Victims Of Child Abuse Research Articles

Plan de intervención para estimular afectaciones cognitivas en niños y adolescentes institucionalizados

La presente investigación busca estudiar a la institucionalización como medio para acoger a los niños y adolescentes víctimas de maltrato infantil. El estudio tiene como objetivo estimular las afectaciones de las funciones cognitivas en niños y adolescentes institucionalizados mediante la elaboración de un plan de intervención neuropsicológico. La investigación es de tipo cuantitativo con un alcance de estudio exploratorio y descriptivo. El instrumento utilizado fue la Escala de Inteligencia de Weschler para niños y adolescentes, versión IV, y fue aplicado a 44 niños y adolescentes de la institución. A partir de la revisión bibliográfica y la prueba aplicada, se determinó que las alteraciones cognitivas corresponden a las áreas de Comprensión verbal, Memoria de trabajo y Velocidad de procesamiento; las funciones cognitivas conservadas están asociadas al área de Razonamiento perceptual. Finalmente, las puntuaciones del coeficiente intelectual de los evaluados corresponden a categorías debajo del promedio. Esta metodología permitió concluir que la institucionalización produce deficiencias cognitivas y no todas cuentan con un programa de intervención integral para satisfacer las demandas en cada etapa del desarrollo, especialmente a nivel cognitivo.

The Association of Childhood Maltreatment with Adulthood Mental Disorders and Suicidality in Korea: a Nationwide Community Study.

BackgroundAlthough childhood maltreatment is a known risk factor for adulthood mental health, the impact of different types of childhood maltreatment on mental disorders is not yet clear. This study explored the association of each type of childhood maltreatment with adulthood mental disorders and suicidality in South Korea.MethodsA total of 5,102 individuals from the general populations over the age of 18 responded to the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and questions about childhood maltreatment (emotional neglect, psychological abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse). To evaluate the odds ratio for mental disorders and suicidality associated with each type of childhood maltreatment, we used logistic regression analysis.ResultsAbout 17.0% of the respondents reported having experienced a type of maltreatment in childhood. According to the type, 9.4% reported physical abuse, 9.3% reported emotional neglect, 7.9% reported psychological abuse, and 3.8% reported sexual abuse. Exposure to each type of childhood maltreatment was associated with most types of mental disorders after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Each type of childhood maltreatment victim was associated with suicidality (suicidal ideations, suicide plans, and suicide attempts). Dose-response patterns for suicide attempts were observed in all types of victims. Moreover, the respondents who experienced frequent childhood emotional neglect were 14 times more likely to have attempted suicide.ConclusionChildhood maltreatment was associated with mental health in adulthood. The findings show the need for early detection and intervention of victims of childhood maltreatment to minimize its negative impact on adult mental health.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice of child abuse amongst health care professionals working in tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.

Introduction:UNICEF report (2004) states that a significant percentage of total child population under the age of 5 years suffered malnutrition. Child sexual abuse remains undiscussed across Pakistan. Health care professionals (HCPs) are usually the first notifiers of child abuse and are ethically obliged to manage and report it.Objective:This study was conducted to assess HCPs' response in dealing with patients of child abuse. With a better understanding, we can have a better outcome for the victims.Methods:A total of 101 participants filled out a structured questionnaire by HCPs working in three tertiary hospitals of Karachi i.e., Aga Khan University, National Institute of Child Health (NICH), and Civil Hospital. Data were entered into SPSS 19.0.Results:HCPs believed that young male relatives were thought to be most likely the offender, and that every child regardless of class is prone to get abused triggered by financial stressors and the absence of parents. Proper physical exams helped identify cases. A proper system of reporting was required in hospitals, but HCPs were reluctant to report the cases to authorities. There was a significant difference noted between public and private hospitals.Conclusion:Our findings indicate that HCPs have limited knowledge in defining various types of abuse and most were unaware of any reporting facility in hospitals. Senior HCPs as consultants have a better understanding of child abuse than nurses or interns. Mandatory reporting should be implicated so that prompt action could be taken. There could be a more successful outcome of managing a child abuse victim with proper training.

