Survivors Of Victims Research Articles

The position of the victim-activist in crime victim service organizations

The emergence of community-based service organizations for victims of violent crime, rape, domestic violence, child abuse and murder have become a part of the organizational underpinnings of the crime victim movement. Prominent figures in this movement are the victim-activists who speak for victims because they have the experiential expertise that comes from being a victim (survivor). This study examines the organizational positions of two types of victims, the individually harmed victim and the family member of a crime victim. The findings show that although both types of victim-activists can speak as victims, family victims tends to hold unpaid authoritative positions such as board member or president, whereas individual victims hold a variety of positions. Victim status serves as a credential for decision-making positions in the case of family victims, and as a career credential for individual victims.

Secondary traumatic stress effects of working with survivors of criminal victimization.

This paper focuses on the consequences for providers of working with survivors of traumatic events, particularly criminal victimization. The paper reviews the relevant research and treatment literature associated with secondary traumatic stress (STS) and related variables (burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and countertransference). The latter part of the paper identifies the most important mitigating factors in the development of STS. These include good training specific to trauma work, a personal history of trauma, and the interpersonal resources of the worker. Implications for treatment, prevention, and research are discussed.

Coping With the Murder of a Loved One: Counseling Survivors of Murder Victims in Groups

The survival of the murder of a loved one is a psychologically taxing process. Survivors of murder victims experience stressors that originate from the exigencies of the interpersonal, situational, and the criminal justice system domains. Group facilitators must be aware of the experiences and the mental health dynamics common to survivors, the stressors unique to the experience of surviving the murder of a loved one, and the psychiatric diagnoses associated with the grief reactions often experienced by survivors. Recommendations for treatment components that we have found to be effective in counseling survivors of murder victims in groups are presented.

Factors Influencing Vicarious Traumatization for Therapists of Survivors of Sexual Victimization

ABSTRACT This study features an examination of selected personal (e.g., spirituality, personal trauma history) and practice variables (e.g., career longevity, caseload, peer supervision) that may promote vicarious traumatization among therapists serving adult survivors of sexual victimization versus therapists serving child survivors of sexual victimization. Survey packets, containing the Traumatic Stress Institute Beliefs Scale, the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale, and a demographic questionnaire, were mailed to therapists identified through employment at rape crisis counseling centers and children's advocacy centers in five southeastern states. Respondents were 114 self-identified female sexual trauma therapists. Data were analyzed through a regression analysis. Results of the study indicate the variable of personal trauma history was a statistically significant predictor of VT for therapists serving child survivors of sexual trauma. Further, no statistically significant differences between the ...

Complexity of long-term psychological effects of political repressions in Lithuania

OBJECTIVE: This study examined long-term consequences of political repressions during the Soviet regime in Lithuania. Between 1940 and 1958 more than 300,000 Lithuanians were arrested and deported to Siberia (Anušauskas, 1996). Conditions of imprisonment in Gulag camps were extremely hard and mortality rate from exhaustion and disease was high. Victims who managed to return back to Lithuania suffered from persistent persecutions. Traumatic experiences of former political prisoners were neglected for decades; they had to keep in secret the fact of the imprisonment. Less than 5,000 survivors of political imprisonment still live in Lithuania.Since the introduction of posttraumatic stress disorder in DSM-III (1980) trauma effects have been studied mostly in terms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But clinicians and trauma researchers acknowledge controversies in modern understanding of PTSD (Yahuda, MacFarlane, 1995). Severe impairments in personality of victims have been reported by clinicians working with survivors of holocaust, sexual abuse, and victims of torture, but these changes in personality are not accepted in current understanding of PTSD. The concept of PTSD receives more and more critics due to limitations in describing psychological effects after long term traumatic experiences that may lasts for years. Complex posttraumatic stress disorder has been introduced (Herman, 1992) in result of these discussions to describe variety of effects of long term trauma, and acceptance of this concept is growing in the field.There are only few studies on psychological effects of political repressions in former Soviet Union territory. This is the first study of psychological effects of political imprisonment in Lithuania. The goal of present study was to examine traumatic experiences and psychological effects among non-clinical sample of former Lithuanian political prisoners.METHOD: The group of former political prisoners (N=50), with a history of deportation to Gulag camps, was compared with an age and sex matched control group (N=50). Former political prisoners were imprisoned for 6.9 years on average. 43.1 years have passed since their return to Lithuania at a time of research. Semi-structured interviews were used to measure experiences during and after imprisonment. Posttraumatic effects were measured using Lithuanian versions of self-rating scales: Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (Mollica et al., 1992), Impact of Event Scale - Revised (Weiss, Marmar, 1996), Trauma Symptom Checklist (Briere, Runtz, 1989).CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that traumatic experiences dealing with political imprisonment and exile have long-term complex posttraumatic effects on Lithuanian former political prisoners. Concept of complex posttraumatic disorder is partly supported by results of this study. Limitations of the study due to retrospective nature of the study, elderly age of participants and control group selection are discussed. Further research is required to assess the impact of political oppression during Soviet regime on population of former Soviet Republics.

