Are mental health staff getting better at asking about abuse and neglect?

This study ascertained the extent to which abuse and neglect are identified and recorded by mental health services. A comprehensive audit of 250 randomly selected files from four community mental health centres in Auckland, New Zealand was conducted, using similar methodology to that of a 1997 audit in the same city so as to permit comparisons. Significant increases, compared to the 1997 audit, were found in the rates of child sexual and physical abuse, and adulthood sexual assault (but not adulthood physical assault) identified in the files. Identification of physical and emotional neglect, however, was poor. Male service users were asked less often than females; and male staff enquired less often than female staff. People with a diagnosis indicative of psychosis, such as ‘schizophrenia’, tended to be asked less often and had significantly lower rates of abuse/neglect identified. Despite the overall improvement, mental health services are still missing significant amounts of childhood and adulthood adversities, especially neglect. All services need clear policies that all service users be asked about both abuse and neglect, whatever their gender or diagnosis, and that staff receive training that address the barriers to asking and to responding therapeutically to disclosures.

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.

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 Infanto-Juvenil em Natal: uma avaliação do Programa Sentinela

Analyze the problem of sexual violence suffered by children and adolescents in the city of Natal / Rio Grande do Norte (RN), attended by the Programa Sentinela, a service aimed at combating sexual violence children and teenagers who serves on the council of Natal. Thus aims to review the implementation of the Programa Sentinela in Natal / RN, in the period 2001 to 2006, verifying that the program has contributed to the access of children and adolescents who are victims of abuse and sexual exploitation to fundamental rights under the Statute Children and adolescents (ECA) and the Local Plan and the National gainst Infanto-Youth Sexual Violence. It has a theoretical and methodological approach quantitative and qualitative, covering the issue of sexual violence against children and adolescents, as one of the expressions of economic relationships, gender, race and culture that make up the material and symbolic structure of society. It methodological procedure: review of literature on the subject and conducting interviews with professionals and families of children and adolescent victims of sexual violence. Investigate as the unit of analysis the Sentinel Program. The analysis on the governmental actions of this period on this social problem points to the continuity and little change in the care of victims of sexual violence: despite maintain features and palliative assistencialistas, favoring the "Network of Sexual Tourism", go through some innovations in terms of securing rights from the ECA, which is the need for transparency and democratization in the management of government policies. In research undertaken, Brazil will only be combating this type of crime when each of the social actors are actually doing their share, down taboos, facing corruption and strengthening a system of guarantee of rights, which target children and adolescents are unprotected, and often ignored by Brazilian society

Concepções de licenciandos sobre violência sexual e políticas educacionais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

O papel da escola na vida de adolescentes vítimas de violência sexual: risco e proteção

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise da efetividade das intervenções a crianças e adolescentes vítimas de violência sexual intrafamiliar

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

Recursos da psicanálise na psicoterapia de crianças vítimas de abuso sexual incestuoso

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

Trabalho com redução à condição análoga à de escravos e ofensa à dignidade da pessoa humana: tráfico de mulheres para fins de exploração sexual comercial, no Brasil (2002-2008)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Sexualidade na internet: análise de blogs sobre sexualidade e educação sexual

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Pretreatment and outcome correlates of past sexual and physical trauma in 118 bipolar I disorder patients with a first episode of psychotic mania

To assess the prevalence and correlates of childhood and adolescent sexual and/or physical abuse (SPA) in bipolar I disorder (BDI) patients treated for a first episode of psychotic mania.

Pretreatment and outcome correlates of sexual and physical trauma in an epidemiological cohort of first-episode psychosis patients

High prevalence of trauma has been reported in psychosis. While role of trauma as a risk factor for developing psychosis is still debated, its negative impact on outcome has been described. Few studies have explored this issue in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients. We assessed rate of stressful events, as well as premorbid and outcome correlates of past sexual and/or physical abuse (SPA) in an epidemiological FEP patients cohort.

Attitudes and Social Factors as Predictors of Male Perpetration of Sexual Assault

Previous research has demonstrated a significant association between sexual assault perpetration and hooking up, male peer support for woman abuse, alcohol consumption, and rape myth acceptance (Burt, 1980; Flack, Daubman, Caron, Asadorian, D’Aureli, Gigliotti & Stine, 2007; Schwartz & DeKeseredy, 1997). In the present study, we tested these relationships on the collegiate level by asking male students to indicate levels of male peer support for woman abuse (MPS), acceptance of rape myths (RMA), alcohol consumption, and history of hooking up and sexual assault perpetration during their undergraduate experience. Participants in this study were 200 male Bucknell students (sophomores - seniors) who completed an online survey concerning these issues. The overall prevalence rate for some type of sexual assault perpetration was 10.5%. Specific prevalence rates for non-invasive contact, completed rape, and attempted rape were 5.5%, 2.0%, and 5.0%, respectively. Sexual assault perpetration was positively correlated with MPS and alcohol consumption but not with RMA. Sexual assault was perpetrated most frequently during acquaintance hook ups. These findings demonstrate direct, significant relationships between sexual assault perpetration, alcohol abuse, different types of hooking up, and rape-supportive attitudes, and an association between perpetration and MPS that requires further elaboration.

The role of substance abuse treatment in preventing human immunodeficiency virus transmission among injecting drug users

This exploratory study assesses the utility of substance abuse treatment as a strategy for preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission among injecting drug users (IDUs). Data analyzed in this study were collected in San Antonio, TX, 1989 through 1995 using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative data included ethnographic interviews with 234 active IDUs; quantitative data included baseline risk assessments and HIV screening plus interviews follow-up interviews administered approximately six months later to 823 IDUs participating in a Federally-funded AIDS community outreach demonstration project.^ Findings that have particularly important implications for substance abuse treatment as an HIV prevention strategy for IDUs are listed below. (1) IDUs who wanted treatment were significantly more likely to be daily heroin users. (2) IDUs who want treatment were significantly more likely to have been to treatment previously. (3) IDUs who wanted treatment at baseline reported significantly higher levels of HIV risk than IDUs who did not want treatment. (4) IDUs who went to treatment between their baseline and follow-up interviews reported significantly higher levels of HIV risk at baseline than IDUs who did not go to treatment. (5) IDUs who went to treatment between their baseline and follow-up interviews reported significantly greater decreases in injection-related HIV risk behaviors. (6) IDUs who went to treatment reported significantly greater decreases in sexual HIV risk behaviors than IDUs who did not go to treatment.^ This study also noted a number of factors that may limit the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment in reducing HIV risk among IDUs. Findings suggest that the impact of methadone maintenance on HIV risk behaviors among opioid dependent IDUs may be limited by the negative manner in which it is perceived by IDUs as well as other elements of society. One consequence of the negative perception of methadone maintenance held by many elements of society may be an unwillingness to provide public funding for an adequate number of methadone maintenance slots. Thus many IDUs who would be willing to enter methadone maintenance are unable to enter it and many IDUs who do enter it are forced to drop out prematurely. ^