Sexual Abuse Of Adults Research Articles

Prevalence of sexual abuse and intimate partner violence in adults with spina bifida

BackgroundPeople with disabilities and chronic medical conditions are known to be at higher risk of sexual abuse (SA) and intimate partner violence (IPV). People with spina bifida (SB) are vulnerable, but little is known about the prevalence of abuse in this population. ObjectiveTo evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of SA and IPV in adults with SB. MethodsAn anonymous international cross-sectional online survey of adults with SB asked about history of SA (“sexual contact that you did not want”) and IPV (“hit, slapped, kicked, punched or hurt physically by a partner”). ResultsMedian age of the 405 participants (61% female) was 35 years. Most self-identified as heterosexual (85%) and were in a romantic relationship (66%). A total of 19% reported a history of SA (78% no SA, 3% preferred not to answer). SA was more frequently reported by women compared to men (27% vs. 5%, p < 0.001) and non-heterosexual adults compared to heterosexuals (41% vs. 15%, p < 0.001). Twelve percent reported a history of IPV (86% no IPV, 2% preferred not to answer). IPV was more frequently reported by women compared to men (14% vs. 9%, p = 0.02), non-heterosexuals compared to heterosexuals (26% vs. 10%, p = 0.002), and adults with a history of sexual activity versus those without (14% vs. 2%, p = 0.01). ConclusionPeople with SB are subjected to SA and IPV. Women and non-heterosexuals are at higher risk of both.

Sexual Abuse in Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Mini Review

This mini review explores the susceptibility of adults with intellectual disability (ID) to sexual abuse because of their substantial intellectual and social impairments. Using pertinent keywords, searches in Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar were done for the review. The review aims to shed light on the prevalence of sexual abuse among adults with ID, its effects on their functioning, early warning signs of abuse, prevention strategies, legal consideration and future directions for addressing this critical issue.

The impact of sexual abuse on body experience in adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning

ABSTRACT Background Research is lacking on body-related consequences of sexual abuse in adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF), although the prevalence of abuse is high and body- and movement-oriented diagnostics and therapeutics seem warranted for this group. Method Body experience in adults with MID-BIF who were sexually abused (SA) and were not sexually abused (NSA) was compared using a self-report instrument, the Body Experience Questionnaire-mb, and an instrument to observe non-verbal psychomotor behaviour, the PsyMot-mb. Results The SA group showed significantly higher self-reported body awareness and more observed problems with body acceptance than the NSA group. No significant group differences were found for self-reported body satisfaction and body attitude. Conclusions Adults with MID-BIF who were sexually abused are more aware of their body signals, but less able to adequately attend to, tolerate, and interpret these signals. Therefore, body- and movement-oriented therapies hold promise for this group.

Prevalence of Sexual Abuse in Adults with Intellectual Disability: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study presents the results of a systematic review on the prevalence of sexual abuse experienced in adulthood by individuals with intellectual disability. An electronic and manual search of academic journals was performed on four databases via EBSCO Host: Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL Full-Text. In addition, PubMed, ProQuest, and Web of Science (core collection) were searched. After an initial selection of 1037 documents, 25 articles remained for quantitative synthesis. The combined prevalence of sexual abuse in adults with intellectual disability was 32.9% (95% CI: 22.7–43.0) and sensitivity analysis revealed that the prevalence was not outweighed by a single study. Overall, the United Kingdom had the highest prevalence (r = 34.1%), and the USA had the lowest (r = 15.2%). The overall prevalence in females was lower (r = 31.8%) than that in males (r = 39.9%). Subgroup analyses revealed that prevalence of sexual abuse was higher in institutionalized individuals. The most prevalent profile of abuser is of a peer with intellectual disability. Prevalence increases from mild to severe levels of intellectual disability and decreases in profound levels. It is also more prevalent when the informant is the individual with intellectual disability than when someone else reports abuse. In sum, one in three adults with intellectual disability suffers sexual abuse in adulthood. Special attention should be paid for early detection and intervention in high risk situations.

Prevalence and sequelae of self-reported and other-reported sexual abuse in adults with intellectual disability.