Personal and professional impacts of work-related stress alleviation strategies among child welfare workers in child advocacy center settings

BackgroundHigh levels of occupational stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue have been challenges affecting social workers, organizations, and service users for decades. Studies have historically focused on quantifying these outcomes, missing the opportunity to qualitatively explore the role of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses in practitioners’ stress experiences.Study Purpose and Methods.Research is particularly lacking regarding the impact of occupational stress on child welfare workers (CWWs) within Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs), a population who routinely works with child abuse victims. This study analyzed three open-ended responses from a national online survey examining compassion fatigue in CACs to understand the impact of work-related stress on CWWs. Thematic analysis identified several themes regarding the professional and personal impact of work-related stress, as well as strategies used to alleviate stress. ResultsCWWs in CAC settings are uniquely impacted by occupational stress at both the personal and professional level. CWWs adopt engaging and avoidant coping behaviors to alleviate work-related stress. Conclusion and implicationsThis qualitative study addresses a critical gap in understanding the differences and commonalities among work-related stress and coping responses to environments deemed stressful by CWWs in CACs. Further research is essential for developing effective stress-management approaches for front line providers addressing family violence.

A Faith to Move Mountains? Childhood Abuse, Religious Change, and Mental Health at Midlife

Of all the various forms of adversity experienced during childhood, childhood maltreatment (emotional and physical abuse) is shown to have the largest impacts on mental health and well-being. Yet we still have a limited understanding of why some victims of early maltreatment suffer immense mental health consequences later on in the life course, while others are able to cushion the blow of these early insults. Using two waves of data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS), this study considers change in religiosity as a buffer across three dimensions for victims of childhood abuse: religious importance, attendance, and the specific act of seeking comfort through religion. Results suggest that increases in religious comfort during adulthood are positively associated with adult mental health for victims of abuse, while decreases in religious comfort over time were associated with worse mental health. Changes in religious attendance and religious importance were not significant associated with mental health for victims of abuse. Taken together, my results show that the stress-moderating effects of religion for victims of childhood maltreatment are contingent on the stability or increases or decreases in religiosity over the life course, which has been overlooked in previous work.

An Examination of Past Trends in School Reports to Child Welfare: Considerations for Reported Child Maltreatment.

This study examines whether increased interaction and observation of young children by school professionals leads to an increase in school-based reports to child welfare authorities and in the identification of child maltreatment victims. Comparing provincial-level data collected before and after full-day kindergarten implementation in Ontario, a doubling in rates of school-referred investigations involving 4- and 5-year-old children was found. There was no significant difference in the rates of maltreatment substantiation, service referrals made or transfers to ongoing services, but the rate of child functioning concerns noted in these investigations tripled. The findings suggest there are differences in how the school and child welfare systems define and respond to suspected child maltreatment. Implications for practice, policy and research are explored.

Cycles of violence in England and Wales: the contribution of childhood abuse to risk of violence revictimisation in adulthood

BackgroundInterpersonal violence is a leading cause of death and disability globally, has immediate and long-term impacts on individuals’ health and wellbeing, and impacts global health care expenditures and national economies. A public health approach to violence prevention is crucial, and addressing risk factors is a key priority. Global research has demonstrated that childhood adversity increases risk of a range of poor outcomes across the lifecourse. This study examined the association between being a victim of child abuse and the risk of physical assault (PA), intimate partner violence (IPV), and sexual violence (SV) victimisation in adulthood.MethodsData from a nationally representative survey of household residents (adults aged 16 to 59 years; n = 21,845) was analysed. Types of child abuse examined included physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and witnessing domestic violence. Logistic regressions examined the independent relationships between child abuse types, experiencing multiple types, and adulthood violence outcomes.ResultsMost individual types of child abuse were significantly associated with each adulthood violence outcome, after controlling for sociodemographics and other abuse types. Compared to individuals who experienced no abuse in childhood, those who experienced one form of abuse were over twice as likely to experience PA in the past year and three times as likely to have experienced IPV and/or SV since age 16 years, whilst individuals who experienced multiple types were three, six, and seven times more likely to experience PA, IPV, and SV, respectively. After controlling for sociodemographics and multi-type childhood victimisation, the type or combination of types which remained significant differed by violence outcome; child psychological and physical abuse were significantly associated with IPV; psychological and sexual abuse with SV; and psychological abuse with PA.ConclusionsPrevention of child abuse is an important goal, and evidence from the current study suggests such efforts will have a downstream effect on preventing interpersonal violence across the lifecourse. With adulthood victimisation likely to compound the already detrimental effects of childhood abuse, and given that many associated outcomes also represent adversities for the next generation, breaking the cycle of violence should be a public health priority.

