Training In Sexual Abuse Research Articles

Examining Cultural Competency and Sexual Abuse Training Needs among Service Providers Working with Black and Latino Sexual Minority Men

Black and Latino sexual minority men (SMM) with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may be reluctant to disclose such experiences or may appraise them as consensual because of cultural norms. Anticipated stigma, medical mistrust, and concerns that providers lack training in sexuality may complicate their efforts to obtain treatment for long-term health consequences of CSA. It is important to examine the training needs of service providers working with SMM who may disclose sexual abuse. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 35 substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and allied health service providers across the New York City area. Themes included the importance of training in cultural competence, trauma-informed care, and assessment of—and counseling for—CSA. Further education in these areas can enable providers to recognize indicators of abuse in their clients’ sexual histories and to more effectively and safely respond to this information. Future studies are encouraged to test a trauma-informed approach to screening for CSA history with Black and Latino SMM who present to SUD treatment and allied health service providers. This research should consider provider perspectives in developing such an approach and will likely involve training and evaluation to ensure adequate preparedness and effective service delivery.

Asking the Hard Questions: Psychologists' Discomfort With Inquiring About Sexual Abuse Histories.

The literature on sexual abuse indicates low rates of inquiry by mental health professionals. This study explores early career psychologists' experiences of inquiry into their clients' sexual abuse histories. Twelve Australian psychologists participated in semi-structured interviews with transcripts analyzed using thematic analysis. The vast majority of participants reported that they did not routinely inquire about sexual abuse with barriers including not knowing what to do, discomfort, stigma, and fear of negative outcomes. Participants asserted that their university training in sexual abuse inquiry was inadequate. Findings emphasize the need for the development of an evidence-based framework for sexual abuse training.

A study on the differences in legal practices in child abuse cases with examples from different countries

Sex crimes against children is a global problem. The rate of such crimes are significant even societies with high levels of education and income. This study aimed to address necessary measures to minimize this problem by discussing the data and laws regarding sex crimes against children in five countries.The study reviewed scientific data on sex crimes against children in India, Canada, the Netherlands, UK and Turkey and the relevant penal codes in these countries, and compared the respective articles and practices. India is one of the countries with the highest number of child sexual abuse cases. The most interesting aspect of the Canadian law is that the law mentions peer relationships. It is noted that the criminal justice system in the Netherlands is, as opposed to many other countries, based on principles of rehabilitation and resocialization. The longer penalty times are striking in UK Sexual Offences Act 2003.The data from Turkish Statistical Institute shows that the number of sexual abuse cases are extremely high in Turkey.Child sexual abuse is a frequent problem in the world. Unfortunately, related studies, training and legislative regulations are not sufficient to solve this problem. It is observed that abuse cases increase in countries having weak and middle economies; however, the opposite evaluation is not completely correct. It can’t be suggested that standard education programs, increased levels of income and the securing of justice are the only solutions. Sexual abuse training through standard methods are insufficient to prevent this problem. Educational specialists need to develop new educational methods to address the problem. The rehabilitation of child victims is as important as punishment of offenders. This study advocates that necessary steps should be taken for the widespread establishment of Child Protection Centers, which play a significant role in the rehabilitation and treatment of victims.

Stewards of children education: Increasing undergraduate nursing student knowledge of child sexual abuse

BackgroundChild sexual abuse and exploitation are an increasing public health problem. In spite of the fact that nurses are in a unique position to identify and intervene in the lives of children suffering from abuse due to their role in providing health care in a variety of settings, nursing curricula does not routinely include this focus. ObjectivesThe goal was to document the effectiveness of the Stewards of Children child sexual abuse training as an effective educational intervention to increase the knowledge level of undergraduate nursing students on how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse and trafficking. DesignUndergraduate nursing students were required to take the Stewards of Children training in their last semester prior to graduation. Data SourcesStudents in the study were given a pre-test prior to the class and a post-test following the class. Review MethodsPre- and post-tests were graded and the results were compared along with an item indicating the participants' perception of the educational intervention in improving their confidence and competence in this area. ResultsData analysis revealed that post-test scores following training were significantly improved: pre-test mean=45.5%; post-test mean score=91.9%. The statistical significance of the improvement was marked, p<0.01, N=119. The mean response for the perceived values scale was 1.65 from a potential score of 2. ConclusionsThis study found a statistically significant increase in the knowledge level of undergraduate nursing students on how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse and trafficking following the Stewards of Children training. Students also reported a high level of confidence in how to prevent abuse and react skillfully when child sexual abuse had occurred. The authors concluded that Stewards of Children is an effective option to educate nursing students on this topic.

Training Mental Health Professionals in Child Sexual Abuse: Curricular Guidelines

Given the incidence of child sexual abuse in the United States, mental health professionals need training to detect, assess, and treat victims and should possess a clear understanding of the process of victimization. However, many mental health professionals who work with children and families have not been exposed to any training in child sexual abuse during their formal education. This article will examine the need for such training, suggest critical components of child sexual abuse training, and describe various methods of training (e.g., in person, Web-based, and community resources).

Counselor Attitudes of Effectiveness with Sexually Abused Men.

There is a shortage of research about sexually abused men. Even less research exists about helping professionals that treat them. This study offers a window into counselors' attitudes and beliefs of effectiveness with sexually abused men. Findings from a conjoint analysis indicate a need for more male specific sexual abuse training, more direct therapeutic experience with sexually abused men, more male counselors, and more counselors with an awareness of a personal sexual abuse history. The resulting factor ordering of counselor attitudes of effectiveness is a preliminary guide to institute training and practices for professionals who work with sexually abused men.

