Adult Female Victims Research Articles

Adult attachment style, perceived social support, and post-traumatic stress among female victims of sexual assault

The present study aimed to investigate the interplay between adult attachment style, perceived social support, and post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms among adult female victims of sexual assault)SA(. While prior research has established the link between insecure attachment style and PTS, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The potential role of perceived social support as a mediator in this relationship has been largely neglected and there is a dearth of studies investigating this mediation among victims of SA. The present study sought to address this gap in literature. Two hundred twenty-six women who have endured SA completed self-report measures of attachment style, perceived social support, and PTS, using an online survey. The results confirmed the anticipated pattern, showing a positive correlation between insecure attachment styles and PTS, as well as a negative correlation with perceived social support. A mediation analysis indicated that perceived social support may be a mechanism linking attachment styles to PTS. Following SA, insecurely attached women, especially those with avoidant attachment, have difficulties relying on and utilizing support from their environment, which may render them more susceptible to PTS. Nevertheless, the mediation was partial, indicating that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance independently contribute to the development and maintenance of PTS.

Impact of Self-Blame and Social Reactions on Adult Sexual Assault Sequelae

This study examined the effects of self-blame attribution and social response after disclosure of sexual assault on the adult female victims’ trauma symptoms. The author applied a sequential explanatory mixed method and quantitatively analyzed the data from 81 women and subsequently conducted in-depth interviews with 10 women who experienced sexual assault in their adulthood. In the final stage, we integrated the two phases and interpreted how self-blame, family reactions, response from institutions, and rape myths affect the sequelae of the victims of sexual assault. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationship and impact of individual and social contextual factors of sexual assault sequelae.

Self-Actualization and Anxiety in Early Adult Female Victims of Domestic Violence During Childhood

<p><em>Domestic violence (DV) is one of the forms of violence that affects not only adults but also children. Experiencing or witnessing DV in childhood can have long-term psychological impacts, such as the development of an anxious personality in adulthood. As individuals grow, they need to fulfill specific needs to achieve self-actualization, including safety needs. Individuals with high anxiety are most likely to have a threatened sense of security. Thus, the anxiety is predicted to be related to self-actualization. This research aims to investigate the relationship between self-actualization and anxiety in adult women who were victims of DV during childhood, with a total of 240 early adult women. The data analysis method is quantitative correlational. The findings revealed a correlation coefficient of -0.523 with a significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating a negative correlation between self-actualization and anxiety in early adult women who experienced DV during childhood.</em></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Keywords: </em></strong><em>Anxiety, Self-Actualization, Domestic Violence</em></p>

Introduction: IJCAR - Volume 8

Dear readers,
 I am pleased to introduce the 2021 Issue of IJCAR, the International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, addressing various aspects of youth resilience. We also have a thematic section focused on resilience in Indigenous and multicultural populations.
 This issue includes five regular articles on different aspects of resilience. First, Lafrenaye-Dugas et al. document the sources of distress of adolescent boy victims of physical violence within their romantic relationships. Then, Martinez and her colleagues examine the effect of disclosure on resilience in adult female victims of childhood sexual abuse. In the following paper, Dr. Medico proposes a theoretical model of trans affirmative approaches for trans and non-binary youth based on Axel Honneth's ethics of recognition model (2000; 2006). Richard et al. investigate the role of perceptions of harm and perceived peer and parental attitudes towards substance use in the association between adverse childhood experiences and substance use in adolescents. Finally, Villate and her colleagues document the subjective experiences of emerging adults who have a parent with a mental disorder and suggest ways to support their resilience in the transition to adulthood.
 In addition to these regular articles, we also have a commentary on the 5th World Congress on Resilience by Dr. Ionescu and a thematic section focused on resilience in Indigenous and multicultural populations. This section presents five articles on the effects of the Lantern|Awacic sexual violence prevention program training for workers in Indigenous care settings (Attard et al.), the relations between virtues, well-being, and resilience in Indigenous youth in the Peruvian Amazon (Bullock et al.), Child Maltreatment-Related Investigations of Children from Newcomer Households in Canada (Houston et al.), a review of the use of mobile applications to support Indigenous youth well-being (Noronha et al.), and finally, the validation of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28; Ungar & Liebenberg, 2011) in Nicaraguan youth.
 I wish to take this opportunity to warmly thank each member of the IJCAR team, namely Dr. Isabelle Daigneault, Dr. Rachel Langevin and Dr. Tara Black, associate editors; Catherine Moreau, managing editor; Manon Robichaud, layout editor; Andréanne Fortin, senior copyeditor; and Ruo Feng, Sereena Pigeon, and Carley Marshall, junior copyeditor. We hope you enjoy your reading!
 Don’t forget to prepare your manuscripts for the 2022 issue. In addition to regular papers, we will feature a thematic section on research presented at the Child and Youth Trauma Symposium. Submit your manuscripts in English or in French by November 15th, 2021. Please feel free to send the information to colleagues and students who may be interested.
 Martine Hébert, Editor-in-Chief