"아동학대 피해자의 방 어기제 양상과 치유적 서술 방식 연구 -편혜영의 ｢맨홀｣과 황정은의 ｢일곱시 삼십이분 코끼리열차｣를 중심으로-"

"아동학대 피해자의 방 어기제 양상과 치유적 서술 방식 연구 -편혜영의 ｢맨홀｣과 황정은의 ｢일곱시 삼십이분 코끼리열차｣를 중심으로-"

PSYCHOPATHIC PERSONALITY DISORDER IN LARSSON’S “THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO”

This paper investigates how childhood trauma causes someone to suffer from a personality disorder. The narrative discussed in this paper is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005). The main character of the story, Martin Vanger, is unable to comprehend other’s feelings and gets pleasure from hurting women. These psychopathic behaviors are triggered by the traumatic events he endured during childhood. He was sexually assaulted by his father and was forced to watch him killing women. These experiences are the seeds of crimes that Martin commits as an adult. By using descriptive analysis, this paper explores how Martin, who was once a victim of child abuse, turns into the abuser. Freud states that someone’s personality is influenced by the interaction of id, ego, and super-ego (1993). Furthermore, Erikson believes that someone’s personality is also shaped by nature and nurture (1977). Therefore, psychoanalysis theory along with psychological approach is applied to examine the character’s psyche, mainly to reveal the causes of psychopathic personality disorder suffered by the main character. The result shows that traumatic experiences during childhood generate anxiety; guilt, shame, and agony affect the character’s psychosocial development.

Population-Level Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury Concurrent with Domestic Violence in Arizona, USA

Background: Domestic violence (DV) is a chronic societal epidemic. When DV involves physical assault, the head, neck, and face are common targets, which increases the risk of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Population-level epidemiological data on TBIs in DV victims remain sparse. Methods: We performed a statewide, multi-institution, retrospective review of all medical records for patients diagnosed with a TBI at medical facilities in Arizona, USA, that were licensed by Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) during 2016-2018. De-identified records were extracted from discharge data reported to ADHS, which we decoded and transformed to spatiotemporal demographic data of patients who were diagnosed with TBI concurrent with DV. Findings: Among 72,307 TBI diagnoses, 940 were concurrent with DV. Most adults were discharged from general medical facilities, whereas most children were discharged from specialized facilities. Sixteen patients died as a result of TBI-DV injuries. Although females were most of the TBI-DV diagnoses, median ages for males and females were 1 and 32 years, respectively, demonstrating that males were predominantly child abuse victims. Whites and Hispanics were victims most diagnosed with TBI and DV, but Native Americans and Blacks comprised a much greater proportion of diagnoses compared with their population representations. Though likely underreported, approximately half of the cases were inflicted by intimate partners, which corresponded closely to marital status. Surprisingly, 61% of victims sought medical treatment for non-TBI injuries and then TBI was entered as a primary diagnosis. Interpretation: We provide the first population-level evaluation of TBI concurrent with DV. Health care disparities emerge that demand TBI screening in suspected DV patients. Funding Statement: RKR and JL were funded by Phoenix Children’s Hospital Mission Support Funds. SMM, HH, and JL were funded by a grant from the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation. Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. Ethics Approval Statement: Approval from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Human Subjects Review Board (#19-0025).

Association Between Dating Violence and Behavioral and Health Outcomes Among Early Adolescents From Denmark: The Role of Exposure to Childhood Maltreatment.

To examine the unique contribution of child maltreatment victimization on the association between adolescent dating violence (ADV) and four negative behavioral and health-related factors. In total, 2,934 7th grade students (M = 13.5, SD = .5) filled out questionnaires at school. Binominal logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of child maltreatment on the relationship between ADV and behavioral and health-related factors. After child maltreatment was taken into account, associations between ADV and the negative behavioral and health-related factors became weaker. The findings from the present study suggest that focusing on one victimization type (such as ADV) when examining psychological outcomes, can be problematic as the causal relationship may be misrepresented when an adolescent's broader victimization profile and context is not considered.

Age-Related Child Sexual Abuse Experiences

The study aimed to describe differences in the types of sexual abuse injuries between two age groups of children presenting to an emergency department. This descriptive correlational study explored the relationships between sexual abuse type and child's age using data from the hospital health records of 95 children ages 6-14 years. Descriptive analysis indicated that sexually abused child victims' ages were significantly associated with different types of penetrations and mucosal tears or injuries (p < 0.05). These findings highlighted the need for increased awareness about the different types of physical trauma associated with the ages of the child victims.

Exposure to Family Violence, Peer Attachment, and Adolescent-to-parent Violence.

