Consequences For Perpetrators Research Articles

MeTooOT: Sexual Harassment Experiences of Occupational Therapy Academics and Recommendations for Systemic Change.

Sexual harassment is pervasive in academic health fields. Although a predominantly female profession, early career academics and trainees in occupational therapy (OT) remain vulnerable to sexual harassment. We aimed to describe experiences of sexual harassment of female-identifying academic OT practitioners. We conducted surveys and interviews using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to examine participants' experiences. Ten participants completed the survey and/or interview. Experiences ranged from inappropriate comments to persistent sexual assault. Four themes (blurred lines, unbalanced consequences, "how did I get here?" and "we don't talk about it") were generated based on participant responses. Power dynamics and the cultures and values of the OT profession were underlying elements of all themes. The consequences of sexual harassment were severe and affected personal and professional growth. For OT research and education to thrive, stronger support for victims and consistent, appropriate consequences for perpetrators are necessary to minimize negative outcomes for victims.

Suicidal Ideation, Psychological Distress and Child-To-Parent Violence: A Gender Analysis.

Child-to-parent violence (CPV) is a growing public health problem with consequences for perpetrators and families. Most research has focused on individual and family risk factors. However, little is known about its links with individual outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between CPV and psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and self-concept in school-aged adolescents, taking into account the gender perspective. A study was conducted with a sample of 8,115 adolescents, aged between 11 and 16 years (M = 13.34; SD = 1.04) from the State of Nuevo León, Mexico. A MANOVA 3 × 2 was performed to analyze the data. The results revealed that adolescents involved in CPV showed higher levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation and lower levels of family and social self-concept. It was also observed that girls with higher levels of CPV scored the lowest levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation, as well as the lowest levels of family self-concept. The findings highlight that adolescents and especially girls involved in CPV also report internal maladjustment outcomes. Finally, the results and their implications for research and intervention with adolescents involved in CPV are discussed.

School District Anti-Bullying Policies: a State-Wide Content Analysis

Although all states in the United States require school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies, relatively little research explores the content of bullying policies. A content analysis of anti-bullying policies from 76 school districts across the State of Louisiana was conducted. A 63-item coding scheme was developed to guide the analysis. The overall compliance to the coding framework by the Louisiana school districts considered in this study was 64%, with many policies covering logistical aspects of bullying response such as definitions, reporting, investigating, monitoring, disseminating policies, and consequences for perpetrators. While many school districts addressed evidenced-based practices and mental health support for victims and perpetrators, few school district policies addressed the use of personally owned technology, mental health support for witnesses, evaluating programs, or enumeration of vulnerable groups. There was also a noticeable gap in policies that were culturally responsive in nature. Implications are discussed for educators, policy-makers, and researchers.

PERCEPTIONS OF PERPETRATORS OF AGEISM

What are the consequences for perpetrators who engage in different types of ageism? We compared young (n=316), middle-aged (n=464), and older adults’ (n=273) perceptions of a perpetrator who engaged in an ageist action. Participants read a vignette about a pedestrian (the perpetrator) offering unwanted help to an older woman crossing the street. We manipulated the ageism type (benevolent or hostile), the reaction of the older target (acceptance, moderate confrontation or strong confrontation) and assessed the overall impression of the perpetrator. Main effects emerged for Ageism Type and Age Group. Overall, participants rated the perpetrator more positively in the benevolent condition compared to the hostile condition. Middle-aged and older adults rated the perpetrator more positively than young adults did. A Time x Confront interaction suggested that the perpetrator’s overall impression was not impacted when the target of the ageist act accepted the action or moderately confronted the perpetrator. In contrast, when the target confronted the perpetrator strongly, the overall impression of the perpetrator decreased. An Ageism Type x Age Group x Time interaction on overall impression also emerged. There were no age differences when the perpetrator committed a hostile act of ageism. In contrast, in the benevolent condition young and older adults perceived the perpetrator more negatively after the target’s reaction, whereas middle-aged adults did not adjust their impression. Taken together, these results suggest that young and older adults may be less accepting of benevolent ageism compared to middle-aged adults.

