Child Sexual Abuse,Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,and Substance Use: Predictors of Revictimization in Adult Sexual Assault Survivors

This study examined the unique effects of child sexual abuse simultaneously with post-traumatic stress disorder symptom clusters, problem drinking, and illicit drug use in relation to sexual revictimization in a community sample of female adult sexual assault victims. Participants (N?=?555) completed two surveys a year apart. Child sexual abuse predicted more post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in adult sexual assault victims. Post-traumatic stress disorder numbing symptoms directly predicted revictimization, whereas other post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (reexperiencing, avoidance, and arousal) were related to problem drinking, which in turn predicted revictimization. Thus, numbing symptoms and problem drinking may be independent risk factors for sexual revictimization in adult sexual assault victims, particularly for women with a history of childhood sexual abuse.     

美国自驾车与乘公交车的经济对比

新的研究表明,公共交通的经济益处远比通常知道的要多。     

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,Dissociation, and Neuropsychological Performance in Latina Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse

This study compared the memory, attention/concentration, and executive functioning of 12 women with histories of child sexual abuse with a control group of 12 women without childhood abuse. Participants completed a neuropsychological test battery and various instruments assessing post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation. The child sexual abuse group had lower performance than the control group on long- and short-term visual and verbal memory and presented more limited performance on executive functioning tasks. Functioning in these areas showed a negative correlation with post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociative symptoms. These findings suggest that child sexual abuse is associated with memory and executive functioning deficits and supports the idea that people with trauma histories and increased post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation symptoms may have alterations in neuropsychological functioning.     

Condom Use Completeness,Perceptions, and Sexual Quality at Most Recent Sexual Event: Results from a U.S. Nationally Representative Probability Sample

Abstract

Objectives: To explore perceptions of condoms associated with complete use and evaluate relationships between condom perceptions, condom use, and sexual quality.

Methods: Using data from a U. S. nationally representative probability sample, we assessed individuals’ condom use perceptions and related characteristics of their most recent sexual event through bivariate and regression analyses (n?=?234).

Results: Most participants reported complete condom use and neutral or positive perceptions of condoms. Though incomplete use was associated with orgasm among women, arousal and pleasure did not differ by gender or duration of condom use.

Conclusions: We found no evidence that delayed application or early condom removal increased sexual arousal or pleasure, which may help sexual health promotion interventions address negative cultural ideas about condoms.     

Exploring the Overlap in Male Juvenile Sexual Offending and General Delinquency: Trauma,Alcohol Use,and Masculine Beliefs

Despite Burton and Meezan's (2004 Burton, D. L. and Meezan, W. 2004. Revisiting recent research on social learning theory as an etiological proposition for sexually abusive male adolescents. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1(1): 41–80. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) finding that sexually aggressive youth are three to four times more likely to recidivate nonsexually than sexually, there is little to no research to date that explores this overlap in criminality. With a sample of 290 male sexually violent adjudicated and incarcerated youth, this study was able to successfully predict those who are exclusively sexually violent from those who are both nonsexually and sexually violent with each of the following factors: childhood trauma, masculine beliefs, and alcohol use. While alcohol use accounted for the greatest variance between the groups, masculine beliefs offered the greatest basis for the discussion and future projects for the authors of the study. Treatment and research implications are offered.     

Women's Unprotected Sex Intentions: Roles of Sexual Victimization,Intoxication, and Partner Perception

Sexually victimized women may make sexual decisions differently than nonvictimized women. This study used an eroticized scenario and laboratory alcohol administration to investigate the roles of victimization history, intoxication, and relationship context in women's perceptions of a male partner and their subsequent intentions for unprotected sex. A community sample of 436 women completed childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA) measures. After random assignment to an alcohol or control condition, participants read and projected themselves into a sexual scenario that depicted the male partner as having high or low potential for a lasting relationship. Participants rated their perceptions of his intoxication, sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk level, and anticipated reactions to insistence on condom use. They then indicated their likelihood of allowing the partner to decide how far to go sexually (abdication) and of engaging in unprotected sex. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that intoxication predicted greater unprotected sex likelihood indirectly via abdication. CSA and ASA predicted partner perceptions, which in turn predicted unprotected sex likelihood. These findings indicate that, compared to their nonvictimized counterparts, sexually victimized women may respond differently in sexual encounters partly as a function of their perceptions of partners' STI risk and anticipated reactions to condom insistence.     