Group Psychotherapy for Adolescent Survivors of Homicide Victims: A Pilot Study

To conduct an exploratory study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a time-limited psychotherapy group model to decrease traumatic symptoms among adolescent survivors of homicide victims. Forty-five inner-city adolescents between the ages of 11 and 19 years participated in community-based, time-limited therapy groups that were specifically designed for youths who had a loved one die because of violence. The therapy groups were based on a 10-week treatment model for adolescent survivors of homicide victims with the goals of providing grief education, facilitating thoughts and feelings about grief, and reducing traumatic symptoms. On completion of group therapy, the adolescent participants reported an overall significant decrease in traumatic symptoms on an index of posttraumatic stress, especially in the areas of reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms. The mean difference between pre- and posttest was a 10.03 decrease in the sum of the Child PTSD Reaction Index scores (sig = .001). The results of this pilot study indicate that group therapy may be helpful in reducing PTSD symptoms among inner-city, African-American adolescent survivors of homicide victims. Although validity is limited by the lack of a comparison group, the authors suggest that such a brief trauma/grief psychotherapy group may be applicable for suburban and rural adolescent survivors of homicide victims as well. .

Rape: an Asian perspective

Rape is one of the fastest growing violent crimes in many parts of the world. Rape laws have been amended in most countries in an attempt to cope with the proliferation of this crime. Even though the legal definition of rape and the procedural laws have been amended, rape remains a serious problem in both the developed and developing nations. In some countries the offence of rape carries severe punishment sometimes even the death sentence. In many jurisdictions the term 'sexual penetration' is being used instead of 'sexual intercourse'. Sexual penetration includes sexual intercourse, anal intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio or any other intrusions involving any part of a human body or of any object into the genital or anal opening of a person's body. In many countries rape and other sexual offences have been replaced with a series of gender neutral and graded offences with appropriate punishments. Medical examination can provide independent, scientific, corroborative evidence that may be of value to the court in arriving at a judgement. Doctors should have a clear understanding of different rape laws in order to apprectiate the various issues involved. Special knowledge, skill and experience are essential to conduct a good-quality medical examination. There is a dearth of trained forensic physicians in many Asian countries. However, managing a rape victim (survivor) goes for beyond proving the case in a court of law. There should be an adequate rehabilitation programme available to the victims to help them cope.

The many guises of victim impact evidence and effects on jurors' Judgments

Victims of crime are frequently given the opportunity to describe the impact of that crime at the sentencing hearings of their offenders. This information (typically referred to as victim impact evidence) may convey the physical, psychological, and/or financial impact of the crime on victims or survivors, victims' or survivors' opinions about the crime and the offender, and, in murder cases, information about the personal qualities of the deceased. There is heated debate about the use of victim impact statements in capital cases: proponents reason that jurors should know the extent of the harm caused by the offender; critics argue that this evidence infuses the trial with highly emotional and prejudicial information. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of various forms of victim impact evidence on mock jurors in a capital case. Results showed that different forms of victim impact evidence exert subtle and differential influences on jurors' sentiments about the victim and the victim's survivors.

