Perceived Loss of Social Contact and Trauma Symptoms among Adolescents Who Have Experienced Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a robust predictor of trauma symptoms. Past research has identified many correlates of trauma symptoms following disclosure of CSA. Theory suggests that loss of social contact may be another important contributor to adolescents’ trauma symptoms following CSA. A clinical sample of 166 adolescents (95% female) between 11 and 19 years (M = 13.80, SD = 1.87) reported on perceived loss of social contact, the extent to which the CSA was coercive, appraisals of self-blame for the abuse, supportiveness of a primary non-abusing caregiver, and trauma symptoms. The adolescent’s relationship to the abuser, abuse severity and duration were coded from forensic interviews. Results indicated that greater perceived loss of social contact was associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms, even after controlling for other correlates of trauma symptoms and demographic variables. These findings suggest that perceived loss of social contact may be an important variable to consider in assessing and intervening with adolescents who have been sexually abused.     

Community and Individual Factors Associated with Cigarette Smoking Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) have higher rates of cigarette smoking than their heterosexual counterparts, yet few studies have examined factors associated with cigarette smoking among YMSM. The present study sought to understand how different types of gay community connection (i.e., gay community identification and involvement, gay bar/club attendance) were associated with smoking among YMSM recruited through venue-based sampling in Los Angeles, California (N = 526). Structural equation modeling was used to isolate direct and indirect effects of gay community connection on smoking through cognitive and psychological mediators (i.e., psychological distress, health values, internalized homophobia). Findings indicate YMSM cigarette smoking prevention and intervention must be tailored to address the direct and indirect influences of the gay community.     

Helping Oneself by Helping Others: Evaluation of a Service Credit Banking Demonstration

Between 1987 and 1990, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded six service credit banking demonstration programs among the elderly in which participants delivered services in return for credits, entitling them to later service. This evaluation of the demonstrations found that these six sites successfully attracted elders for the delivery of household support services to a relatively old, frail population with potentially limited social networks. Evidence on the significance of the "credit" in attracting volunteers was mixed, but the programs have attracted new volunteers, and have not substituted for other volunteer activities. Program development has entailed considerable staff investment in volunteer support; programs are better understood as community membership organizations than as mechanical exchanges.     

Attachment Style and Risk Taking: A Theoretical Approach to Understanding Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

Relationships between attachment style and risk-taking behaviors are examined among young men who have sex with men. A large body of research has demonstrated that possessing a secure attachment style may buffer the effects of other risk factors. Conversely, an insecure attachment style, particularly fearful and preoccupied styles, interfere with motivation to participate in health-protective behaviors and create barriers to developing platonic relationships with peers and adults, including service providers, who can assist with positive adaptation and functioning. Thus, a better understanding of the attachment styles of at-risk youth may guide the development of more suitable interventions.     

Winning a Race: Narratives of Healing and Psychotherapy in Children and Adolescents Who Have Been Sexually Abused

This article explores the process of recovering from sexual abuse according to children and adolescents who have been sexually abused and have successfully completed psychotherapy. In this qualitative study, interviews were conducted with 20 participants from 8 to 18 years of age and then subject to narrative analysis. Results show that participants’ narratives of recovery involve an improvement of psychological well-being. Moreover, they feel better equipped to overcome future challenges, feeling empowered and able to retake control of their lives. Factors that support and inhibit recovery are examined, as are developmental differences. Discussion underlines the valuable role of psychotherapy in helping children and adolescents in their healing process, changing the meaning of the abusive experience, and developing new capacities.     

Helping Adolescents Cope with the Mental Illness of a Parent Through Bibliotherapy

This paper highlights some of the needs of adolescents who have parents with a mental illness and examines the usage of bibliotherapy as a treatment modality. Eleven young adult fiction books are examined and considered for use as a bibliotherapeutic tool among the adolescent audience whose parent suffers from a mental illness.     

