Outcomes For Victims Research Articles

Assessment of Knowledge, Skills, and Preparedness of General-Duty Police on Prehospital Care of Road Traffic Accident Victims in Abuja, Nigeria.

Prompt prehospital care (PHC) is essential for improving outcomes of road traffic accident victims. Previous studies in Nigeria show that little or no PHC is delivered to trauma victims by first responders. This study was conducted to assess police officers' experience with FA/BLS, to identify gaps in their FA/BLS knowledge and skills, and assess police stations' FA/BLS equipment capacity for PHC of road traffic accident victims. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 428 GD police in Abuja between November and December 2018. Respondents were selected using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation method. Data were collected using self-administered electronic semi-structured questionnaires. Data analysis was done using STATA v 14.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX). Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess associations. We analyzed data from 419 respondents. Almost all (90.2%) of the police were aware of FA/BLS. The proportion of police with poor, fair, and good knowledge and skills on FA/BLS were 15.3%, 79.0%, and 5.7%, respectively. Tertiary (OR = 3.35, 95% CI: 1.01-11.11, P = 0.048) and postgraduate (OR = 6.89, 95% CI: 1.63-29.19, P = 0.009) levels of education had statistically significant association with good knowledge and skills. This highlights the need to implement an educational intervention to increase FA/BLS competencies within the first responder population.

Exploring the Use of Justice Reinvestment: Perceptions of Victims Service Providers and the Promise of Reinvestment

ABSTRACT Victim Service Providers (VSPs) operate on limited budgets, which constrain their ability to provide adequate services and ensure victims’ needs are met. As such, victims may suffer undue consequences as the result of their experiences with crime. In order to increase VSPs’ efficacy, and improve outcomes for victims, sustainable funding sources need to be identified. The justice reinvestment initiative (JRI) is a federally funded program promoting practices within state-level criminal justice policies to reduce prison populations and improve funding for community-based services. A recurring aspect of the JRI legislation is focused on providing support and funding opportunities for VSPs; however, the extent to which VSPs can access JRI funding to support their programs remains largely unknown. This exploratory study sought to assess VSPs familiarity with JRIs as a source of funding. Results suggest that VSPs are potentially missing out on funding opportunities due to a lack of knowledge of the funding that reinvestment strategies present. Furthermore, the bureaucratic delivery of JRI may obscure it’s potential as a funding source from VSPs. This study suggests that improvements need to be made to streamline JRI funding sources and increase VSPs and other agencies’ access to the resources provided by JRI policies.

Theorising domestic violence and work: where are we now and where to next?

ABSTRACT The sentiments ‘it’s just good business’ and ‘it’s the right thing to do’ are commonly heard when discussing workplace domestic violence provisions. These two statements represent two divergent ways of theorising the relationship between domestic violence and work. Crucially, these alternate theories shape how domestic violence and work are discussed, who takes responsibility for domestic violence in and through the workplace and access to, and equality of support, victims receive from their workplaces. This research insight delves into the current theorising of the relationship between domestic violence and work, focusing on the business case, feminist perspectives, and a decolonial approach. Each subsequent theory layers and gives us a strong idea of where we are now with theorising and where we could go next in order to improve outcomes for victims in and through the workplace.

Molecular mediators of angiogenesis and neurogenesis after ischemic stroke.

The mechanisms governing neurological and functional recovery after ischemic stroke are incompletely understood. Recent advances in knowledge of intrinsic repair processes of the CNS have so far translated into minimal improvement in outcomes for stroke victims. Better understanding of the processes underlying neurological recovery after stroke is necessary for development of novel therapeutic approaches. Angiogenesis and neurogenesis have emerged as central mechanisms of post-stroke recovery and potential targets for therapeutics. Frameworks have been developed for conceptualizing cerebral angiogenesis and neurogenesis at the tissue and cellular levels. These models highlight that angiogenesis and neurogenesis are linked to each other and to functional recovery. However, knowledge of the molecular framework linking angiogenesis and neurogenesis after stroke is limited. Studies of potential therapeutics typically focus on one mediator or pathway with minimal discussion of its role within these multifaceted biochemical processes. In this article, we briefly review the current understanding of the coupled processes of angiogenesis and neurogenesis after stroke. We then identify the molecular mediators and signaling pathways found in pre-clinical studies to upregulate both processes after stroke and contextualizes them within the current framework. This report thus contributes to a more-unified understanding of the molecular mediators governing angiogenesis and neurogenesis after stroke, which we hope will help guide the development of novel therapeutic approaches for stroke survivors.