Perception vs. Circumstances of the Child Sexual Abuse Event in Relation to Depression and Post-traumatic Stress Symptomatology

The study examined the impact of the circumstances of childhood sexual abuse on post-traumatic stress symptoms and depression among female adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The sample consisted of 225 Israeli women divided into two groups according to the identity of the perpetrator (nonfamily perpetrator versus a family member perpetrator). A self-report questionnaire was used consisting of the following scales: demographic variables, the Traumatic Events Questionnaire, Childhood Sexual Experiences Scale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale, and Depression Scale. The findings indicated that the identity of the offender significantly differed between groups only if intercourse had occurred. Women who experienced coerced intercourse scored significantly higher on depression and post-traumatic stress compared to those who experienced other forms of childhood sexual abuse.     

Associations between Sexual Abstinence Ideals,Religiosity, and Alcohol Abstinence: A Longitudinal Study of Finnish Twins

We analyzed prevalence and stability of attitudes endorsing sexual abstinence ideals from late adolescence into early adulthood and studied associations of these attitudes with religiosity and alcohol abstinence in a sexually liberal Nordic society. Our population-based sample of Finnish twins permitted comparisons of co-twins concordant for religiosity but discordant for drinking to evaluate the association of sexual abstinence ideals with alcohol abstinence, controlling for household environment. From age 17 to 24, endorsement of sexual abstinence as a romantic ideal declined from 25% to 15%. Religiosity and alcohol abstinence correlated, both separately and together, with endorsing sexual abstinence. Abstinence ideals were associated with literal belief in fundamental tenets of the Bible. The association of sexual abstinence ideals with alcohol abstinence was confirmed in within-family comparisons of co-twins discordant for drinking but concordant for religiosity. Alcohol-abstinent twins were significantly more likely than their non-alcohol-abstinent twin siblings to endorse sexual abstinence ideals; that result suggests the association of sexual abstinence ideals with abstaining from alcohol is not explained by unmeasured confounds in familial background and structure. Our longitudinal results and analyses of discordant twins suggest that attitudes toward sexual abstinence ideals are embedded within other conservative attitudes and behaviors.     

The Role of Rape-Supportive Attitudes,Alcohol, and Sexual Arousal in Sexual (Mis)Perception: An Experimental Study

While sexual misperception does not irrevocably lead to sexual aggression, it remains a significant risk factor. The present study investigated the effects of rape-supportive attitudes, alcohol, and sexual arousal on sexual perception. We used a 2 × 2 between-participants factorial design to randomly assign 135 men from the general population to a condition with or without alcohol (blood alcohol concentration target of .08%) and to a condition with or without sexual arousal. Participants were asked to listen to an audiotape depicting a sexual interaction between a man and woman and to indicate if and when they believed the woman was no longer interested in having sex. Results, obtained through survival analyses, indicate that the effects of rape-supportive attitudes on sexual misperception are moderated by alcohol consumption. Alcohol appears to be an important situational factor for activating men’s implicit theories. Our study sheds new light on the role of knowledge structures in sexual perception: It identifies when, as well as suggesting how, rape-supportive attitudes may disturb sexual perception and ultimately lead to sexual misperception.     

Research on Women in Policing: A Look at the Past,Present and Future

There are more women employed by police agencies today than ever before. Their role and workplace experiences have changed significantly from the time that they were first employed as police matrons in the late 1800s‐early 1900s. This article covers the history of women in policing. It provides an overview of past and contemporary research focused on female police officers. A trend found in the contemporary research reveals that there are many similarities among male and female police officers. This trend is interesting as policing has traditionally been a male dominated profession in the United States.     

Exposure to Client Trauma,Secondary Traumatic Stress,and the Health of Clinical Social Workers: A Mediation Analysis

While it is widely acknowledged that providing services to traumatized populations may negatively impact the mental health of clinicians, little is known about the impact of exposure to traumatized clients and secondary traumatic stress on the physical health status of clinicians. As such, the twofold purpose of this study was to: (1) document the prevalence of STS in a national (US) sample of clinical social workers, and (2) to examine the relationships between exposure to client trauma, STS, and perceived health of clinical social workers. Specifically, we sought to determine if STS mediates the relationship between exposure to client traumas and perceived health. Results indicate clinicians experience intrusion symptoms most frequently, and a significant portion report arousal and avoidance symptoms. Mediation analyses revealed that exposure to traumatized client populations indirectly influenced clinical social workers’ physical health perceptions by way of secondary traumatic stress. Findings call for increased attention toward prevention and amelioration of secondary traumatic stress symptomology among direct service providers, given both its prevalence and potential impact on physical health. Directions for future research are discussed.     