Sexual victimisation is an important problem that affects millions of people around the world, especially those with some kind of disability. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported and documented sexual abuse in people with mild or moderate intellectual disability and to analyse the sequelae that such experiences can have on their psychosocial health. The sample consisted of 360 adults (50% men and 50% women) between 18 and 55years of age (M=39.87; standard deviation=10.55). The prevalence of sexual abuse is 6.10% when it is self-reported (9.4% in women and 2.8% in men) and 28.6% when it is reported by professionals (27.8% in women and 29.4% in men). People who self-report cases of abuse present poorer quality of life, more negative attitudes towards sex and a lower capacity to identify situations that entail a risk of sexual abuse. Individuals who have suffered documented cases of abuse are more likely to present encopresis, social isolation, self-harm and a higher number of suicide attempts. Our results evidence the need to have access to all sources of information so as to be able to obtain prevalence figures that match the real situation and to perform a proper analysis of the sequelae.

Clergy Sexual Misconduct Against Adults in the Roman Catholic Church: The Misuse of Professional and Spiritual Power in the Sexual Abuse of Adults

This article describes and discusses the power–vulnerability intersect in thelives of 23 women and 6 men who experienced clergy sexual misconductagainst adults (CSMAA) within the everyday life of the Roman CatholicChurch. It argues that framing CSMAA around a ‘vulnerable victim’ ratherthan an ‘abusive cleric’ has led to the misinterpretation and continuation ofCSMAA, and an overall attitude of victim blaming. However, when victims/survivors of CSMAA are given the opportunity to tell their stories, a differentpicture emerges. The article concludes that CSMAA does not occur becausethere is a vulnerable adult but, rather, because there is a cleric willing tomisuse their powers to abuse adult vulnerabilities. This article also arguesthat the unique dynamics of CSMAA become more evident andunderstandable when those clergy powers and adult vulnerabilities areclearly delineated as being both positional and personal realities.

Sexual abuse and charismatic cults

Abstract The article explores the enigmatic yet dire phenomenon of sexual abuse in cultic circumstances. Such a quest into the realm of cults is vital since, “sexual exploitation of women in cults of all types is widespread, and, to date, is possibly the least talked about, and certainly the least researched, aspect of cult life” (Lalich, 1997, pp. 7). Sexual abuse of consenting adults has been examined in circumstances of formal authority (workplace, mental institutions, jailing institutions and even academic institutions), however the study of consenting adults in informal circumstances of authority in general, and of cultic spiritual authority in particular, has hardly been addressed. The article attempts to do so, supported by empirical extrapolations from a recent criminal ruling of the Jerusalem District Court. Are women cult members genuinely capable of exercising their sexual autonomy with their charismatic cult leader? If they are unable to do so in cultic circumstances, does this impair their informed consent to the point of rendering their sexual relations with the cult leader legally abusive and criminal? The answers to these questions have dire consequences for both women cult members and cult leaders. Through a comprehensive review of the legal, criminological and sociological aspects of the case, the article sheds much needed light on one of the most enigmatic and elusive fields: sexual abuse of adults by a spiritual authority.

Asking the Question: Childhood Sexual Abuse in Adults with Mental Illness

ABSTRACTEnquiry about childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is not routine practice for mental health practitioners undertaking client assessment. This study audited 100 patient charts to determine rates of enquiry and response by mental practitioners around CSA. Fifty-seven mental health staff also completed a subsequent questionnaire exploring factors that influence practice in regard to sexual abuse. Staff lacked confidence in how to ask and effectively respond to sexual abuse disclosure. Mandatory training focusing on trauma informed care could improve staff confidence and capacity to identify and effectively address not only sexual abuse, but childhood trauma and abuse more generally.

Clergy Sexual Abuse: Social Science Perspectives ed. by Claire M. Renzetti, Sandra Yocum (review)