Victims of Severe Violence Meet the Offender: Restorative Justice Through Dialogue

Both restorative justice in general and victim offender mediation specifically continue to be identified with primarily, if not exclusively, addressing non-violent property crimes, and perhaps even minor assaults. This article will challenge such assumptions by providing empirical evidence that suggests that many of the principles of restorative justice can be applied in crimes of severe violence, including murder. Some would even suggest that the deepest healing impact of restorative justice is to be found in addressing and responding to such violent crime. An increasing number of victims of sexual assault, attempted homicide, and survivors of murder victims, in Canada and the United States, are requesting the opportunity to meet the offender to express the full impact of the crime upon their life, to get answers to many questions they have and to gain a greater sense of closure so that they can move on with their lives. In most cases this occurs many years after the crime occurred and the actual mediation/dialogue session is typically held in a secure institution where the offender is located. This article addresses four topics. First, the case development process of victim sensitive offender dialogue (VSOD) in crimes of severe violence is described, with an emphasis of how the process is far more intensive in such cases. Second, the specific type of victim sensitive mediation employed in such cases is briefly presented. Humanistic mediation is ‘dialogue driven’ rather than ‘settlement driven’ and is essential to the application of restorative justice principles in cases of severe violence. Third, a review of the few current studies of such an intervention is offered, including preliminary data that is emerging from a two state multi-year study by the author. Fourth, two specific case studies related to the above research are presented with an emphasis upon implications for practitioners. Finally, several conclusions are offered, including a number of unanswered questions and the need for further research.

The idealization of women: its role in the minimization of child sexual abuse by females

Objective: The aim was to review the literature on female perpetrated child sexual abuse by highlighting how cultural myths about women inhibit recognition of this much hidden phenomenon. Method: Three sections are presented. Part 1 evaluates evidence concerning beliefs about child sexual abuse by women which minimize the problem. Part 2 provides a theoretical account of psychological processes that are hypothesized to maintain these beliefs. Part 3 illustrates that professionals working in the area of child sexual abuse are not immune to these processes. As a result, recommendations for future professional practices are made. Result: The paper demonstrates that in the context of what is known about child sexual abuse, cultural beliefs which serve to idealize women and minimize their potential harm to children are largely invalid. Conclusion: Individuals are urged to suspend their disbelief about female perpetrated child sexual abuse. Denial of the phenomenon may result in it continuing to be under-reported and trivialized. As this persists the price will ultimately be paid by victims of on-going abuse and survivors of past victimization whose suffering will be compounded by disparagement of the issue.

Community-Based Groups for Inner City Adolescent Survivors of Homicide Victims

Though inner city adolescents are disproportionately affected by violence including homicide, they are underserved and understudied. This paper presents a framework for a community-based group treatment for inner city adolescent survivors of homicide victims. Strategic tasks for structuring the group include faculty and staff awareness, informed consent, adequate, consistent space, scheduling, group composition, and gender and cultural considerations. A ten week treatment model geared toward providing grief education, facilitating thoughts and feelings and reducing trauma symptoms is presented.

Descendants of holocaust victims and perpetrators: Legacies and dialogue

This paper summarizes the themes that often plague the lives of holocaust survivors and which were dealt with in a special roundtable dialogue in Budapest, Hungary, in August 1994. Some history of what happened to survivors after World War II is provided, followed by a summation of a teaching case and the dialogue among invited therapists from Germany, Hungary, and Israel who were either holocaust survivors and/or treating holocaust survivors. The dialogue focused on burdensome and troublesome issues that need to be discussed between and about survivors of both victims and perpetrators in an effort to ultimately enable therapists to treat this population with greater insight, compassion, and efficacy.

Coping Strategies as Predictors of Distress in Survivors of Single and Multiple Sexual Victimization and Nonvictimized Controls

This study investigated the relationship between coping strategies and distress symptomatology in survivors of sexual revictimization. Coping strategies were assessed with the revised Ways of Coping Scale (Aldwin & Revenson, 1987). Distress symptoms included global distress, depression, anxiety, and somatization. Subjects were 44 survivors of sexual victimization in both childhood and adulthood; 54 survivors of a single incident of sexual victimization in childhood; and 256 nonvictimized individuals. All were drawn from a subject pool of female undergraduate students. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences between groups on reported symptomatology and coping strategies. Victimized groups reported more distress than did the nonvictimized group. The multiple victimization group indicated greater use of coping strategies than did the nonvictimized group, and both victimized groups reported greater use of the escapism strategy than did the nonvictimized group. Multiple backward regression analysis found that coping strategies were predictive of distress symptomatology in all three groups, with escapism as the most potent predictor of distress for each group. Coping strategies were the most powerful predictors of distress in the multiply victimized group. The results of this study provide strong support for the importance of addressing coping strategies in clinical intervention of distress, particularly with survivors of multiple sexual victimization.

Exploring widows' experiences after the suicide of their spouse.