Unplanned Sexual Activity as a Consequence of Alcohol Use: A Prospective Study of Risk Perceptions and Alcohol Use Among College Freshmen

Objective: The authors' goal was to show how risk perceptions regarding unplanned sexual activity following alcohol use are prospectively related to subsequent alcohol consumption.

Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 380) completed questionnaires at 2 time points during their freshman year. Methods: In the middle of the academic year (T1), students estimated their risk of engaging in unplanned sex and reported their alcohol use during the previous term. Four months later (T2), they again reported alcohol use and indicated whether they had engaged in unplanned sex since T1. Results: Students who consumed more alcohol at T1 rated their risk of unplanned sex more highly, suggesting relative accuracy. Those with higher risk perceptions consumed more alcohol at T2 (controlling for T1 use), suggesting that they maintained the high-risk behavior. Last, those who were unrealistically optimistic (ie, estimated low risk at T1 yet had unplanned sex by T2) reported greater alcohol use at T2. Conclusions: These findings highlight the role that risk perceptions regarding sexual activity may play in college students' alcohol use.     

The Trauma Trifecta of Military Sexual Trauma: A Case Study Illustrating the Integration of Mind and Body in Clinical Work with Survivors of MST

Military sexual trauma (MST) has recently received much attention from the media in contemporary society. With the ever-increasing population of United States service members returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, it is vital for any mental health practitioner to be aware of the epidemic that is sexual assault in the military, the unique trauma experiences of the MST survivor, and treatment implications incorporating multiple psychological theories. This article explores three factors, referred to as the trauma trifecta, in which the effects of MST are exacerbated: the loss of professional and personal identity, the regulatory functions of self harm behaviors, and the retraumatization that many service members endure as a result of the distinctive characteristics of the military culture and its service to veterans. A case study with clinical interventions will be utilized to demonstrate this concept of “the trauma trifecta” and the unique challenges in treating the PTSD symptoms that can result from MST in clinical therapy. Drawing from multiple theories in clinical treatment, this paper illustrates the strengths and limitations of cognitive-behavioral techniques, highlights the integration of feminist theory to illustrate the obstacles of power structures, and mind–body interventions, bridging the gap between talk therapy and body therapy. Through this unique integration of multiple therapies, the case study illustrates the veteran’s reengagement with her body and the reformulation of her identity post MST.     

Stress,Stigma, and Sexual Minority Status: The Intersectional Ecology Model of LGBTQ Health

One of the four overarching goals of Healthy People 2020 is to achieve health equity, eliminate health disparities, and improve the health of all groups, including the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) populations. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report that drew attention to the unique health disparities experienced by sexual minorities and underscored the need for a comprehensive approach to sexual minority health research. This article proposes a new model of LGBTQ health to help measure, explore, explain, and predict the impact of sexual minority status on health outcomes. The Intersectional Ecology Model of LGBTQ Health (IEM) demonstrates how the relentless hypervigilance of LGBTQ individuals in a heteronormative society impacts health outcomes through the primary vehicles of stigma and chronic, elevated stress. The purpose of the IEM is to guide future research and enhance public health practice for LGBTQ populations.     

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Synthesis and Analysis of Theoretical Models

The notion that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be found in children who have experienced sexual abuse has become an important issue in research and clinical practice. To date however, there is a lack of consensus on what theoretical model(s), if any, best account for PTSD within this population. As a way of contributing to the existing body of literature pertaining to PTSD and its relationship to childhood sexual abuse, this paper synthesizes and presents a critical analysis of contemporary theoretical models.     

Blame It on the Alcohol: The Influence of Alcohol Consumption During Adolescence,the Transition to Adulthood,and Young Adulthood on One-Time Sexual Hookups

Using public-use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 3,733) and the life-span developmental perspective, the current study sought to determine whether global reports of alcohol use, binge drinking, and drunkenness are best represented as indicators of a latent alcohol consumption construct during adolescence, the transition to adulthood, and young adulthood. We also examined the predictive power of alcohol consumption during each developmental period on the total number of one-time sexual hookups reported in young adulthood. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed alcohol use, binge drinking, and drunkenness are consistent indicators of a latent alcohol consumption variable over time, although the mean levels of the indicators were significantly lower during adolescence. Structural equation modeling analyses found alcohol consumption during the transition to adulthood and young adulthood predicted one-time sexual hookups in young adulthood, but alcohol consumption during the transition to adulthood exhibited the strongest association with hooking up. Implications for research, theory, and practice are discussed.