Reviewed by: Clergy Sexual Abuse: Social Science Perspectives ed. by Claire M. Renzetti, Sandra Yocum Nicholas P. Carfardi Clergy Sexual Abuse: Social Science Perspectives. Edited by Claire M. Renzetti and Sandra Yocum . Lebanon, NH : Northeastern University Press , 2013 . 216 pp. $35.00 . This book is a collection of essays by social scientists, adding insights from their areas of expertise – sociology, criminology, cultural anthropology, and psychology – to the rather saturated issue of clergy sexual abuse. While most of the essays deal with the sexual abuse of children by clergy, primarily Roman Catholic clergy, two of the essays deal with the sexual abuse of adults by clergy. It was those two essays that I found the most interesting because they provided the freshest insights. In “Don’t Call it an Affair,” Diana Garland, writes a striking essay on the primarily female victims of sexually predatory pastors. Perhaps I found this piece so interesting because it did not deal with the ever-depressing topic of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. The pastors involved here are ecumenical abusers. They include both celibate Catholic priests and married Protestant pastors and Jewish rabbis. I was struck by how similar the response of adult women who had been sexually abused by their pastors was to those of the children who had been abused – from not understanding what was happening to not knowing how to tell people about it to the years of recovery required. The other piece on adult sexual abuse, “Clergy Sexual Misconduct with Congregants or Parishioners,” by Bradley Tobin and Kris Helge is primarily a brief on the need for state statutes criminalizing sexual activity between ministers and their adult congregants. Evidently thirteen states already have such laws, and evidently they pass constitutional muster. The other articles are more specifically on clergy, primarily Catholic, abuse of youngsters. Karen Terry, whose work I admire, summarizes her John Jay data, but also repeats the canard that the infamous Mouton-Doyle-Peterson report was circulated to the American Catholic bishops at Collegeville in 1985. It was not. John C. Gonsiorek is justifiably angry with the Catholic hierarchy. His [End Page 67] description of them as out of touch aristocrats gets more support everyday from dioceses across the country. But his solution to the problem requires rewriting the First Amendment in a way that is unlikely. I am sure that Paul Steele in “Contingent Crimes” was saying something insightful, but his retreat into jargon made his insights inaccessible to me. Sandra Yocum in her “The Priest and Catholic Culture as Symbolic System of Purity,” is on to something in the idea that when spiritual authority is built on sexual purity, the holders of that authority who act out sexually completely devastate their victims and destroy their authority. She seems to think, however, that the child victims of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the United States were more vulnerable because they were trained on the Baltimore Catechism’s exalted view of priesthood. This is truer of the priest abusers – trained in the 1950s and 1960s – than it is of their victims. Children abused in the 1970s and early 1980s – which is when most of the abuse occurred – never saw a Baltimore Catechism. It was long gone from the scene by then. Like most collections, this one has its highs and lows. The editors did a fine job in choosing interesting topics and in making sure that there was no overlap in coverage, not an easy task in compiling such works. Nicholas P. Carfardi Duquesne University School of Law Copyright © 2014 American Catholic Historical Society

Prevalence and Correlates of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Adults Consulting for Sexual Problems

The main objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in individuals consulting for sexual therapy and to explore the association between a history of childhood sexual abuse and psychological and couple functioning. A sample of 218 adults receiving sex therapy completed questionnaires assessing depressive and anxious symptomatology, as well as dyadic adjustment. Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse was high in women (56%) and men (37%), and clients with a history of childhood sexual abuse were more likely to report psychological and relationship problems. Findings should aware clinicians of the need to assess sexual trauma and related outcomes.

‘All in this together’: an evaluation of joint training on the abuse of adults with learning disabilities

The authors were involved in planning and delivering a multi-agency training programme on the abuse of adults with learning disabilities as part of an ongoing programme of research and development into the sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities. The training took place after work had been carried out to develop a formal policy on abuse of this client group and focused on issues of investigation and interviewing as an important first stage towards implementing the policy. A coherent strategy requires clearly targeted training, adequate information and guidance for staff and clarity about roles within and between agencies. In this case it seemed that all these were in place except the formal allocation of named policed officers to take on the role of investigating cases involving the abuse of vulnerable adults.

Sexual abuse of adults with intellectual disabilities

Sexual abuse of adults with intellectual disabilities

Sexual Abuse of Vulnerable Adults in Care Facilities: Clinical Findings and a Research Initiative

This article explores the issue of sexual abuse of vulnerable younger and older adults living in long-term care facilities. Clinical findings regarding the sexual abuse of adults who are elderly or have disabilities are presented, and practice implications for psychiatric nurses are discussed. A review of relevant existing literature and previous research is provided. A research study presently under way is then described. This is the first national study of sexual abuse in long-term care. This study seeks to fill current knowledge gaps and inform the practice of nursing and other professionals who are responsible for the care of vulnerable adults.