Cyberbullying Among Adolescents: Stakeholder-Driven Concept Mapping Approach.

BackgroundCyberbullying includes bullying behaviors on the Web; these behaviors are inconsistently measured and lack standardized definitions. The Uniform Definition of Bullying provides a consensus-based definition of bullying, and it highlights the need for an evidence-based definition of a model for cyberbullying.ObjectiveToward understanding the key elements and constructs defining cyberbullying, the objective of this study was to develop a stakeholder-driven conceptual model of cyberbullying.MethodsConcept mapping is a validated research method that leverages both qualitative and quantitative approaches to integrate stakeholder input on complex topics. This process was used to develop a concept map and adapt it through participant input to a conceptual model. The validated concept mapping approach includes 5 steps: preparation, generation (brainstorming), structuring (sorting), representation (statistical analysis), and interpretation. We recruited stakeholder participants, including adolescents, as well as parents and professionals representing education, health, and the justice system. Analysis included hierarchical cluster analysis to develop a cluster map representing cyberbullying, followed by adaptation of that map to a conceptual model through qualitative participant feedback.ResultsA total of 177 participants contributed to the concept mapping process, including 69% females, 50% adults, and 68% Caucasian, representing each of our stakeholder groups. A total of 228 brainstorming items were generated and sorted into a concept map that included 9 clusters. Clusters included topics that had strong overlap with traditional bullying, such as consequences for perpetrators and targets, with example items “alienating” and “crippling.” Some clusters were unique, such as cyberbullying techniques, with example item “excessive messaging,” and characteristics of the cyberbullying experience, with example item “constant.” Through the interpretation step, a conceptual model emerged, illustrating connections and distinctions between traditional bullying and cyberbullying.ConclusionsWe found that in generating a stakeholder-driven concept map of cyberbullying, participants could not describe cyberbullying without integrating key concepts from traditional bullying. On the basis of our conceptual model, there are unique characteristics of cyberbullying that suggest that uniform definitions of bullying need to be evaluated to ensure their application to cyberbullying.

Military sexual trauma among U.S. servicewomen during deployment: a qualitative study

Objectives. We explored qualitatively US servicewomen’s experiences with and perceptions of military sexual trauma (MST), reporting, and related services.Methods. From May 2011 to January 2012, we conducted 22 telephone interviews with US servicewomen deployed overseas between 2002 and 2011. We analyzed data thematically with modified grounded theory methods.Results. Factors identified as contributing to MST included deployment dynamics, military culture, and lack of consequences for perpetrators. Participants attributed low MST reporting to negative reactions and blame from peers and supervisors, concerns about confidentiality, and stigma. Unit cohesion was cited as both a facilitator and a barrier to reporting. Availability and awareness of MST services during deployment varied. Barriers to care seeking were similar to reporting barriers and included confidentiality concerns and stigma. We identified several avenues to address MST, including strengthening consequences for perpetrators.Conclusions. We id...

Who's human? Developing sociological understandings of the rights of women raped in conflict

International approaches to human rights have, until recently, largely overlooked the experiences of women in conflict, displacement and crisis. Although women's human rights are progressing on paper, rape and sexual violence continues at mass levels in conflict and civil unrest with few consequences for perpetrators and very little emphasis on preventions. Sociology has itself been slow to engage in discourses around human rights, and even slower progress has been made in developing sociological understandings of gender and human rights. This contribution argues that overlooking gendered inequalities leaves the violation of women at the bottom of a priority list regarding international humanitarian law, and that sociological approaches highlighting and challenging women's subordination may support prevention and conviction at localised and international levels.

APA and the Participation of Psychologists in Situations in Which Human Rights Are Violated: Comment on “Psychologists and the Use of Torture in Interrogations”

Costanzo, Gerrity, and Lykes (2006) have done us all a great service in their review of the issues surrounding the discussion of psychologists and our role in the interrogation of prisoners, specifically those currently detained in foreign camps by the United States as “enemy combatants.” They present a comprehensive and compelling analysis of the literature on relevant professional codes of conduct, on the international and national laws prohibiting torture, on the effectiveness of using torture in interrogations, and on the consequences for perpetrators, survivors, and society. Their article is clear and their arguments are powerful. My comments, therefore, have two main purposes: (1) to outline some of the significant actions and positions taken by the Board and Council of the American Psychological Association (APA) with respect to the issues under discussion; and (2) to offer a more far-reaching proposal for APA than the ones presented by the authors.