Post-Traumatic Bio-Behavioral Rehabilitation of Adult Female Victims.

ObjectiveTo determine if low resting basal AM cortisol and flat diurnal cortisol slope that has been reported in female abuse victims, which is dysregulated in the same way in female violent perpetrators, could be corrected and if healthier diurnal cortisol patterns are associated with less aggression in adult female victims.Design and MethodsA non-experimental, naturalistic study evaluated if bio-behavioral rehabilitation could occur for females living in a Delaware homeless mission and participating in their programs. Basal salivary cortisol (AM, PM & slope), aggression, neurological conditions, general health, alcohol use, having been a victim of abuse, religion, spirituality and forgiveness were evaluated over one month between 2018 and 2019.ResultsT tests revealed significant improvement in mean cortisol (AM, PM & slope), aggression, emotional/ behavioral dyscontrol, and health over one month while participating in the mission’s programs. Paired t-tests however were only significant for aggression and health. Healthier cortisol was significantly correlated with greater time since last alcohol, greater time since last abuse, less aggression, better health and greater religion, spirituality and forgiveness.ConclusionCommunity programs could be cost effective methods of post-traumatic bio-behavioral rehabilitation. Forgiveness may play a critical role for abuse victims. A larger sample and more settings are needed, although these findings are promising.

Post-Traumatic Bio-Behavioral Rehabilitation of Adult Female Victims

Post-Traumatic Bio-Behavioral Rehabilitation of Adult Female Victims

From One Mortality Regime to Another? Mortality Crises in Late Medieval Haarlem, Holland, in Perspective

This article employs a large database of 10,360 deaths taken from registrations of graves dug and church bells tolled at Haarlem between the years 1412 and 1547—one of the largest samples and longest series of mortality evidence ever produced for medieval Holland—and systematically compares findings with a seventeenth-century burial register for the same city. It concludes that we should put aside any lingering notion that late medieval Holland was very lightly affected by epidemic diseases: in fact, in Haarlem, these mortality crises were more severe than those seen in the seventeenth century. The data also reveal not one overarching “medieval mortality regime” but distinct changes between fewer but more severe spikes in the first half of the fifteenth century, and higher frequency of smaller spikes later on—especially in the period 1480–1530—with the number of mortality crises damping down after 1530. These mortality crises tended to produce more adult female victims than male, supporting recent findings from elsewhere in the late medieval Low Countries.

Challenges of Effective Communication in the Criminal Justice Process: Findings from Interviews with Victims of Sexual Offences in Australia

This article focuses on gendered experiences of the criminal justice system, specifically the experiences of adult female victims of sexual offending and the communication difficulties they experience during the criminal justice process. Drawing on the findings from qualitative interviews about sentencing with six victims and 15 justice professionals in Australia, we compare the lived experiences of the victims with the perceptions of the justice professionals who work with them, revealing a significant gap between the information justice professionals believe they are providing and the information victims recall receiving. We then analyse the international literature to distil effective communication strategies, with the goal of improving victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system as a whole. Specifically, we recommend verbal communication skills training for justice professionals who work with victims of crime and the development of visual flowcharts to help victims better understand the criminal justice process. We also recommend that Australian victims’ rights regimes be reformed to place the responsibility for providing information about the criminal process on the relevant justice agencies, rather than requiring the victim to seek this information, and suggest piloting automated notification systems to help agencies fulfil their obligations to provide victims with such information.