Barriers in the care of patients who have experienced a traumatic event: the perspective of general practice.

Previous research has indicated that GPs encounter barriers in the care of patients who have experienced a traumatic event. The aims of the present study were to map barriers GPs encounter in the care of patients who experience a traumatic event and solutions for these barriers, and to estimate the influence of GP characteristics on the number of barriers experienced. Telephone interviews were conducted among a sample of 500 Dutch GPs stratified by sex. Topics covered barriers in the care of victims of: accidents, incest in the past, ongoing physical or sexual abuse of adults, and ongoing physical or sexual abuse of children. The response rate was 44%. GPs are regularly confronted with patients who have experienced a traumatic event. GPs experience 10% barriers in care of patients who have difficulties getting over an accident, 13% in the care of incest victims, 16% in the care of adults who are physically or sexually abused, and 20% in the care of physically or sexually abused children. Most of the GPs recently updated their knowledge of care of victims of traumatic events, but still the majority feel in need of additional expert training. GPs experience the greatest number of barriers in the care of children who are abused. GP characteristics were not related to the number of barriers. However, seeing more victims was related to fewer barriers. To facilitate GP care of victims of traumatic events, GP training and continuing medical education should focus especially on skills education regarding the detection and initial treatment of traumatic events of ongoing physical or sexual abuse.

An Error of Judgement: a play about the sexual abuse of people with learning disability

In recent years, psychiatrists have become much more aware of the sexual abuse of adults with a learning disability. Having struggled with such a case, which raised challenging problems of law, ethics and management (Crichton, 1997), I turned to the literature to help inform me about the subject. There I found helpful statistics from recent surveys, but sometimes such material fails to convey the true nature of what is a distressing and painful subject. To my astonishment I discovered that at a local theatre there was to be a performance on this very theme: An Error of Judgement I had heard of the Strathcona Theatre Company, a touring company of eight learning disabled professional actors who, with the assistance of two directors, devise the original plays they perform, but I had no idea of what the evening was going to be like.

Abuse of people with learning disabilities and other vulnerable adults

Workers in the field of learning disability drew attention to the problem of sexual abuse and learning-disabled children and adults only a decade ago (Sinason, 1986; Cooke, 1989), at the same time that British society first tolerated the knowledge that non-disabled children were being abused. Although guidelines have been produced and voluntary organisations such as the National Association for the Protection from Sexual Abuse of Adults and Children with Learning Disabilies (NAPSAC), the Association for Residential Care (ARC) and Voice UK have made vital contributions, psychiatric involvement and provision is uneven (ARC &amp; NAPSAC, 1993).

Towards Better Safeguards: A handbook for inspectors and registration officers on the sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities

Towards Better Safeguards: A handbook for inspectors and registration officers on the sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities

Sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities

This paper reports a clinical study of reported or disclosed sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities. The findings support the results of a recent survey [V. Turk & H. Brown (1993) Sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities: results of a two-year incidence survey. Mental Handicap Research 6, 193-216] but some differences were found, particularly with regard to sex of the survivors. The study also illustrates more than previous studies a link between sexual abuse and sexualized and inappropriate sexual behaviour and other challenging behaviours in men with learning disabilities.

Sexual Abuse in Adults with Learning Disabilities

This article presents a case study of a young man with severe learning difficulties who was presented to the psychology service following an allegation of sexual abuse. It addresses the difficulties in investigating allegations of sexual abuse, particularly in people whose communication skills are very limited. The methodology used and the difficulties in investigating the abuse will be discussed in relation to the research literature reviewed in a previous article (Fenwick, 1994).

Sexual Abuse in Adults with Learning Disabilities

The recognition that people with learning disabilities are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse is not new. However, only recently has it received much attention. The increased awareness of child sexual abuse within the general population, alongside the recognition that people with learning disabilities have sexual needs and the right to express their sexuality, has pushed the issue of sexual abuse to the forefront.This is the first of two articles which address the issue of sexual abuse in adults with learning disabilities. It reviews current research literature on sexual abuse and focuses on those issues of particular relevance to adults with learning disabilities. The application of these findings to clinical investigations of sexual abuse will be discussed in the second article.