The Role of the Medical Provider in the Evaluation of Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents

It was only 30 years ago that the medical community began to develop an increased awareness of child sexual abuse, and the role of the medical provider in the evaluation of sexually abused children has evolved significantly. As clinicians worldwide develop a greater understanding of the impact of the sexual abuse evaluation on the child, the roles of the physician and nurse have changed. In the United States, current practice often uses a multidisciplinary assessment involving skilled forensic interviewing of the child and a medical examination done by a medical provider with specialized training in sexual abuse. In order to minimize child interviews, these assessments are frequently held in settings such as child advocacy centers, where forensic interviewers and medical clinicians, child protective service workers, and police and district attorneys can work jointly to address the legal and protective issues in a coordinated fashion.

Do Pediatric Chief Residents Recognize Details of Prepubertal Male Genital Anatomy

This study evaluates how well pediatric chief residents can label anatomic structures, recognize circumcision, and discern abnormal anatomy on three photographs of male pre-pubertal genitalia. Additionally, this study explored aspects of pediatric training in sexual abuse and clinical practice issues regarding routine genital examination of a male patient. We asked respondents to identify anatomic structures, recognize circumcision, and assign a Tanner stage to pre-pubertal male genitalia and to recognize an abnormal finding. 92.7% of chief residents were able to correctly identify basic structures on the photo of a circumcised pre-pubertal male. Only 22% correctly recognized the abnormal example as hypospadias. Basic recognition of anatomic structures and circumcision did not achieve 100% accuracy, while an abnormal condition was missed by the majority of respondents. These data suggest a need to address education about the male genital exam in greater detail during pediatric residency training.

Do pediatric chief residents recognize details of prepubertal female genital anatomy: a national survey

Objective: To evaluate how well a group of recently trained pediatric chief residents could label anatomic structures on two different photographs of female prepubertal genitalia. Additionally, the study sought to explore aspects of pediatric training in sexual abuse and clinical practice issues surrounding the routine genital examination. Method: A 38-item questionnaire was mailed to pediatric chief residents at all of the officially listed pediatric residency-training programs in the continental US. Comparisons were made between this study and the responses to two previous surveys, which asked a more heterogeneous group of physicians to label one of the photographs used in the study. The second photograph was added because of its improved clarity of each anatomic structure when compared to the first photograph used in the previous studies. The study also asked about clinical practice issues surrounding the prepubertal genital examination. Results: An overall response rate of 73% was achieved and analysis was done on 139 respondents. One-half of chief residents thought that their training during residency on sexual abuse was inadequate for practice. Sixty-four percent of chief residents correctly labeled the hymen on the photograph used in the previous studies, which was not significantly different from the 62% and 59% of physicians who correctly labeled the hymen in the previous surveys. In the second photograph, which more clearly displayed the various anatomic structures, 71% correctly labeled the hymen. Conclusion: Pediatric chief residents reported variable amounts of training on issues pertaining to child sexual abuse during residency, think that this time was inadequate, and, while doing slightly better than a more diverse group of previously studied physicians, did not achieve 100% accuracy in identifying basic genital structures correctly on two different photographs.

A Comparative Survey of Beliefs About “Normal” Childhood Sexual Behaviors

Objective: This study sought to collect data on what adults believe constitutes normal childhood sexual behaviors, and how variables, such as role, gender, and life experience might contribute to the formation of one’s beliefs. Methods: A survey describing 20 different scenarios of children under the age of 13 interacting with themselves or other children in a sexual manner was administered to four groups of adults: sexual abuse experts; therapists involved in a sexual abuse training program; medical students attending a human sexuality program; and group facilitators of the human sexuality program. Results: Behaviors that involved oral, vaginal, or anal penetration were judged by a majority of adults to be abnormal sexual behaviors in children under 13 years of age. Professionals working with sexually abused children rated certain sexual behaviors as more abnormal than adults participating in a human sexuality course. Both sexual abuse trainees and facilitators of the human sexuality course showed more directional biases than other groups, with trainees always rating behaviors in the direction of abnormal and facilitators always rating behaviors in the direction of normal. Females also judged many of the sexual behaviors to be more abnormal than males. Conclusions: Role and gender significantly influence what adults believe constitutes normal and abnormal childhood sexual behavior.

The effects of experience and sexual abuse training on the attitudes of learning disability staff.

Staff employed in three day centres for people with learning disabilities were offered training in sexual abuse. Their knowledge and attitudes about sexual abuse were measured immediately before and after training. Staff were asked about their perceptions of the risks of people with learning disabilities being sexually abused, and their estimations of the probability of the perpetrator being either a member of staff, a client, a person known to the abused person or a stranger. Their responses were found to be influenced by the recent training and their prior personal experience.

The effects of experience and sexual abuse training on the attitudes of learning disability staff

The effects of experience and sexual abuse training on the attitudes of learning disability staff

Family background and sexual abuse associated with eating disorders

The authors examined the possible relationship of negative early familial experiences and childhood sexual abuse to the later development of eating disorders. Three anonymous questionnaires--a sexual abuse screening checklist, the Biographic Inventory for Diagnosis of Behavioral Disturbances, and the Eating Disorder Inventory--were distributed to 350 female university students. Of the 202 women who completed the questionnaires, 44 (21.8%) were victims of childhood sexual abuse. There were no significant differences in the total or the subscale scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory among women with no, one, or repeated incidents of sexual abuse. However, women who reported an adverse family background displayed significantly higher Eating Disorder Inventory total and subscale scores than did women who assessed family background as a secure base. The data in this nonclinical female cohort suggest that childhood sexual abuse is neither necessary nor sufficient for the later development of an eating disorder, while an adverse family background may be an important etiological factor.