Child Sexual Abuse and Suicidal Ideation: The Differential Role of Attachment and Emotional Security in the Family System.

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of attachment style and emotional security in the family system on suicidal ideation in a sample of young adult female victims of child sexual abuse (CSA). The possible effects of CSA characteristics and other types of child abuse on suicidal ideation were controlled for. The sample consisted of 188 female college students who had been victims of sexual abuse before the age of 18, as well as 188 randomly selected participants who had not experienced CSA. The results showed that both attachment and emotional security were associated with suicidal ideation, even when controlling for both the characteristics of abuse and the existence of other abuses. The strong relationships of emotional security and attachment style with suicidal ideation suggest the importance of early intervention with children who have been sexually abused and their families, in an effort to optimize their attachment style, as well as to decrease emotional insecurity to prevent the onset of symptomatology related to suicidal ideation.

Learning About Situational Crime Prevention From Offenders: Using a Script Framework to Compare the Commission of Completed and Disrupted Sexual Offenses

The collective knowledge of offenders is one of the richest ways to advance understandings of crime commission and effective crime prevention. Drawing on self-report data from 53 incarcerated offenders in three Australian states and territories, the current article presents an innovative method which, through a crime script framework, allows for a first-time comparison of completed versus disrupted sexual offenses involving adult female and child victims at each stage of the crime commission process. Findings (a) highlight the critical need to boost the efficacy of situational prevention in the crime setup phase of the sexual offense script and (b) showcase how incorporating a script framework in offender-based research can identify new directions for crime prevention

Longitudinal Associations Among Negative Cognitions and Depressive and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Women Recently Exposed to Stalking.

Being stalked is a potentially traumatic experience associated with a threat to personal safety. Although major depression and posttraumatic stress (PTS) disorder are highly prevalent among stalking victims, little is known about factors associated with risk for the onset and maintenance of depressive and PTS symptoms in individuals with recent stalking exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the role of cognitive appraisals (negative views about the self, negative views about the world, self-blame) in the development of depressive and PTS symptoms in young adult women who had experienced stalking within 1 month of their baseline assessment. Participants (n = 82) completed self-report online surveys of posttraumatic cognitions and symptoms four times over the course of 3 months. Levels of posttraumatic cognitions among female stalking victims were comparable to those in other studies of trauma-exposed individuals. Multilevel models (MLMs) revealed that within-person changes in cognitions were differentially associated with concurrent changes in depressive and PTS symptoms over time, controlling for the influence of time, age, race, ethnicity, lifetime stalking victimization, childhood trauma exposure, and symptoms of the other disorder. Whereas more negative cognitions about the world were associated with higher levels of concurrent depressive and PTS symptoms, negative cognitions about the self were uniquely associated with higher concurrent depressive symptoms. Contrary to expectation, self-blame was not significantly associated with depressive or PTS symptoms. Results provided support for the potential utility of negative cognitions as risk markers for depressive and PTS symptoms in young adult female stalking victims. The present findings suggest that interventions targeting symptom-specific thinking patterns could help reduce risk for negative mental health outcomes associated with stalking victimization.

Health and Health Care From the Perspective of Intimate Partner Violence Adult Female Victims in Shelters: Impact of IPV, Unmet Needs, Barriers, Experiences, and Preferences.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) predicts poor health for victims and their children, but little is known about the perspective of victims. This study reports the perspectives of adult female IPV victims about the impact of IPV on their health and barriers of health care access for themselves and their children. The majority rated their health as good to excellent (69%). However, 83.5% indicated that IPV negatively affected their health; 53.5% had unmet health care needs. Mental health care was the most common unmet need for women; children's unmet needs were immunizations and preventive care. Transportation difficulties posed the biggest barrier to health care access.

