respond if something had been done and 14 (14.58% ) have been reported intervention of these, 09 (64.29%) were taken by the heads of the victims, 26 (32.10%) did not notify the fact on the ground that no action would be taken, 62 (80.52%) felt stress , 5 (1.76%) of women turned away from work after the episode of violence, accounting for 198 days of absenteeism. It is concluded that there is a high rate of violence against women, even when they have a good socioeconomic status, and in this sense is important to establish bases of new proposals for improving control of cases of health professionals, especially nurses, to approach patients with a more investigative, and that by identifying a case of violence, be instructed about the paths to be followed for notification while providing psychological support to victims.

A credibilidade do testemunho da criança vítima de abuso sexual no contexto judiciário

Violência sexual contra crianças não é um evento incomum; no entanto, há a dificuldade de denúncia, pois, além do estabelecimento da relação de dominação que o agressor exerce sobre a vítima, a maneira como tal fato é recebido pela sociedade e como é encaminhado pelas instituições judiciárias responsáveis também é determinante para as omissões. Inserida no universo dos interrogatórios, muitas vezes, a criança causa confusão ao desmentir o que havia falado antes, reforçando possíveis preconceitos em relação a si mesma. O presente trabalho traz a análise das relações entre a infância e a instituição judiciária, com principal enfoque no sistema de comunicação e de notificação dos crimes sexuais contra a criança e as consequentes intervenções profissionais que buscam a validação, ou não, de seu testemunho. Para tanto, foram pesquisados 51 processos judiciais, dos quais foram selecionados dois casos exemplares. Este trabalho evidencia a possibilidade de preservar a criança da revitimização causada pela multiplicidade de interrogatórios, sem deixar de cumprir as normas jurídicas necessárias. A fragilidade da palavra da criança está na forma como é acolhida pelos adultos, desde a revelação na família até a denúncia aos órgãos oficiais, revelando a urgência de alterações nos procedimentos judiciais relacionados a essa problemática

Violência sexual intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes: o estado da arte em periódicos em psicologia

Intrafamily sexual violence against children and adolescents is a highly complex and serious issue in terms of the damage caused to this population. However, despite the relevance of this discussion, the matter only began to be addressed in the second half of the twentieth century, with its inclusion in academic research from the perspective of damage caused to the victims. Debate on intrafamily sexual violence against children and adolescents has intensified in recent decades, particularly with the enactment of the Statute on Children and Adolescents (Federal Law 8069/90), which recognizes children and adolescents as rights holders. Open discussion on the issue meant several fields of knowledge began to study the topic. Particularly prominent among these areas is the field of Psychology, promoting theoretical discussions and practical interventions focusing on this type of violence. Given the theoretical and methodological diversity of psychological science and the many possibilities for the production of knowledge, this study aims to map and debate research conducted in the field that discusses intrafamily sexual violence against children and adolescents in Brazil. To that end, articles published in Psychology journals were analyzed. In order to achieve this objective, a search was conducted of Scielo Brasil using descriptors on the subject, chosen from a list reported by Faleiros (2000). The time frame studied was between 1990 and 2013, therefore included the date of the enactment of the Statute of Children and Adolescents. Qualitative analysis was selected as a data analysis technique around two main themes. The first involved analyzing the concept of intrafamily sexual violence based on its components. The second analytical theme addressed the theoretical and methodological strategies used by the authors. The aim was to identify and discuss the approaches chosen to achieve the proposed objectives as well as the justifications provided by the authors for their research. Analyses of these themes were based on theoretical discussions on intrafamily sexual violence against children and adolescents. Difficulties were identified in conceptualizing intrafamily sexual violence so as to include all its elements and differentiate it from sexual exploitation. The studies assessed showed substantial diversity in both the theoretical and methodological approaches used, contributing to understanding the phenomenon. It is expected that this study will contribute to reflection on intrafamily sexual violence against children and adolescents, promoting new studies and/or practical interventions

Hydatidiform mole resulting from sexual violence

Background. Hydatidiform mole (HM) is characterized by abnormal proliferation of human trophoblast with producers functioning tissues of human chorionic gonadotropin. It can evolve with ovarian cysts tecaluteínicos, hypertension of pregnancy or hyperthyroidism. The incidence of HM is variable and its etiology poorly known, associated with nutritional factors, environmental, age, parity, history of HM, oral contraceptives, smoking, consanguinity or defects in germ cells. There is no reference in literature on HM resulting from sexual violence, objective of this report. Method. Description of two cases of HM among 1146 patients with pregnancy resulting from sexual violence treated at Hospital Pérola Byington, São Paulo, from July 1994 to August 2011. Results. The cases affected young, white, unmarried, low educated and low parity women. Sexual violence was perpetrated by known offenders unrelated to the victims, under death threat. Ultrasound and CT of the pelvis showed bulky uterus compatible with HM without myometrial invasion. One case was associated with theca lutein cysts. The two cases were diagnosed in the second trimester of pregnancy and evolved with hyperthyroidism. There was no hypertension, disease recurrence, metastasis or sexually transmitted infection. Conclusion. The incidence of HM was 1:573 pregnancies resulting from rape, within the range estimated for Latin American countries. Trophoblastic material can be preserved to identify the violence perpetrator, considering only the paternal HM chromosomes. History of sexual violence should be investigated in cases of HM in the first half of adolescence and women in a vulnerable condition. © 2012 Drezzet et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Concepções de licenciandos sobre violência sexual e políticas educacionais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Os desafios dos/as profissionais da Psicologia diante do imperativo da quebra de sigilo nos casos de violência sexual intrafamiliar vivenciada por crianças

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS