Risk factors for child sexual abuse

We review the risk and protective factors for child sexual abuse. Overall, characteristics of perpetrators, victims, and families of victims were moderate to strong risk factors for child sexual abuse. However, it is difficult to distinguish between risk factors for extra-familial and intra-familial child sexual victimization because most of the studies combined these two types of child sexual abuse, although the risk factors for these two types of child sexual abuse most likely differ. Research in this area is difficult because etiological and prevention models of victimization would differ substantially from those of perpetration. Given the low yearly prevalence of child sexual victimization, very large samples would be necessary to obtain sufficient power. Thus, most studies have used lifetime prevalence, which may provide much useful information but which add substantial time confounds. Finally, child sexual victimization is probably a misnomer, as the nature, impact, and etiology of sexual victimization most likely differs over the large age span of childhood and gender. Because improved models and prevention programs require improved etiological models (based on knowledge of risk and protective factors), we hope that this review will focus stakeholders on the need for continued research in this area.     

Prevention of child abuse and neglect

With the dramatic increase in recent reports of physical and sexual child abuse and neglect, professionals are well as the public are increasingly concerned about the prevention of child abuse. This article provides an overview of existing child abuse prevention programs (physical abuse and sexual abuse programs are treated separately). Five computerized data bases (psychology, social work, criminal justice, education, and social sciences) were searched for literature published between 1982 and 1991. We also call attention to critical issues that need to be considered in the development and planning of future prevention efforts and evaluations.     

Prevention and ecology: Teen-age pregnancy,child sexual abuse,and organized youth sports

A multilevel ecological analysis of issues that impact on children and families is advocated as the best theoretical framework for conceptualizing preventive interventions. Teen-age pregnancy and child sexual abuse are discussed as targets of preventive intervention: the former being an issue about which we have much information that has not been adequately used, whereas the latter is one about which we have too little information to be mounting the sweeping prevention programs that are rapidly coming into existence. Organized youth sports is then discussed as a neglected societal vehicle for prevention.     

Evaluation of school-based child sexual abuse prevention program

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the efficacy of a program entitled "Prevention of child sexual abuse" the first structured program in Spain designed to prevent such risks. With this purpose, we carried out a study of 382 minors with ages ranging between 8 and 12 years. The result s show that the program has a very positive impact, increasing the awareness of the minors about this type of risk and improving their skills for coping with a possible event of sexual abuse. The efficacy of the program is also apparent, at the level of secondary prevention, in that it increased the likelihood that the children would reveal such events. Finally, exploration of the possible adverse effects of the program showed that the negative effects observed by parents and educators are negligible.     

The emotional impact of treating child abuse

The author agrees with the need for pastoral intervention in child abuse and neglect, but warns that pastors need to be prepared to handle the intense emotional effects that result. The emotional impact of treating child abuse and neglect is examined under the rubric countertransference. Three sources of countertransference are outlined: identification with the child, identification with the parent, and encountering resistance. Finally, ways to cope with countertransference engendered by treating child abuse and neglect are explored. The need for quality supervision is especially stressed.     

Multiple forms of child abuse and neglect: adult retrospective reports

There are few research reports of the experience of multiple forms of child abuse and neglect (multi-type maltreatment). A critical review is presented of 29 studies in which adult retrospective reports of more than one form of child maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect, or witnessing family violence) are assessed. Empirical investigations of the extent and impact of multi-type maltreatment are identified. Data on the relationship between the different forms of maltreatment and the adjustment problems associated with each type of maltreatment are critiqued. As well as using dichotomous measures of maltreatment, an important methodological problem was the failure of researchers to assess all child maltreatment types, the relationship between multi-type maltreatment and adjustment, and the role of variables influencing the occurrence or impact of maltreatment. Considerable overlap was found in the occurrence of maltreatment types. The compounding or interacting effects of experiencing multi-type maltreatment were ignored in many studies. Where an assessment was made of the specific impact of multi-type maltreatment, it was associated with greater impairment than single forms of abuse or neglect. A multi-dimensional approach to prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect is required in which children's vulnerability to multi-type maltreatment is addressed.     

Prevention of child sexual abuse. Myth or reality

Programs to prevent child sexual abuse have proliferated as a result of increased public awareness and professional documentation of its incidence. We describe the content and format of these prevention programs in general and examine selected programs for effectiveness. Although there is limited evidence for an increase in knowledge for program participants, most evaluations suffer from basic design problems and present few results indicative of either primary prevention or detection. Overall, we argue that self-protection against sexual abuse is a very complex process for any child and that few, if any, prevention programs are comprehensive enough to have a meaningful impact on this process. Finally, we discuss several untested assumptions that guide these programs. We conclude that it is unclear whether prevention programs are working or even that they are more beneficial than harmful.     

Involving parents in child sexual abuse prevention programs

Conclusion The importance of involving parents in child sexual abuse prevention programs has been given much lip-service by prevention educators, but relatively little time, energy or resources in reality. This seems short-sighted at best, if the goal of these programs is truly prevention as they purport. Although the results of this study may have limited generalizability because of its sample size and its highly educated respondents, it is the first study to compare the knowledge of attending versus nonattending parents of a typical one-shot parent workshop. The results indicated that the parents as a whole were fairly well versed in the facts of sexual abuse, although as in previous studies, they did not extend the statistics on sexual abuse to their own children. However, probably the most important results were the enthusiastic responses for parent programs and involvement but in different formats, at different times, and in different environments than the current typical PTO evening, one-time meeting. Clearly child sexual abuse prevention programs should experiment with innovative ways to reach parents. If prevention programs can involve a small minority of motivated parents as they seem to be able to do, then together these parents and the educators may be able to develop methods and resources to involve the large majority of currently uninvolved parents. Such an integrated and involving community approach to the prevention of child sexual abuse seems necessary if the goal of prevention is ever going to be reached.     

Treatment of co-occurring child maltreatment and substance abuse

Despite high prevalence and severe negative consequences of child maltreatment (e.g., Brown, G. R., & Anderson, B., (1991). Psychiatric morbidity in adult inpatients with childhood histories of sexual and physical abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 55–61; Jaudes, P. K., Ekwo, E., & Van Voorhis, J.V., (1995). Association of drug abuse and child abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 19, 1065–1075; Murphy, J. M., Jellinek, M., Quinn, D., Smith, G., & Goshkom, M., (1991). Substance abuse and serious child mistreatment: Prevalence, risk, and outcome in a court sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 197—211), the treatment of perpetrators and victims of child abuse and neglect remains grossly understudied (Behl, L. E., Conyngham, H. A., & May, P. F., (2003). Trends in child maltreatment literature. Child Abuse and Neglect, 27, 215–229). More than half of parentes founded for the abuse and neglect of their children have evidenced drug abuse, yet no treatments have been validated that concurrently address these problems. The reciprocal interaction between substance abuse and child maltreatment supports the need to concurrently treat these problems. This article illustrates the relationship between child maltreatment and parental substance abuse and proposes a behavioral model to explain the reciprocal influence of drug abuse and child maltreatment. A behavioral treatment plan that is designed to concurrently address drug abuse and child abuse is proposed and suggestions are made for future directions in this area.     

Play Room as a psychological assessment method in cases of alleged child sexual abuse

This article presents an example of how psychoanalytic theory can be implemented in practice. The aim is to introduce and discuss the semi-projective material ‘Play Room’ which was originally developed to support prevention of sexual abuse among vulnerable children in Denmark. However, a recent study has shown that, when measured with a scale called Ability to Answer, children exposed to sexual abuse talked about the illustrations in Play Room in a significantly different way than did a clinical sample and a normal control group. The finding indicates the potential for expanding the scope of Play Room from prevention into clinical assessment, in cases of alleged child sexual abuse. Taking its starting point in the theory of Jean Laplanche, this article will discuss how psychoanalytic concepts such as seduction, translation, asymmetry, absence, and listening to listening can be used to describe the practice around Play Room. It is argued that, through the use of Play Room, the psychologist can encircle the lack of symbolization and inhibited creation of psychic representations that children exposed to sexual abuse typically convey. The discussion of Play Room’s assessment potential will be further fed by data from interviews with clinical child psychologists.     

Risk factors for child psychological abuse

We review the risk and protective factors for child emotional abuse. Two main directions can be derived from this review. First and foremost, definitional issues must be resolved. Second, some clues as to important future research directions emerged from the current risk factor literature. Distal historical variables (e.g., relationships with fathers perceived as less caring, and being yelled at daily as a child), current enduring personality factors (e.g., aggression and hostility, neuroticism), environmental stressors (e.g., very low income) and proximal variables (verbal and physical aggression between parents) all appear to be related to child psychological abuse. Once definitional issues are resolved, models beginning with these risk factors should be developed and tested.     

Ethics and the forensic expert: a case study of child custody involving allegations of child sexual abuse

Psychologists who participate as forensic evaluators in custody and visitation cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse must possess advanced assessment skills and a thorough knowledge of child development, child sexual abuse, and child interviewing techniques. This case study illustrates the types of problems that are inevitable when psychologists violate the boundaries of their role as an independent evaluator and fail to uphold their ethical obligation to be knowledgeable and competent in the area in which they profess expertise.     

The challenge of defining child sexual abuse

Although child sexual abuse has been a concern for many researchers, therapists, and advocates for the past 3 decades, several fundamental issues regarding child sexual abuse remain unresolved. In particular, the term child sexual abuse has never been unequivocally defined. The lack of a commonly accepted definition of child sexual abuse continues to inhibit research, treatment, and advocacy efforts. Early researchers used broad and inclusive definitions of child sexual abuse--definitions that often continue to be used today. The consequences of these definitions are discussed, and strategies for developing other definitions of child sexual abuse are suggested.     

The child sexual abuse victim: Assessment and treatment issues and solutions

Particular attention is given in this paper to the assessment process with child sexual abuse victims and recommendations are made regarding practical issues both in the assessment and the treatment phases of therapeutic work with child victims.     

The relationship between parental physical availability and child sexual,physical and emotional abuse: a study among a sample of university students in South Africa

The relationship between perceived parental physical availability and child sexual, physical and emotional abuse was investigated. The sample comprised 722 undergraduate students of psychology at the University of the North, South Africa. Participants filled in a retrospective self-rated questionnaire in a classroom setting. The questionnaire asked about perceived parental physical availability during childhood, and childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Logistic regression analysis showed that, among all the participants, the factors "the participant not living with the natural (biological) mother until he or she was at least 16 years old" and "have ever had a stepfather or adoptive father until he or she was at least 16 years old" predicted child sexual abuse; and "have ever had a stepfather or adoptive father until he or she was at least 16 years old" predicted child emotional abuse. None of the other aspects of parental availability considered predicted child physical abuse. Mental health and social workers, educators and law enforcement agencies dealing with prevention and protection against child abuse should take note of the above identified predictors while designing programs for the eradication of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse.     

Physical child abuse: A dual-component analysis

Previous etiological models of child abuse are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the current social interactional analysis. It is argued that while this model accounts for the documented correlates of abuse, it fails to provide a plausible mechanism for explaining the rapid acceleration from low- to high-intensity punitive behavior characteristic of abusive episodes. Drawing from research on interpersonal aggression by Berkowitz, Zillmann, and other social psychologists, a model is developed in which an arousal-mediated respondent component is added to the current instrumentally based punitive processes. Implications of this improved analysis for treatment and prevention are considered.     

Young males attending a family-planning clinic: some ideas about consequences of child abuse

33 young males attending a family-planning clinic were asked about the consequences of child abuse as it affects behavioral problems of teens and their interest in programs that deal specifically with these problems. Nine reported they had been victims of abuse. Most believed that drug and alcohol misuse and suicide were the major consequences of child abuse. Fifteen were interested in programs for prevention of child abuse but not for specific problems such as substance misuse and smoking cessation. This study's findings suggest that family-planning clinics with services for males must address their behavioral as well as medical needs.     

Self-centeredness and the adult male perpetrator of child sexual abuse

Self-centeredness has been identified as a quality of the adult male perpetrator of child sexual abuse, but little or no effort has been expended toward defining the concept clearly. In this paper, the research literature on the perpetrator and psychoanalytic writings on narcissism are reviewed for the purpose of developing a comprehensive definition of self-centeredness. Literature related to the social and developmental context of child sexual abuse also is discussed. In the final section of the paper, implications for primary prevention and treatment are drawn.This is a revised version of a paper presented at the Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family, July, 1986, in London, England. Support for the paper was provided through the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and the Faculty Summer Research Fellowship Program, Graduate School, University of Minnesota.     

儿童心理虐待与忽视和自杀意念的关系：有调节的中介模型

采用问卷法对988名初中生进行调查,探究儿童心理虐待与忽视和自杀意念的关系,应对方式的中介作用以及友谊质量的调节作用。结果表明：（1）儿童心理虐待与忽视正向预测自杀意念;（2）应对方式是儿童心理虐待与忽视和自杀意念之间的中介变量;（3）儿童心理虐待与忽视对自杀意念的直接效应受到友谊质量的调节,直接效应对于友谊质量低的青少年更显著;（4）儿童心理虐待与忽视通过应对方式对自杀意念的间接效应的后半段受到友谊质量的调节,友谊质量高的青少年的自杀意念水平相对更低。因此,儿童心理虐待与忽视和自杀意念之间是有调节的中介关系,儿童心理虐待与忽视通过应对方式影响自杀意念,友谊质量在直接路径和间接路径中起调节作用。     

Risk factors for child physical abuse

We review the risk and protective factors for child physical abuse (CPA). An etiological model based on moderate to strongly supported risk factors would begin with distal perpetrator variables of being abused as a child/teen and receiving less family social support as a child. Next might come current family variables such as parents' youth, father's drinking, and family's living in a community that is impoverished and/or has a lower percentage of two parent families. More proximal variables that increase the probability of parents, especially mothers, employing severe or abusive physical tactics could include mothers' dysphoria (e.g., unhappiness, emotional distress, anxiety, loneliness and isolation, depression, somatic complaints, interpersonal problems, feelings of incompetence as a parent, a tendency toward becoming upset and angry), and stress (more stressful life events, including parenting and other family stresses) and coping (most likely a protective factor, including problem solving and social support). Finally, risk factors that are proximal to abuse could include mothers' high reactivity (impulsivity, high negative affect and autonomic nervous system arousal), high-risk parenting (harsh discipline strategies, verbal aggression, yelling), and negative attributions, and children's behavior problems (e.g., socialized aggression, attention deficits, and internalizing and externalizing problems).