Dynamics Of Sexual Abuse Research Articles

When Rabbis Abuse: Power, Gender, and Status in the Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Jewish Culture by Elana Sztokman (review)

When Rabbis Abuse: Power, Gender, and Status in the Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Jewish Culture by Elana Sztokman (review)

When Rabbis Abuse: Power, Gender, and Status in the Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Jewish Culture by Elana Sztokman (review)

When Rabbis Abuse: Power, Gender, and Status in the Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Jewish Culture by Elana Sztokman (review)

Child Sexual Abuse in Organizational Settings: A Research Framework to Advance Policy and Practice

Recent decades have produced growing public attention to the problem of child sexual abuse (CSA) occurring within civic institutions, school settings, youth sports, religious institutions, and other youth-serving organizations. Often amid considerable media and public scrutiny, such institutions have been called upon to improve their responses to sexual abuse incidents, address underlying organizational conditions that may foster such incidents, and develop viable systems of early intervention and prevention. These system challenges, in turn, have produced growing demand for high-quality research that can refine our understanding of the correlates and dynamics of sexual abuse within institutional settings and can help identify the parameters of effective strategies and responses. This article introduces a special issue of Sexual Abuse featuring emerging scholarship focused on CSA within organizational settings and sets forth a framework for further advancing the base of knowledge in this vital area of policy and practice.

How Attorneys Question Children About the Dynamics of Sexual Abuse and Disclosure in Criminal Trials.

Little is known about how the dynamics of sexual abuse and disclosure are discussed in criminal court. We examined how attorneys ask child witnesses in sexual abuse cases (N = 72, 6 -16 years of age) about their prior conversations, both with suspects and with disclosure recipients. Prosecutors' questions were more open-ended than defense attorneys, but most questions asked by either attorney were yes/no questions, and children tended to provide unelaborated responses. Prosecutors were more inclined to ask about children's prior conversations with suspects than defense attorneys, but focused on the immediate abuse rather than on grooming behavior or attempts to silence the victim. Prosecutors were also more inclined to ask about children's motives for disclosing or for failing to disclose than defense attorneys, but in most cases, failed to ask. Both types of attorney asked children about prior disclosures, although defense attorneys were more inclined to ask children to recall specific content in particular disclosures. On average, children were asked about five disclosure recipients, and denied disclosing some information in 93% of cases. Attorneys exhibited little sensitivity to the age of the child in selecting their questions. The implications of the results for improving the process by which abuse cases are tried in court are discussed.

Virginia Woolf’s History of Sexual Victimization: A Case Study in Light of Current Research

Virginia Woolf’s history of sexual victimization is presented in a case study format, and reviewed in light of the present literature on the impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) to human development. The methodology to compose the case study involved reviewing the works of Woolf’s main biographers, the author’s memoirs, and the groundbreaking work of Louise DeSalvo, presenting data from Woolf’s diaries and letters, in which sexual abuse is disclosed. Woolf was sexually abused by her two older half-brothers. The abuse was extremely traumatic, and lasted several years. The various mental health symptoms that Woolf experienced are consistent with the literature of CSA. Woolf also presented some adequate coping skills by disclosing the CSA publicly, keeping records of her depressive episodes, and seeking help. Like many incest survivors, Woolf’s sexual abuse was minimized and questioned by biographers. In addition to Woolf’s enormous literary legacy, her knowledge of psychology was impressive. She was a feminist, as well as a visionary in exploring the effects of CSA before other incest survivors. Understanding her life influences is advantageous, not only to literary scholars but to most readers, and mainly clinicians and researchers are interested in the dynamics of sexual abuse.

Finding the key: containing and processing traumatic sexual abuse

Childhood sexual abuse is associated with a range of detrimental effects on interpersonaland intrapsychic functioning and is a significant factor for some survivors in seeking psychotherapy,as they struggle to find ways of managing or overcoming the damaging impact of their experiences. Within this paper, I shall explore these dynamics through analysing part of the therapeutic journey of Penny, a young white woman, who presented for individual psychotherapy at the age of 17 following a childhood of intrafamilial sexual (and physical) abuse. All names and identifying factors have been changed for the purpose of confidentiality. The therapy took place weekly in a multi-disciplinary clinic setting within the UK and a two-year period of the work is considered in this paper. My discipline is Integrative Arts Psychotherapy this is an approach which draws on a range of arts modalities (visual, auditory and kinaesthetic) in order to maximize the possibilities for the client s expression, communication, growth and containment (IATE, 2004; also see, for example, Levine, 1997; McNiff, 1992). My theoretical base synthesizes object relations, attachment and gestalt perspectives with various arts approaches, as appropriate. As well as considering the impact and dynamics of sexual abuse more generally, this paper will explore the usefulness of metaphor and imagery (used by both client and therapist) in understanding, containing and processing the traumatic sequelae of abuse for this client who had some resistance to using the arts, alongside other therapeutic elements such as working with the relationship.

Sexual abuse — a process, not an event: A view from practice

The perception of sexual abuse as an event or a series or events is reinforced through traditional strategies for investigation, the current legal system and single agency responses. If, however, we are to understand the dynamics of sexual abuse, offenders and victims, we need to explore and understand the nature of sexual assault as a process. This process of abuse often starts long before the actual ‘hands‐on’ assault and may continue long after the ‘hands‐on’ assault is over.

Allegations of Sexual Abuse in Divorce

This study examines a clinical sample of 215 cases of allegations of sexual abuse in families also involved in divorce. Cases are categorized into situations in which: (1) disclosure of sexual abuse is followed by divorce (N = 31), (2) divorce is followed by disclosure of pre-existing sexual abuse (N = 54), (3) divorce is followed by sexual abuse (N = 58), (4) false allegations by adults (N = 31), (5) possible false allegations by adults (N = 14), (6) dynamics of sexual abuse not directly related to divorce (N = 27), and false allegations by children (N = 9). In addition, clinical substantiation (found in 72.6% of cases) and lack thereof are examined in terms of their relation to case characteristics assumed to be indicative of a true allegation: offender confession, offender conviction, medical/police evidence, other victims and witnesses, information from significant others, information from other professionals, and child interview data. Legal outcomes, including protection of the child, court substatia...

Identifying and Assisting Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Nurse practitioners are in a pivotal position to identify and to assist adult survivors of child sexual abuse. An awareness of the definitions, prevalence, and dynamics of sexual abuse is essential for providing holistic care. This article outlines the nurse practitioner's role in working with clients of either sex who may have been sexually abused as children. Correlates of undisclosed childhood sexual victimization are identified, as are strategies for providing a therapeutic environment for clients to disclose their abuse experience and begin the healing process.

Female Adolescent Sex Offenders: A Neglected Treatment Group

Female Adolescent Sex Offenders: A Neglected Treatment Group