Understanding the Influence of Loneliness on HIV Risk Behavior in Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

In this study we used grounded theory methodology to understand the influence of loneliness in YMSM in terms of HIV risk behavior. Twenty-two YMSM, 18–29 years of age, of HIV-negative/unknown status were interviewed. Results indicated that loneliness is defined in two ways: emotional and social. A cyclical pattern emerged that included negative symptoms, “self-treatment” of loneliness through drug use and sex, temporary relief, remorse related to engaging in HIV risk behaviors, negative self-image, and ultimately the reemergence of initial loneliness symptoms. Results suggest that loneliness in YMSM plays a greater role in HIV-related behavior than previously understood. A preliminary explanatory model, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Creativity, Habit, and the Social Products of Creative Action: Revising Joas, Incorporating Bourdieu

Hans Joas's The Creativity of Action (1996) posits that conceiving of all action as fundamentally creative would overcome problems inherent in rational and normative theories of action and would provide an alternative basis for action‐based theories of macrosociological phenomena. Joas conceives of creativity as a response to the frustration of "prereflective aspirations," which necessitates innovative adjustment to reestablish habitual intentions. This conceptualization creates an unsupportable duality between habitual action and creativity that neglects other possible sources of creative action, including habit itself. Combining strengths from Bourdieu's concept of habitus, creativity can be redefined as the necessary adaption of habitual practices to specific contexts of action. Creative action continually introduces novel possibilities in practical action and provokes a variety of social responses to its products. This revised concept of creativity overcomes the dichotomy presented by Joas, identifies a microsocial source of innovation in creative action, and calls attention to patterns of creative authority in society at large .     

Barriers to Help-seeking for a Gambling Problem: The Experiences of Gamblers Who Have Sought Specialist Assistance and the Perceptions of Those Who Have Not

This paper presents barriers to help-seeking data as reported by users of a national gambling helpline (help-seekers, HS, N = 125) as well as data pertaining to perceived barriers to seeking help as reported by gamblers recruited from the general population (non-help-seekers, NHS, N = 104). All data were collected via a structured, multi-modal survey. When asked to identify actual or perceived barriers to seeking help, responses indicative of pride (78% of HS participants, 84% of NHS participants), shame (73% of HS participants, 84% of NHS participants) or denial (87% of NHS participants) were most frequently reported. These three factors were also most often identified as the real or perceived primary barrier to help-seeking (collectively accounting for 55% of HS, and 60% of NHS, responses to this question) and were the only barriers to be identified by more than 10% of either HS and NHS participants without prompting. It was of note, however, that participants in both groups identified multiple barriers to help-seeking (mean of 6.7 and 12.2, respectively) and that, when presented with a list of 21 possible barrier items, NHS participants endorsed 19 of the listed items significantly more often than their HS counterparts. The implications of these findings, with respect to promoting greater or earlier help-seeking activity amongst problem gamblers, are discussed.

Support for Resilience Theory with Female Adolescents Who Are Violent: A MIMIC Model

Resilience theory has been shown to explain aggression and violence in adolescents in general. No studies were found that supported this theory specifically with female adolescents. A multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model was developed from the review of the literature. Structural equation modeling was then used to quantitatively test this theoretical MIMIC model. Results indicate that the direct effect of the demographic contingencies are significantly related to violent behavior: race (β = ?.53, t = 0.04, p < .001), community supports (β = ?0.55, t = ?0.04, p < .001), and subsidized income supports (β = 0.54, t = 0.04, p < .001). These results suggest demographic contingencies play an important role in predicting violent behavior in female adolescents.     

Reasons for Seeking Help for a Gambling Problem: The Experiences of Gamblers Who Have Sought Specialist Assistance and the Perceptions of Those Who Have Not

This paper presents reasons for help-seeking data as reported by users of a national gambling helpline (help-seekers, HS, n = 125) as well as data pertaining to perceived reasons for seeking help as reported by gamblers recruited from the general population (non-help-seekers, NHS, n = 104). All data were collected via a structured, multi-modal survey. Participants in both groups considered help-seeking to be motivated by multiple factors (mean of 6.8 and 10.6 responses, respectively). Responses indicative of financial concern were most frequently reported by both HS and NHS participants (82 & 90%, respectively). Over a third of HS participants (35%) also identified financial concern as their primary reason for seeking help and 50% of NHS participants perceived financial concern to be the primary motivator for seeking help in a problem gambling context. Common types of secondary influence (other than financial concern) included psychological distress (HS & NHS participants), problem prevention (HS participants), rational thought (HS participants), physical health issues (HS participants), and relationship issues (NHS participants). The implications for promoting greater or earlier help-seeking activity amongst problem gamblers are discussed.