Technology-based and digital interventions for intimate partner violence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Technology-based and digital interventions for intimate partner violence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Leader Apology Types as Trust Signals for Follower Forgiveness and Leader Effectiveness Ratings

Despite evidence that apologies from leaders are associated with positive outcomes for victims, apologies are not always effective at restoring a workplace relationship after a transgression. Four studies examined whether and why different forms of leader apologies influence follower forgiveness and perceptions of leader effectiveness. We hypothesized that victims who received sincere (“complete”) leader apologies would be more forgiving and rate their leaders as more effective compared to different forms of leader apologies (i.e., amends, remorse, responsibility). We further theorized that this effect would occur because sincere leader apologies signal to victims that apologizing leader is trustworthy. An experimental study of CEO apologies following a corporate transgression (Study 1), a hypothetical scenario in which a leader committed a transgression (Study 2), a retrospective recall study with undergraduates (Study 3a) and employed adults (Study 3b), and a hypothetical study that manipulated leader trust (Study 4) supported these predictions. Specifically, the results showed that sincere leader apologies were more effective than other types of apologies at garnering victim forgiveness and ratings of leader effectiveness, and this direct relationship is mediated by leader trust. This research has implications for theory about forgiveness, followership, and management practice.

Long-term functional, psychological, emotional, and social outcomes in pediatric victims of violence

BackgroundTo evaluate the long-term functional, psychological, and emotional outcomes in individuals who survived violence-related injuries as children. MethodsWe retrospectively identified all pediatric patients (age <18y at time of injury) treated for a violent traumatic injury (gun-shot wound, stab, or assault) at our institution (1/2011–12/2020). We then prospectively attempted to contact and survey, via telephone, all patients that had reached adulthood (age ≥18y at time of study) using 7 Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instruments and the Primary Care Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) screen. ResultsOf the 270 patients identified, we attempted to contact 218, successfully contacted 68, and 24 participated in the study. Of participants, 15 (62.5%) sustained gunshot wounds, 8 (33.3%) were stabbed, and 1 (4.2%) was assaulted with a median time from injury of 6.7(3.4) years. Based on PROMIS metrics, Global Physical Health (55.0 vs. 50.0, p = 0.013) and Emotional Support (55.4 vs. 50.0, p = 0.004) were better in participants compared to reference populations. However, a disproportionate number of participants reported substance use in the past 30 days (45.8 vs 13.0%; p < 0.001), 41.7% screened positive for PTSD, and 62.5% requested resources and/or referral for medical care. ConclusionsMany individuals who survive violent injuries as children continued to experience negative physical and mental outcomes extending into adulthood that required ongoing medical and psychological support. Further resources are needed to better understand the long-term effects of violent injury and to care for the complex needs of this population.

Bullying Perpetration and Homophobic Teasing: Mediation through Gender Role Attitudes.

Homophobic teasing or name-calling, one form of school-related gender-based violence, refers to the use of derogatory language or actions towards sexual- or gender-nonconforming individuals. Research in the Global North has indicated that it is highly prevalent among adolescents, and is associated with a broad range of negative outcomes for both victims and perpetrators. However, such behaviors remain understudied in China. Using a cross-sectional design, the present study investigated the structural relations between homophobic teasing, bullying perpetration, and gender role attitudes among 1915 Chinese high school students. The results showed that 11.5% of the participants had perpetrated such harassment in the past month. Structural equation analyses revealed that bullying perpetration predicted more teasing involvement, and that the relationship was partially mediated by gender role attitudes among both female and male youth. The moderation effect of sex was found only for the direct effect of bullying; such that males who engaged in bullying were more likely to perpetrate homophobic teasing than females. These findings suggest the need for further examination and effective interventions and preventions for the behavior in Chinese contexts.

Responding to Domestic and Family Violence: The Role of Non-Specialist Services and Implications for Social Work

Abstract Social workers play a critical role in responding to the needs of individuals impacted by domestic and family violence (DFV). Social work literature has long been devoted to understanding the functioning, accessibility and effectiveness of specialist DFV services. In contrast, much less is known about how non-specialist services can, and do, support victims of DFV. This study addresses this important gap by empirically examining the links between DFV and a non-specialist service designed to assist people experiencing financial hardship. To accomplish this, we draw on an expansive administrative database of assistance records (n = 305,176) from the St Vincent de Paul Society, one of the largest non-specialist support providers in Australia. Descriptive analyses of DFV-related records (n = 4,374) yield novel insights into the socio-demographic profile of clients seeking assistance due to DFV, the types of assistance they required and how non-specialist providers respond to DFV-related requests for assistance. Our results demonstrate that non-specialist services play a critical yet under-recognised role in responding to people impacted by DFV. This has significant social work practice implications, highlighting the importance of specialist DFV services working in tandem with non-specialist services to deliver the best outcomes for victims.

Future Orientation as a Moderator of Bullying Victimization and School Outcomes: Comparing Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Urban African American Adolescents

Bullying victimization remains to be a public health concern in the United States, especially among sexual and ethnic minority youth. However, few studies have examined how school outcomes might be associated with bullying victimization among heterosexual and sexual minority African American youth and the factors that may attenuate that relationship. To address this gap, this study surveyed 462 heterosexual and 102 sexual minority African American youth residing in Chicago’s Southside neighborhoods, who participated in the Resiliency Project. Study variables included bullying victimization, school outcomes (i.e., school connectedness, and academic grades), and future orientation. Bullying victimization was associated with a significant increase in feeling disconnected from school among both heterosexual and sexual minority adolescents; however, there was no significant association observed between bullying victimization and receiving low grades among either group. Future orientation did not moderate the association between bullying victimization and school outcomes among heterosexual adolescents; however, positive future orientation did attenuate the association between bullying victimization and feeling disconnected from school among sexual minority adolescents. Prevention programs that focus on promoting school connectedness need to consider the role of future orientation for sexual minority youth.

Unacknowledged and missed cases of sexual victimization: A comparison of responses to broad versusbehaviorally specific questions.

From the beginning of systematic research on sexual victimization, it has been recognized that a substantial proportion of women report nonconsensual sexual experiences meeting the defining criteria of rape in response to behaviorally specific items, but do not acknowledge their experience as rape in response to broad questions about whether they have ever been raped. Recent studies suggest that rates of unacknowledged rape may be as high or even higher among men than among women. This study examined rates of unacknowledged female and male victims of rape and sexual assault by comparing responses to behaviorally specific items of the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S) with responses to broad questions using the labels of sexual assault and rape (SARA) in 593 participants (303 women) in Germany. As predicted, more women and men were classified as rape victims based on behaviorally specific items than on the basis of the broad rape item. The rates of unacknowledged rape were about 60% for women and 75% for men. The gender difference was not significant. Against our prediction, no significant differences in acknowledgement of sexual assault were found in relation to coercive strategy and victim-perpetrator relationship. Few cases of rape and sexual assault identified by the SARA items were missed by the behaviorally specific questions. The implications for establishing prevalence rates of rape and sexual assault and for comparing victims and nonvictims in terms of vulnerability factors and outcomes of sexual victimization are discussed.

Domestic violence and abuse in primary care

Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) impacts individuals regardless of age, culture, gender, sexuality or socioeconomic background. Although DVA, by its nature, is often ‘hidden in society’, victims and survivors will often present to general practice with health concerns. Early identification in primary care with onward referral to specialist support can significantly improve outcomes for victims and their families. This article aims to help clinicians consider when and how to ask about DVA and how to safely support patients to access specialist support.

Association Between Workplace Bullying Occurrence and post-traumatic stress disorder Among Healthcare Professionals in Tunisia

IntroductionNurses may be particularly at risk of violence exposure at work which can cause psychological trauma and even develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a serious mental health disorder.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of PTSD among nurses in psychiatry and emergency departments and to identify the factors associated with it.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study. It concerned 60 nurses working in the psychiatry (35 nurses) and emergency (25 nurses) departments of the Hedi Chaker and Habib Borguiba University Hospital in Sfax. The screening of PTSD was carried out by the « post-traumatic stress evaluation questionnaire » (PTSQ).ResultsDirect trauma exposure was reported by 93% of participants, of which 48.3% experienced the act of violence more than 4 times. According to the PTSQ, 48.3% of the nurses had PTSD with a mean score of 50.93. Hyper-arousal was the most frequently observed outcome in victims (85%), followed by re-experience (83%) and avoidance (80%) symptoms. The presence of PTSD was correlated with female gender (p=0.002), the young age of the nurse (p=0.04), and the absence of peri-traumatic reactions (p=0.001).ConclusionsOur study shows that PTSD is a pathology frequently encountered in psychiatric and emergency nurses. Hence the need to put in place strategies against violence in hospitals and to apply them rigorously in order to better manage this phenomenon and manage its repercussions on health workers .DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Prevalence, characteristics, and psychological outcomes of workplace cyberbullying during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: a cross-sectional online survey

BackgroundThe rapid introduction of teleworking due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to concerns about increases in cyberbullying (CB) worldwide. However, little is known about workplace CB in non-Western countries. The first objective was to clarify the prevalence and characteristics regarding workplace CB victimization in Japan. The second objective was to demonstrate the psychological outcomes of CB victimization in combination with traditional bullying (TB).MethodsWe conducted an anonymous, cross-sectional, Internet-based survey targeting regular employees in Japan (N = 1200) in January 2021. We investigated CB victimization using the Inventory of Cyberbullying Acts at Work and TB victimization by using the Short Negative Act Questionnaire. Possible explanatory factors for TB/CB victimization were sociodemographic variables, personality trait, chronic occupational stress, organizational climate, and gratitude at work. We also measured psychological distress, insomnia, and loneliness to assess adverse effects of workplace bullying. Two-step cluster analysis was used in determining the patterns combined with TB and CB victimization. Hierarchical binomial logistic regression analysis was used.ResultsIn total, 8.0% of employees reported experiencing CB on a weekly basis. CB victimization was associated with younger age, managerial position, higher qualitative workload, and active information dissemination via the Internet, and frequency of teleworking. Three clusters based on TB and CB victimization patterns were identified: those who belong to the first cluster suffered neither from TB and CB (81.0%), the second cluster suffered only from TB (14.3%), and the third cluster suffered from both TB and CB (4.8%). The third cluster exhibited higher odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for psychological distress (OR = 12.63, 95% CI = 4.20–38.03), insomnia (OR = 6.26, 95% CI = 2.80–14.01), and loneliness (OR = 3.24, 95% CI = 1.74–6.04) compared to the first cluster.ConclusionsThese findings firstly clarify the prevalence and correlated factors of CB victimization among employees in Japan. Further, we showed that psychological wellbeing can be impaired by the coexistence of TB and CB. Our research could be the first step to develop the effective countermeasures against workplace CB.

Online Hate Speech Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: The Protective Role of Resilience.

Online hate speech has become a widespread problem in the daily life of adolescents. Despite growing societal and academic interest in this online risk, not much is known about the relationship between online hate speech victimization (OHSV) and adolescents' mental well-being. In addition, potential factors influencing the magnitude of this relationship remain unclear. To address these gaps in the literature, this study investigated the relationship between OHSV and depressive symptoms and the buffering effects of resilience in this relationship. The sample consists of 1,632 adolescents (49.1% girls) between 12 and 18 years old (Mage = 13.83, SDage = 1.23), recruited from nine schools across Spain. Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess OHSV, depressive symptoms, and resilience. Regression analyses revealed that OHSV was positively linked to depressive symptoms. In addition, victims of online hate speech were less likely to report depressive symptoms when they reported average or high levels of resilience (i.e., social competence, personal competence, structured style, social resources, and family cohesion) compared with those with low levels of resilience. Our findings highlight the need for the development of intervention programs and the relevance of focusing on internal and external developmental assets to mitigate negative outcomes for victims of online hate speech.

Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking (DOJ)

Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking (DOJ)

District-wide outcomes from a bullying prevention programming

Bullying in schools contributes to peer conflict, disruptive behavior, internalized victimization, and many other deleterious outcomes for students. This study examined the integration of a schoolwide bullying prevention intervention in a pre/post design comparing grade level aggregated data for elementary, middle, and high school across two timepoints. Results demonstrate that differences in response to bullying prevention occur across the two time points for each grade level. The greatest positive change was found for middle school students, indicating that bullying prevention could most effectively be delivered in middle school. Lack of significant changes may indicate that interventions may require more than one year, that the baseline scores were too high to detect significant change, or measures were not sensitive enough to detect change.

Are resources out of reach? Analyzing the accessibility of domestic violence shelter services

AbstractBackground and purposeDomestic violence is a serious public health issue. Resources such as domestic violence shelters have a vital impact on victim outcomes and, consequently, on the economic costs associated with domestic violence. Although accessibility is known to be an important factor for the utilization of social services, little research has been done on analyzing accessibility to shelter services for victims. This article seeks to mend this disparity by examining the spatial relationship between victims and shelter services and various factors associated with spatial mismatch and inefficiency in the location of shelter sites.MethodsUsing Los Angeles County as a study area, the enhanced two‐step floating catchment area method was used to measure domestic violence shelter site accessibility. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the demographic characteristics of census tracts experiencing greater spatial mismatch and inefficiencies related to the location of shelter sites.ResultsThe results reveal that census tracts characterized by a greater proportion of whites in poverty, males aged 18–35, and children have detrimental spatial mismatch and greater inefficiency present.ConclusionThis research highlights the importance of utilizing spatial analysis to better understand victims’ accessibility to domestic violence shelter services and the resulting spatial mismatch and inefficiencies in their distribution. From an efficiency perspective, it is important to proportionately match service accessibility with the level of need.

Profile and Outcome of Victims of an Earthquake in an Aging Society: A Population-Based Descriptive Study of the Earthquake in Osaka, Japan, on June 18, 2018.

The aim of this study is to reveal the characteristics and outcomes of patients injured in a major earthquake and who were transported to a hospital by ambulance. This study was a retrospective descriptive epidemiological study including all patients who were injured after a major earthquake struck Osaka Prefecture on June 18, 2018, and were transported to a hospital by ambulance. The main outcome was the prognosis at each hospital's emergency department. In total, 214 patients were included in the analysis. Their median age was 74 years (IQR, 54-82); 53 (24.8%) were men and 161 (75.2%) were women. The median time from ambulance call to arrival at the scene was 10 min (IQR, 7-15), and the median time from ambulance call to the hospital arrival was 37 min (IQR, 30-51). Ninety-seven patients (45.3%) were admitted to a hospital, 114 patients (53.3%) were discharged home to and from the emergency department, and 3 patients (1.4%) died. Among the patients discharged to home from the emergency department, the most common pathological condition was head bruising in 16 patients. This study revealed the profile of injured patients transported by ambulances after an earthquake that struck an aging society.

Evaluation of Law Enforcement Agency Injury Severity Assessments

Across the United States large discrepancies have been found between law enforcement officers’ injury severity assessments and medically assessed health outcomes of crash victims. This research investigated injury severity discrepancies across law enforcement agencies, analyzing linked crash and medical data for each crash victim from 2010 through 2019 for 520 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies. Serious injury (KABCO “A”) assessments were overestimated in 45% to 90% of crash victims, depending on the agency. Statewide the overestimation rate was 65% across all agencies; the State Patrol overestimated 65% of serious injury assessments, 60% for county sheriff offices, and 64% for municipal police departments. These discrepancies can skew safety estimates and affect the allocation of funds. KABCO definitions were changed to a federally mandated uniform standard in Wisconsin in 2017. Results from an interrupted time series analysis found no significant effects from the changed KABCO definitions, either immediate or over time. At county sheriff’s offices overestimation increased as a function of county population size, and decreased with increasing total reported crashes from a jurisdiction, suggesting workload negatively affects overestimation rate, whereas relative familiarity with crashes and their severities improve overestimation rates. Different trauma scales (MAIS and ISS) and serious injury thresholds were investigated, and ISS of nine was proposed for future KABCO comparisons. Findings show that although KABCO “A” assessment overestimation is an issue everywhere, the magnitude of the issue varies from agency to agency and underscores the importance of uniform injury severity training to ensure accurate serious injury surveillance across the United States.