Although parent violence has been extensively investigated in the literature, few studies have examined its link to adult-initiated family violence. This study investigated the relationship between adult-initiated family violence (i.e., child exposure to intimate partner violence [CEIPV] and child abuse) and adolescent-to-parent violence (APV), with a particular focus on the moderating effect of peer attachment on this relationship. A sample of 709 adolescents from the Children and Adolescent Survey (a subset of the 2010 Nationwide Survey of Domestic Violence in South Korea) was used. The survey included measures of child abuse, CEIPV, APV, peer attachment, and demographic characteristics. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between two types of adults-initiated family violence and APV. The interaction terms of peer attachment were included in the regression analysis to test its moderating effect. The results indicate that child abuse victimization is significantly associated with APV, but peer attachment significantly buffers the negative effect of child abuse on APV. CEIPV was not significantly associated with APV. The findings of the current study highlight the importance of breaking cycles of violence and improving children's relationships with their peers in preventing parent violence. Counselors and social workers should explore APV perpetrators' child abuse history when conducting interventions. School counseling programs can help reduce adolescents' violent behaviors towards their parents by promoting positive peer relationships and peer bonding.

Management of victims of child abuse in Sri Lanka: The view of a Child Psychiatrist

The Journal is the primary organ of Continuing Paediatric Medical Education in Sri Lanka. The journal also has a website. Free full text access is available for all readers.The Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health is now indexed in SciVerse Scopus (Source Record ID 19900193609), Index Medicus for South-East Asia Region (IMSEAR), CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International Global Health Database), DOAJ and is available in Google, as well as Google Scholar.The policies of the journal are modelled on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Guidelines on Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health is recognised by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) as a publication following the ICMJE Recommendations.

Suffering in silence: How COVID-19 school closures inhibit the reporting of child maltreatment

To combat the spread of COVID-19, many primary and secondary schools in the United States canceled classes and moved instruction online. This study examines an unexplored consequence of COVID-19 school closures: the broken link between child maltreatment victims and the number one source of reported maltreatment allegations—school personnel. Using current, county-level data from Florida, we estimate a counterfactual distribution of child maltreatment allegations for March and April 2020, the first two months in which Florida schools closed. While one would expect the financial, mental, and physical stress due to COVID-19 to result in additional child maltreatment cases, we find that the actual number of reported allegations was approximately 15,000 lower (27%) than expected for these two months. We leverage a detailed dataset of school district staffing and spending to show that the observed decline in allegations was largely driven by school closures. Finally, we discuss policy implications of our findings for the debate surrounding school reopenings and suggest a number of responses that may mitigate this hidden cost of school closures.

Training providers at Children’s Advocacy Centers to treat early childhood trauma: Perspectives on barriers, facilitators, and sustainability

Nearly half of child maltreatment victims are under the age of six, yet mental health providers are rarely trained in evidence-based treatments for this population. As interdisciplinary agencies that coordinate responses to child maltreatment, Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) are well-positioned to facilitate access to trauma-focused treatment for an early childhood population, provided the proper training. The present study was a qualitative evaluation of the implementation of Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), a treatment that addresses traumatic stress and child-parent attachment in children ages 0–5, in a statewide network of seventeen CACs. Participants were 17 clinicians, supervisors, and senior leaders from ten CACs who completed qualitative interviews about their experiences with implementation of CPP and their plans for sustainment of CPP. They were interviewed after approximately 8 months of an 18-month CPP training initiative and again approximately 2 months after the training initiative ended. Interview transcripts were coded using a conventional content analysis approach. We identified 11 major themes related to barriers and facilitators in the implementation and sustainment of CPP in CACs. Facilitators included meaningful expansion of services and certain aspects of the training process (e.g., group supervision). Barriers included difficulties with caregiver engagement and clinicians feeling “lost” during the extended learning process for CPP. Factors anticipated to affect future sustainment of CPP included staff turnover at CACs and the availability of CPP training in the future. Our results have implications for clinicians, administrators, and policymakers interested in the use of evidence-based treatments for specialty populations in multidisciplinary settings like CACs.

Forensic imaging: The sensitivities of various imaging modalities in detecting skeletal trauma in simulated cases of child abuse using a pig model

Physical child abuse is a major problem in South Africa and throughout the world, and the detection of skeletal trauma in victims of abuse may be critical in the accurate investigation of these cases. Since many of these fractures are not detected during traditional autopsy, the use of various diagnostic imaging tools is implemented in order to aid in the detection of trauma. In South Africa, Lodox (low-dose full-body X-ray) is commonly used in forensic mortuaries and the aim of this study was to assess the sensitivities of CT, X-ray and Lodox, in comparison to dry bone as the gold standard, in detecting both the number of fractures and minimum number of impacts in piglets subjected to blunt force trauma. Ten piglets were beaten with a mallet post-mortem in every region of the body. CT, X-ray and Lodox scans were taken of each piglet, after which the piglets were macerated in order to conduct an osteological analysis of the remains. The number of fractures and impacts present in each scan and on the dry bone were recorded. CT scans were the most sensitive in identifying trauma in all regions of the body, detecting 73% of fractures and 79% of impacts. X-ray and Lodox scans were less sensitive in detecting both fractures (50% and 42% respectively) and impacts (59% and 54% respectively). An assessment of the directionality of trauma was possible using dry bone and CT scans, but not when using X-rays or Lodox scans. CT scans can be used to assess skeletal trauma in suspected victims of child abuse, but the use of X-ray and Lodox scans is not recommended other than for initial screening procedures. Osteological analysis, however, is still considered the gold standard and should be performed whenever possible.