1. The widow of a spouse who committed suicide must cope with issues related to depression, anger, blame, guilt, and the stigma associated with suicide that makes recovery from this type of loss different for the survivors. 2. The predominant need of widows and widowers of suicide victims was to talk in an environment of acceptance and understanding, which could only be provided by other people who have had the same kind of experience. 3. There is no precise formula that exists to guide caregivers when assisting survivors of suicide victims, however suggestions include communicating with compassion; demonstrating care and concern; accepting the individual's grief; and offering and providing information.

Domestic Violence: Old Crime, Sudden Interest

Andrew Stelman, Assistant Chief Probation Officer with Merseyside Probation Service, reviews recent belated attention to abusive adult relationships and the practice and prosecution implications if women are to be properly protected and empowered. Intervention will fail unless programmes for victim survivors and perpetrators run in tandem, together with a firm resolve to prosecute rather than divert.

SURVIVING SURVIVORS: Coping with Caring for Patients Who Have Been Victimized

Caring for survivors of victimization is very hard work, in ways that are similar to and different from other difficult patient interactions. Careful attention to basic physiologic and psychological needs of the physicians is necessary to tolerate the stress and to prevent the burnout that can accompany this work. In addition, understanding survivors' interpersonal dynamics may help physicians provide better care. Consultation with colleagues is essential to remaining healthy and effective as givers of care.

Mixed-gender group co-leadership in group counseling with female adult survivors of childhood sexual victimization

Abstract This article discusses the first empirical investigation of mixed-gender leadership as a variable in group counseling for female adult survivors of childhood sexual victimization.

Effectiveness of a women's mental health treatment program: a pilot study.

This exploratory pilot study sought to determine the effectiveness of a Women's Mental Health Treatment Program. This program was offered in a women's unit within a private psychiatric hospital and advertised as a way to help women deal with problems and issues unique to their gender. Twenty-six women responded to a survey questionnaire that explored their quality of life, social support network, ratings of the program, and feelings of self-esteem after discharge. These women were admitted for depression, anxiety attacks, marital problems, and eating disorders. Overall results pointed to the effectiveness of the program as indicated by the women's positive ratings of their current life situation, self-esteem, ability to resume work after discharge, and written appreciative comments. The various therapies rated as effective as part of the program treatment package were group therapy, individual therapy, assertiveness training, victim survivor, steps study, and esteem building.

Ethical aspects of psychological autopsy

Survivors of suicide victims are usually vulnerable to new traumatic experiences. Researchers who have used the method of psychological autopsy, including interviews with survivors, have paid little attention to ethical questions. The purpose of this article is to discuss such issues based on empirical data. Data and experiences from 3 studies of suicide among men (n = 271), women (n = 104) and youth (n = 58) are presented; the last 2 also include telephone follow-up by an independent researcher who measured the reactions of the interviewees to the main interviews. The ethical problems for 3 groups of agents (informants and other relatives, including the deceased; the researcher; and the research) are discussed according to 3 basic ethical principles (nonmaleficence, beneficence and respect for autonomy). Many of the interviewees still had signs of crisis reactions and thus constituted a vulnerable group. Nevertheless, drop-out was infrequent. Nor did we find any interviewee who was hurt by the interview, even if the possibility cannot be excluded in a few cases (less than 4%). Many of the interviewees seem to benefit from the interview. The interviews ought to be done by researchers prepared to meet people in crisis situations. The informants had different opinions on whether letter or telephone was the best method for first contact. Tape-recording was generally accepted. It seems to be possible and advisable to further change the design to better meet the needs of the interviewees, without violating the requirements of the researcher and the research.

Homicide as a Risk Factor for PTSD Among Surviving Family Members

In this National Institute of Justice-funded study, random digit dialing telephone survey methodology was used to screen a large, nationally representative sample (N = 12,500) of the noninstitutionalized U.S. adult population to identify surviving family members and friends of victims of criminal homicide and alcohol-related vehicular homicide. A total of 9.3% of the national sample had lost a family member or friend to homicide. Immediate family survivors (n = 206) completed an interview assessing demographic characteristics and DSM-III-R criteria for homicide-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The interview participation rate was 84%. Among immediate family survivors, 23.3% developed PTSD at some point in their lifetimes, and 4.8% met full diagnostic criteria for PTSD during the preceding 6 months. Survivors of criminal and vehicular homicide victims were equally likely to develop PTSD. Survivors who experienced the homicide during their childhood, adolescence, or adulthood also showed equal likelihood of PTSD. Clinical implications of findings are discussed.