Forensic medical aspects of femicide in Jordan

This study aims to highlight three types of femicide in Jordan – so-called ‘honour killings’, fatal intimate partner violence (IPV), and domestic violence committed by male family members other than the husband (DV) – and to compare them with the killing of women in non-gender related situations such as during a robbery.The autopsy reports of 100 adult female homicide victims dealt with at Jordan University Hospital in Amman during a 10-year period from 2006 to 2015 were reviewed. Based on information contained in the police reports they were assigned to one of four categories.Of the 100 deaths, 52% were classed as honour killings, 33% as fatal IPV and 5% as DV crimes, with non-gender related murders making up the remaining 10%. The majority (76%) occurred in the woman's home. The commonest cause of death was gunshot injuries, the severity of violence as judged by the largest number of major injuries was greatest in the honour killings, and 14 victims had defence wounds, again the majority in the honour cases. The hymen was found to be intact in 38% of the honour victims, while 33% in this category were pregnant at the time of death, compared to only 3% of fatal IPV victims. ConclusionsMost female murders in Jordan are committed by an assailant who is either a partner or a family member, the home becoming the most dangerous place to be for a threatened woman. With extra-marital pregnancy being one of the strongest motivators for honour killings, and old injuries a potential sign of ongoing intimate partner violence, forensic doctors can assist in recognizing these risk factors and thereby help potential victims. It is thus important to highlight some of the characteristic features of femicide.

The Impact of Specialized Domestic Violence Units on Case Processing

This study involves an evaluation of an innovative approach to the handling of domestic violence (DV) cases in the city of Cleveland, Ohio that includes (1) a DV Project composed of specially trained police detectives, prosecutors and victim advocates for investigating and prosecuting domestic violence cases involving adult female victims who are married to, cohabitating with, or have a child with the defendant; and (2) a Dedicated Domestic Violence Docket that involves two Municipal Court judges hearing all of the domestic violence cases that are handled by the DV Project. We collected data on six months of domestic violence cases occurring in the latter half of 2008 (N = 1388), by linking records from the Cleveland Police Department, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the Municipal Court. We found that very few victims in police districts lacking the DV Project follow up with a prosecutor to pursue the case further, indicting that specialized DV units in police departments can have a significant impact on the number of DV cases that move forward through the criminal justice system. DV Project cases were slightly less likely to result in charges issued by prosecutors (OR = .499) but more likely to result in dismissals (OR = 2.545) and referrals to DV treatment programs (χ2 = 3.88).

The Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas in the Appearance of Psychological Symptomatology in Adult Women Victims of Child Abuse

ABSTRACTChild abuse affects people’s ways of thinking, feeling, and observing the world, resulting in dysfunctional beliefs and maladaptive schemas. Thus, consequences of child abuse may persist during adulthood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the psychological consequences (anxiety, phobic anxiety, depression, and hopelessness) of different types of maltreatment (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and physical and emotional neglect) and to study the role of early maladaptive schemas in the onset of symptomatology in adult female victims of child abuse. The sample consisted of 75 women referred by associations for treatment of abuse and maltreatment in childhood. Sexual abuse was the type of maltreatment that was most strongly related to most dysfunctional symptomatology, followed by emotional abuse and physical abuse, whereas physical neglect was the least related. Also, early maladaptive schemas were found to correlate with child abuse and dysfunctional symptomatology. Finally, early maladaptive schemas mediated the relationship between sexual abuse and dysfunctional symptomatology when the effect of other types of abuse was controlled. These results may provide important guidance for clinical intervention.

Trends and Patterns of Sexual Offences in Western Odisha

The paper examines the trend and pattern of sexual offences in Western Odisha. [covers ten districts of the state along with some portions of Athamalik and Angul. The districts are-Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sundergarh, Deogarh, Balangir, Sonepur, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Boudh] Data on various types of sexual offences were collected from the department records from 2007 to 2015. The cases include children as well as adult female victims. The variables considered for discussion are-age of the victim, marital status, relation with the accused, bodily and genital injury, consent of the victim, place and time of occurrence, education level of victim and occupation of accused. Observations: Initially, the number of sexual offences declined from 20 in 2007 to 2 in 2010, then it increased to 25 in 2015, i.e. the finding suggests that sexual offences in Western Odisha increased over a period of time. Further, was observed that 92.2% of the offences occurred in unmarried females and in 57%, without consent. 8%, 17% and 57% of the offences occurred against children, victims of less than 12 years and less than 18 years of age, respectively. There was a strong relationship between age group and sexual offencesfemales of the age group 13 to 18 years are more prone to sexual/sex linked offences. Bodily injuries occurredin cases of ‘without consent'; bodily injuries were inversely related with age.

