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Children with Problematic Sexual Behavior: Recommendations for the Multidisciplinary Team and Children’s Advocacy Center Response
(Southern Regional Children's Advocacy Center and Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, 2020) Sites, Jerri, & Widdifield, Jimmy
Cases of children ages 12 and younger with problematic sexual behavior (PSB) can present a myriad of challenges for multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) and Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). After all, MDTs and CACs were historically designed to address maltreatment of children committed by adults, not by other children. When presented with child-initiated harm cases, child-serving agencies are often inadequately equipped to provide the integrated and comprehensive response that is required in these situations. Significant disparities exist across many communities regarding resources specifically geared toward the initial response and assessment of cases of children with reported PSB; development and implementation of MDT and CAC protocols specific to these cases; and treatment options for the children involved and their caregivers. Further, many professionals do not have foundational or current knowledge of the research and best practices related to children with PSB, hindering quality decision-making. Child-serving professionals, however, can become more effective in responding to and managing cases of children with PSB. This can be accomplished through training on the nature of normative and problematic sexual behaviors in children; employing engagement strategies for children and families; focusing on long-term outcomes for children with PSB, in an effort to reduce the risk of PSB from reoccurring; and revising policies and procedures to reflect best practices to meet the needs of all children served. Together, the MDT approach and the CAC model are ideal vehicles for the provision of the resources needed for the development and implementation of an integrated and comprehensive systems approach to cases of children with PSB and their families. This white paper will focus on how cases of children ages 12 and younger who initiate PSB, the child victim(s), and their families could be successfully served by CACs and MDTs.
A systematic review of the validity of Criteriabased Content Analysis in child sexual abuse cases and other field studies
(Psychology, Crime & Law, 2024) Sporer, S. L., & Masip, J.
Criteria-based Content Analysis (CBCA) has been primarily employed to
assess the credibility of child sexual abuse (CSA) allegations. However,
several studies on the validity of CBCA have focused on
autobiographical events other than CSA. Because of the differences
between real cases and the laboratory, we focused specifically on
CBCA field studies on both CSA and other areas of application. We
formally assessed several ground-truth criteria (and other
methodological aspects) in a pool of 36 field studies. Seven archival
studies (six of which were on CSA) and seven quasi-experiments
(none of which was on CSA) were found to be either
methodologically sound (12 studies) or acceptable with reservations
(two studies), and were therefore included. We describe the paradigm
and methods used in each study. Across studies, most CBCA criteria
significantly differed between truthful and deceptive accounts, with
similar medium to large effect sizes for the methodologically sound
quasi-experiments and archival CSA studies. Our review shows that
CBCA criteria may discriminate in domains other than CSA. The
implications for the real-world usage of CBCA are discussed.
Children's long-term memory for a staged repeated event: A preliminary investigation
(Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2024) Earhart, B., Deck, S. L., Brubacher, S. P., & Powell, M. B.
In this study, we examined children's memory for a staged repeated event after a two-year delay to gain insights about how they represented the events in long-term memory. Children aged 4–8 experienced six events and were interviewed about the last occurrence shortly after the event and 2 years later (N = 29). Various characteristics of their memory reports at the delayed interview were analyzed (e.g., accuracy, specificity). Though the event was brief and embedded within their school day, the patterns in recall suggest that children represented the events as distinct from what usually happens at school. For example, all children were able to recall accurate information, and incorrect details were most often details they experienced during another occurrence of the events. The results of this preliminary investigation are considered in relation to prominent theories of event memory, and generate interesting directions for future repeated-event research.
Child Sexual Abuse and Associated Factors Among High School Female Students in Arba Minch Zuria Woreda, Southern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study
(The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India, 2024) Wada, H. W., Tesema, K. F., Temesgen, G., & Dinagde, D. D.
Background
Child sex abuse is a severe violation of fundamental human rights that has numerous negative consequences, including physical and psychological ones, and is a huge global public health issue. It is a significant public health issue that affects millions of people annually around the world but is the least acknowledged and reported form of violence in Ethiopia against schoolgirls. Thus, this study is very important to provide recent information on the magnitude of sexual abuse and its associated factors.
Objective
This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of lifetime child sexual abuse and associated factors among high school female students in Arba Minch Zuria Woreda (AZW), Southern Ethiopia.
Methods
An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 414 randomly selected female high school students in Arba Minch Zuria Woreda between December 20, 2022, and January 20, 2023. A stratified and multi-stage sampling technique was used to select participants from selected high schools. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire was used, and the data were entered using EpiData version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS (the Statistical Package for Social Science) version 27. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify factors associated with sexual abuse using binary logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at a p-value of less than 0.05.
Result
In this study area, prevalence of child sexual abuse was 45% (95% CI 40.6–50.2). Students who slept alone at home (AOR = 4.93, 95% CI 1.46–16.67); having no open discussions with their parents (AOR = 4.49, 95% CI 1.62–12.47); drinking alcohol (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.32–8.28); and having friends who drink alcohol or chew chat (AOR = 6.14, 95% CI 1.58–23.9) were the identified factors associated with child sexual abuse.
Conclusion
This study found a high level of child sexual abuse among high school female students in Arba Minch Zuria Woreda. High schools must collaborate with parents to develop a strategy to reduce sexual abuse acting against human rights, focusing on identified factors.
Working with Families of Minors Experiencing Sex Trafficking:Family Based Risk Factors and Implications for Family Based Interventions
(SSRN, 2024) Nichols, A. J., Oberstaedt, M., Slutsker, S., & Gilbert, K.
The current study explored family based risk factors for sex trafficking of minors and the implications for family centered interventions post identification. Methods: Drawing from 30 interviews with social service and criminal justice professionals in a Midwestern metropolitan area, this study focused on their perspectives and experiences working with families of minors involved in sex trafficking. Inductive analysis of professionally transcribed audio recorded interviews involved a multi-phase open and selective co-coding process conducted by a small research team. Results: Results indicated that parents were often unaware of their child’s involvement in a sex trafficking situation, and did not recognize warning signs. Family based risk factors preceded children’s experiences with sex trafficking and continued to present challenges post-identification. Such risk factors included parental substance use disorder, child sexual abuse, and inaccessibility of resources to meet basic needs. Furthermore, family members’ ability to provide a supportive relationship and provide structure for their child following sex trafficking involvement was also described as challenging. Conclusions: Implications for prevention of retrafficking include providing sex trafficking related education to family members of minors involved in sex trafficking, as well as family based interventions facilitating development of supportive relationships, discussing the importance of providing structure following a sex trafficking situation, and providing individually tailored resources to family members to address substance use disorder and/or basic needs.