We Shared Something Special: The Moral Discourse of Incest Perpetrators

At first glance, suggesting that incest perpetrators have moral perspectives on incest seems like an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Yet, incest perpetrators are embedded in cultures that view incest as morally repugnant, and laws make incest illegal. Along with other members of their cultures, incest perpetrators are socialized in varying degrees to understand the proscriptions against incest. Consequences for perpetrators can involve repugnance and shame heaped upon them, social ostracism, loss of family relationships, and legal sanctions. In addition, for victims and other family members, incest brings great harm (Armstrong, 1978; Briere, 1992; Browne & Finkelhor, 1986; Finkelhor & Dziuba-Leatherman, 1993; Friedrich, 1990; Gilgun, 1990, 1991; Herman, 1992; Rush, 1980; Russell, 1983; Wyatt, Newcomb, & Riederle, 1993). Self-interest, fairness, and concern for doing no harm, especially to persons in close family relationships, would appear to provide sufficient motivation to deter incest for those who might consider it. Yet, incest occurs in 1 in 6 families in the United States (Russell, 1983, 1986), and about 100,000 new cases occur each year (Williams & Finkelhor, 1992). Perpetrators are members of victims' nuclear and extended families. These figures demonstrate the ineffectiveness-for a large number of persons--of moral repugnance and consequent sanctions as deterrents. These figures also suggest an ability of incest perpetrators to suspend, reinterpret, or neutralize moral principles that enjoin them to promote the welfare of others and to avoid incest. In this article, I use the concepts of justice and care to analyze the narrative accounts of incest perpetrators. These concepts are fundamental ideas in moral philosophy and theories of moral development and were brought to widespread attention by the work of Carol Gilligan and her colleagues (Brown & Gilligan, 1992; Gilligan, 1982; Gilligan, Ward, & Taylor, 1988; Lyons, 1983). Data were gathered through open-ended life history interviews. Through narrative accounts, informants give meaning, value, and coherence to a sequence of events, or stories. Their moral values are infused in their accounts (Tappan, 1991). The method of data analysis and interpretation is modified analytic induction. MORAL DOMAINS Justice and care are central concepts in moral philosophy and theories of moral development (Bloom, 1986; Manning, 1992; Noddings, 1984). Though sometimes considered a set of prescriptions based on conceptions of justice (Kohlberg, 1984; Smetana, Kelly, & Twentyman, 1989), morality also is associated with a capacity for care. Controversy exists over whether care or justice is morally preferred and represents a higher level of moral development (Cortese & Mestrovic, 1990; Gilligan, 1982; Gilligan et al., 1988; Kohlberg, 1984; Manning, 1992; Noddings, 1984). Gender enters this controversy because a perspective emphasizing justice is associated with men's moral decision making while care is associated with women's decision making (Gilligan & Attanucci, 1988; Larrabee, 1993). Currently emerging is the perspective that orientations toward justice and care are complementary. The integration of both perspectives characterizes not only morally mature and responsible individuals (Gilligan, 1982; Gilligan et al., 1988; Manning, 1992), but also morally sensitive policies and a political system that, in the words of Bloom (1986), contributes to the personal, intellectual and moral growth of its citizens (p. 97). Criteria for making moral judgments often are implicit and involve interpretations of whether behaviors are just and caring in their intent and consequences and whether individuals take responsibility for the acts and for consequences (Bloom, 1986; Gilligan, 1982; Gilligan et al., 1988; Manning, 1992; Noddings, 1984; Smetana & Kelly, 1989). Care Care encompasses concern, loyalty, and love for self and others (Gilligan, 1982; Dewey, 1908/1980; O'Neill, 1989). …