Evaluation and Management of Female Victims of Sexual Assault.

Sexual assault is characterized by any sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent. Classifications vary based on the status of the perpetrator's relationship to the victim (eg, stranger, acquaintance) and characteristics of the victim herself (eg, child, elder adult, mentally disabled adult). Regardless of the classification, sexual assault is a significant individual as well as public health issue affecting women of all ages. While the majority of sexual assault cases are not initially reported to law enforcement, the best available data suggest the lifetime prevalence of sexual assault in the United States is approximately 20% among adult women. With such a significant proportion of women affected by sexual assault, women's health care providers in both ambulatory and emergency care settings play key roles in the evaluation, management, and advocacy of these victims. Establishing standard protocols based on state laws and on victim-centered practices to avoid revictimization of the patient is critical. The primary goals of care include the assessment and treatment of physical injuries, psychological assessment and support, pregnancy assessment and prevention, and therapy for prevention of sexually transmitted infections. In addition, evidentiary collection is a critical component of the sexual assault evaluation and subsequent legal proceedings. This report focuses specifically on the immediate evaluation and management of adult female victims of sexual assault. Best practices include the utility of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner programs, as well as standardized treatment protocols.

The Mediator Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Impulsive Symptoms in Female Survivors of CSA.

Child abuse is a traumatic experience that may have psychological consequences such as dysfunctional beliefs. The aim of this study was to analyze the impulsive behaviors (alcohol abuse, gambling, drug abuse, eating disorders, Internet abuse, videogame abuse, shopping and sex addiction) in sexual abuse survivors and to study the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the appearance of impulsive behaviors in adult female victims. The sample consisted of 182 adult women who had suffered childhood sexual abuse (CSA), mostly referred by associations for the treatment of childhood abuse and maltreatment. Sexual abuse was found to be positively related to the domains of Disconnection/Rejection and Impaired Autonomy. Moreover, these domains were significantly related to impulsivity and impulsive behaviors. Finally, the Disconnection/Rejection domain was found to mediate between CSA and eating disorders and alcohol abuse. These results may provide important guidance for clinical intervention.

A systematic review of the literature comparing male non-serial sexual killers and sexual aggressors: examining homogeneous and heterogeneous characteristics of these groups

ABSTRACTThis systematic review considers what is known about the characteristics of sexual killers and sexual aggressors. The aim was to identify which characteristics have consistently been shown to be similar (homogeneous) and which are different (heterogeneous) across these two groups. Ten studies, including approximately 300 sexual killers, were analysed. Only studies where the samples were directly compared and where sexual killers were male, predominantly non-serial and perpetrated against adult female victims were included. Results indicate that levels of loneliness and anger appear to be more prevalent in the sexual killer sample while mental health disorders, criminal history, family structure and history of sexual abuse as well as some crime scene behaviours seem to be similar across the two groups. The results of this review have also highlighted some methodological problems inherent to these types of studies and these issues are discussed from the perspective of improving research on these crimes.

Rape Against Adolescent and Emerging Adult Females

Increased research attention to sexual violence in recent decades has resulted in greater understanding about these crimes. This work consistently finds that younger females are at the greatest risk for sexual assault and that certain correlates are related to sexual violence. Little is known about the situational contexts in which sexual assault, particularly rape, occurs as well as possible differences between adolescent and emerging adult female victims. We analyze 2012 National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data using conjunctive analysis of case configurations to identify the situational contexts most commonly occurring for these age-groups for rapes reported to police. We also discuss the policy implications of our findings and how NIBRS might be used to better inform policy.