Importance of Self-Forgiveness and Social Support in Potentially Reducing Loneliness in Men Who Have Sex with Men

Abstract

Higher levels of loneliness in men who have sex with men (MSM) are associated with negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and sexual impulsivity. By identifying what may reduce loneliness in MSM, counselors and public health professionals can alleviate the distress of their clients. A significant hierarchical multiple regression controlling for relationship status, F(9, 105)?=?16.36, p?<?0.001, R² = .62, indicated that higher levels of self-forgiveness (β?=??.19, p?=?.04) and perceived social support (β?=??.49, p?<?.001) predicted lower levels of loneliness in MSM. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Trauma and Adolescents Who Engage in Sexually Abusive Behavior: A Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT

While recent research has established the abuse and victimization histories of youth who engage in sexually abusive behavior, there is still debate regarding the significance of trauma and abuse as developmental antecedents to sexual offending in adolescence. Moreover, research has not conclusively identified the types, context, and timing of adverse experiences that act as catalysts for subsequent sexual perpetration. The present comprehensive literature review has one primary aim: Explore the adverse childhood experiences of youth who engage in sexually abusive behavior, considering whether trauma may be a consistent developmental antecedent to offending. Search method, inclusion criteria, and screening protocol are described, and the articles included in the review (N = 13) are qualitatively analyzed using thematic coding. Findings indicate that traumatic experiences and symptoms may be of developmental and etiological significance for subsequent sexually abusive behavior in adolescence. Implications for research, treatment, and policy are discussed, with the hope the findings will act as impetus to develop and deliver targeted treatment and prevention programs to sexually abusive youth who have histories of victimization.     

Reflexive Development: A Model for Helping Social Workers Contribute to a Sustainable Global Future

It is difficult for many social work students to grasp the importance they and their traditional client base play in global environmental issues. International development generally focuses on supporting human development through the development of natural resources. However, increased human consumption everywhere in the world is disrupting the global system upon which all life depends. Continued Western consumption habits are simply unsustainable. It is therefore incumbent that any increase in consumption, even in the ‘developing’ world, be considered in terms of global environmental sustainability; change must also occur within the developed world. To address this problem, reflexive processes that support transnational analysis and action must be developed. This paper suggests classroom activities that help students analyze and problem solve around this process of Reflexive Development.     

Right-to-Die Legislation: A Note on Factors Associated with Its Adoption

Legislation allowing for some form of death prior to it naturally occurring presently exists in very few industrial democracies. This article explores what large-scale economic and social factors may be associated with the legality of right-do-die measures, namely, a nation's health care expenditures, the old-age dependency ratio, religious pluralism, and homicide and suicide rates. Using data from several sources, we find an association among these factors and right-to-die legislation. Four of the six countries with recent experience of legalized physician-aided death ranked in the top 50% of countries on our combined measure of the five factors under examination. Implications of this study and suggestions for future research of this timely issue are discussed.     

Factors Associated with Having Flextime: A Focus on Married Workers

To examine flexible work scheduling of married workers a conceptual framework was developed and tested using the 1997 Current Population Survey Work Schedules Supplement. Odds of flextime use were higher for married males, non-Hispanic whites, those with relatively higher levels of education and income, those with a preschool aged child, residents of the Midwest or West (as compared with the South), managers or professionals, and employees of the federal government.     

“Who Would Find You?”: A Question for Working with Suicidal Children and Adolescents

This paper discusses the rationale, employment, and benefits of a particular question, “Who would find you?”, within the assessment of suicidal youngsters. The question helps identify salient interpersonal conflicts and supports in the young person's life, and indicates the direction for reparative and preventive interventions. For the young person, the question has the potential to release emotions, increase cognitive awareness of the reality of suicide, and generate a sense of hope. For the practitioner, it can increase skill and build confidence in the carrying out of a daunting clinical task.     

Reunions of Adoptees Who Have Met Both Birth Parents: Post-Reunion Relationships and Factors that Facilitate and Hinder the Reunion Process

Eighteen adoptees who had met both their birth mothers and birth fathers were surveyed in order to determine the types of post-reunion relationships they developed with each birth parent and the factors that facilitated or hindered their reunions. While adoptees were more likely to develop a personal rather than nonpersonal relationship with birth mothers, relationships with birth fathers were more evenly divided between personal and nonpersonal relationships. Thematic analysis revealed some similarities in the factors that influence reunions with each birth parent (e.g., birth parent characteristics, support from others), though some differences also emerged (e.g., reactions to pregnancy and relinquishment). Issues of kinship, identity, and family structure are discussed, along with implications for counseling.     

Helping Young Children Cope with Community Violence: A Proposal for the Reduction of Social Distress in the Inner Cities

The authors discuss the crisis of violence in our society and its impact on young children. Research on early violence prevention is reviewed, and a rationale for building parent–teacher coalitions to attempt solutions to the problem of violence is presented. A curriculum for co-training of parents and early childhood professionals in violence prevention is outlined. The need for longitudinal research on the implementation and impact of early violence prevention programs is noted.