Pathways from Child Sexual and Physical Abuse to Sexual and Physical Intimate Partner Violence Victimization through Attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence

Although many studies have shown that victims of child abuse have an increased vulnerability to revictimization in intimate relationships, the underlying mechanisms are not yet sufficiently well understood. Therefore, this study aimed at examining this relationship for both sexual and physical forms of violence as well as investigating the potential mediating role of attitudes toward sexual and physical intimate partner violence (IPV). Also, the potential moderating role of gender was explored. Sexual and physical child abuse and IPV victimization in adulthood as well as attitudes toward the respective form of IPV were assessed among 716 participants (448 female) in an online survey. The path analyses showed that child sexual abuse was positively linked to sexual IPV victimization among both women and men, whereas child physical abuse was positively associated with physical IPV victimization among women only. Furthermore, the relationship between both forms of child abuse and IPV victimization was mediated through more supportive attitudes toward the respective forms of IPV, but only among men. This study provides novel insights regarding the links between sexual and physical child abuse and revictimization in adulthood, suggesting that supporting attitudes toward IPV may be seen as vulnerability factor for revictimization. The moderating role of gender is especially discussed.

Differences in Executive Functions in Minors Suffering Physical Abuse and Neglect

This research analyzes the executive functions in minors between 7 and 16 years of age who have suffered physical abuse and neglect, as well as minors in residential care centers with other measures of protection. Most studies focus on the neurobiological consequences of the abuse, and mainly at an early age. However, there are very few studies that analyze the executive functions of victims of child abuse, while also taking into account the type of abuse suffered. This study aims to identify whether the consequences of child abuse for the executive functions are different for those minors who have been victims of physical abuse and neglect, in comparison with minors with other protective measures. The participants were 44 minors who had suffered child abuse and 24 minors with other protective measures, distinct from abuse. Three neuropsychological tests were used: (a) the Five Digits Test (FDT), (b) the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome in Children (BADS-C), and (c) the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-V (WISC-V). The results showed difficulties in those minors who had been victim of physical abuse and neglect, in their cognitive flexibility capabilities, inhibitory control, the ability to take decisions, the ability to organize and plan their behavior, control of emotions, and attention control. It was the minors who were victims of physical neglect that showed the greatest difficulties in their executive functions. The results of the study will permit us to design an educational intervention in the residential care centers that can encourage advances in the affected areas through the setting up of different strategies to favor the stimulation, reinforcement, and rehabilitation of the executive functions.

How to heal their psychological wounds? Effectiveness of EMDR therapy on post‐traumatic stress symptoms, mind‐wandering and suicidal ideation in Iranian child abuse victims

AbstractChild abuse is increasingly known to be a risk factor for health in children across any nationality worldwide. Studies in this area have shown that child abuse, as a traumatic event, can lead to symptoms of PTSD, mind‐wandering and also suicidal ideation in adulthood. Although studies have shown significant effects of EMDR on a reduction in psychological symptoms in individuals with a history of trauma, further studies are needed regarding the specific effect of this treatment on reducing PTSD symptoms, suicidal ideations and mind‐wandering in female victims of child abuse. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of EMDR therapy on reducing PTSD symptoms, suicidal ideations and mind‐wandering in female victims of child abuse. Thirty female victims were assigned to either EMDR or waiting list control in a randomised, double‐blind trial. The participants in the EMDR group attended eight twice‐weekly sessions. The participants were examined in pre‐test and post‐test with Civilian Mississippi Scale for PTSD (CMS), Child Abuse and Self‐Report Scale (CASRS), Mind‐Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ), Beck Scale for suicidal ideation (BSSI) and Brief Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES‐B). Results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that EMDR had a significant effect on reducing PTSD symptoms with an effect size of 0.72, suicidal ideations with an effect size of 0.53, and mind‐wandering with an effect size of 0.19. It can be concluded that this treatment is effective in improving PTSD, suicidal ideations and mind‐wandering in female victims of child abuse.