Search results for ‘Publisher:"elsevier"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 339
Child physical abuse and concurrence of other types of child abuse in Sweden - associations with health and risk behaviors
- Author:
- Annerback E.M.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(7/8), 2012, p.585–595.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objective: To examine the associations between child physical abuse executed by a parent or caretaker and self-rated health problems/risk-taking behaviours among teenagers. Further to evaluate concurrence of other types of abuse and how these alone and in addition to child physical abuse were associated with bad health status and risk-taking behaviours. Methods: A population-based survey was carried out in 2008 among all the pupils in 2 different grades (15 respectively 17 years old) in Södermanland County, Sweden (n = 7,262). The response rate was 81.8%. The pupils were asked among other things about their exposure to child physical abuse, exposure to parental intimate violence, bullying, and exposure to being forced to engage in sexual acts. Adjusted analyses were conducted to estimate associations between exposure and ill-health/risk-taking behaviors. Results: Child physical abuse was associated with poor health and risk-taking behaviors with adjusted odds ratios (OR) ranging from 1.6 to 6.2. The associations were stronger when the pupils reported repeated abuse with OR ranging from 2.0 to 13.2. Also experiencing parental intimate partner violence, bullying and being forced to engage in sexual acts was associated with poor health and risk-taking behaviours with the same graded relationship to repeated abuse. Finally there was a cumulative effect of multiple abuse in the form of being exposed to child physical abuse plus other types of abuse and the associations increased with the number of concurrent abuse. Conclusions: This study provides strong indications that child abuse is a serious public health problem based on the clear links seen between abuse and poor health and behavioral problems. Consistent with other studies showing a graded relationship between experiences of abuse and poor health/risk-taking behaviors our study shows poorer outcomes for repeated and multiple abuse. Thus, our study calls for improvement of methods of comprehensive assessments, interventions and treatment in all settings where professionals meet young people. (Publisher abstract)
Child maltreatment and onset of emergency department presentations for suicide-related behaviors
- Authors:
- RHODES Anne E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(6), 2012, pp.542-551.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objectives: To determine whether the rates of a first presentation to the emergency department (ED) for suicide-related behavior (SRB) are higher among children/youth permanently removed from their parental home because of substantiated maltreatment than their peers. To describe the health care settings accessed by these children/youth before a first SRB presentation to help design preventive interventions. Methods: A population-based (retrospective) cohort of 12–17-year-olds in Ontario, Canada was established. Children/youth removed from their parental home because of the above noted maltreatment (n = 4683) and their population-based peers (n = 1,034,546) were individually linked to administrative health care records over time to ascertain health service use and subsequent ED presentations for SRB during follow-up. Person-time incidence rates were calculated and Cox regression models used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: After controlling for demographic characteristics and prior health service use, maltreated children/youth were about five times more likely to have a first ED presentation for SRB compared to their peers, in both boys (HR: 5.13, 95% CI: 3.94, 6.68) and girls (HR: 5.36, 95% CI: 4.40, 6.54). Conclusions: Children/youth permanently removed from their parental home because of substantiated child maltreatment are at an increased risk of a first presentation to the ED for SRB. The prevention of child maltreatment and its recurrence and the promotion of resilience after maltreatment has occurred are important avenues to study toward preventing ED SRB presentations in children/youth. Provider and system level linkages between care sectors may prevent the need for such presentations by providing ongoing environmental support. (Publisher abstract)
Trauma-focused CBT for youth with complex trauma
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(6), 2012, pp.528-541.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objectives: Many youth develop complex trauma, which includes regulation problems in the domains of affect, attachment, behaviour, biology, cognition, and perception. Therapists often request strategies for using evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for this population. This article describes practical strategies for applying Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for youth with complex trauma. Methods: TF-CBT treatment phases are described and modifications of timing, proportionality and application are described for youth with complex trauma. Practical applications include (a) dedicating proportionally more of the model to the TF-CBT coping skills phase; (b) implementing the TF-CBT Safety component early and often as needed throughout treatment; (c) titrating gradual exposure more slowly as needed by individual youth; (d) incorporating unifying trauma themes throughout treatment; and (e) when indicated, extending the TF-CBT treatment consolidation and closure phase to include traumatic grief components and to generalise ongoing safety and trust. Result: Recent data from youth with complex trauma support the use of the above TF-CBT strategies to successfully treat these youth. Conclusion: The above practical strategies can be incorporated into TF-CBT to effectively treat youth with complex trauma. Practice implications: Practical strategies include providing a longer coping skills phase which incorporates safety and appropriate gradual exposure; including relevant unifying themes; and allowing for an adequate treatment closure phase to enhance ongoing trust and safety. Through these strategies therapists can successfully apply TF-CBT for youth with complex trauma. (Publisher abstract)
The Word Game: an innovative strategy for assessing implicit processes in parents at risk for child physical abuse
- Authors:
- CROUCH Julie L., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(6), 2012, pp.498-509.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Methods: The game involves a series of competitive reaction time trials which are actually lexical decision making trials designed to determine the accessibility of schema throughout the game. Each parent was led to believe that they were competing against another player with whom they exchanged sound blasts of varying intensities. Participants in the present study were parents who were either low (n = 50) or high (n = 20) risk for CPA. Results: Results revealed that high CPA risk parents behaved more aggressively than low CPA risk parents and that provocation augmented the aggressiveness of all participants. Among high CPA risk parents, positive schema became less accessible (whereas negative schema became more accessible) following lost rounds. At the conclusion of the game, high CPA risk parents reported more aggressive motives than low CPA risk parents. Further, aggressive motives significantly mediated the association between CPA risk status and aggressiveness (i.e., mean sound blast selections). Conclusions: Collectively, results support the potential utility of the Word Game as a means of advancing the study of social cognitive processes involved in parental aggression. (Publisher abstract)
Maternal drug abuse history, maltreatment, and functioning in a clinical sample of urban children
- Authors:
- ONIGU-OTITE Edore C., BELCHER Harolyn M.E.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(6), 2012, pp.491-497.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objective: This study examined the association between maternal drug abuse history, maltreatment exposure, and functioning, in a clinical sample of young children seeking therapy for maltreatment. Methods: Data were collected on 91 children, mean age 5.3 years (SD 1.0). The Preschool and Early Childhood Functional Assessment Scales (PECFAS) was used to measure functional impairment. A child maltreatment exposure (CME) score was developed based on maltreatment history. Data on maternal risk factors including maternal drug abuse (MDA) were obtained. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression modeling. Results: Approximately half (47.3%) of the children had a history of MDA. MDA history was associated with increased odds of neglect (OR = 5.6, 95% CI = 2.2–14.6) and abandonment (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.3–8.3), and decreased odds of sexual abuse (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.2–0.8). There were no statistically significant differences in CME scores for children with MDA history when compared to children without MDA history. Children with MDA history had an increased mean functional impairment score (mean 15 points; 95% CI = 1.3–29.2) compared to children without MDA history. Following adjustment for maltreatment, no difference in impairment score was found. Conclusion: Although MDA history was associated with higher odds of neglect and abandonment, it was not associated with urban environments may confer a high risk of CME and functional impairment, irrespective of MDA history. Practice implications: In addition to maternal drug abuse, clinicians working with children need to identify other factors which could place the child at added risk for maltreatment. Further research is needed to better understand the role of adverse socio-environmental experiences on maltreatment and functional impairment in children. This study highlights the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to prevention and intervention programs needed to diminish adverse socio-environmental conditions prevalent in urban environments. (Publisher abstract)
Mothers who kill their offspring: testing evolutionary hypothesis in a 110-case Italian sample
- Authors:
- CAMPERIO Ciani Andrea S., FONTANESI Lilybeth
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(6), 2012, pp.519-527.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objectives: This research aimed to identify incidents of mothers in Italy killing their own children and to test an adaptive evolutionary hypothesis to explain their occurrence. Methods: 110 cases of mothers killing 123 of their own offspring from 1976 to 2010 were analysed. Each case was classified using 13 dichotomic variables. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed both for cases and variables, and significant differences between clusters were analysed. Results: The Italian sample of neonaticides (killings of children within the first day of life) was found to satisfy all evolutionary predictions for an evolved behavioral, emotional and motivational pattern to increase fitness, showing a consistent profile for offending mothers. Relatively young, poor women with no partner kill their offspring non-violently, either directly or through abandonment, and they attempt to conceal the body. These women have no psychopathologies and never attempt suicide after killing their children. All neonaticide cases fall in a single cluster that is distinct from all other offspring killings by mothers. Infanticide (killing of children within the first year of life) and filicide (killing of children after the first year of life) do not significantly differ according to any of the variables measured. The common profile of mothers who have committed infanticide or filicide includes psychopathology, suicide or attempted suicide after killing their children, violent killing of their victims, and no attempt to conceal the victims’ bodies. These results suggest that maternal infanticide and filicide represent an improper functioning of adaptation, and their profile are much more variable than those of neonaticide offenders. Conclusion: Our study confirms that only neonaticide is an adaptive reproductive disinvestment, possibly evolved in the remote past, to increase the biological fitness of the mother by eliminating an unwanted newborn and saving resources for future offspring born in better conditions. Neonaticide is shown to be clearly distinct from infanticide and filicide and therefore should be approached, prevented, and judged differently. (Publisher abstract)
Corporal punishment and youth externalizing behavior in Santiago, Chile
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(6), 2012, pp.481-490.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objectives: Corporal punishment is still widely practiced around the globe, despite the large body of child development research that substantiates its short- and long-term consequences. Within this context, this paper examined the relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and youth externalising behaviour with a Chilean sample to add to the growing empirical evidence concerning the potential relationship between increased corporal punishment and undesirable youth outcomes across cultures. Methods: Analysis was based on 919 adolescents in Santiago, Chile. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the extent to which parents’ use of corporal punishment and positive family measures were associated with youth externalising behaviour. Furthermore, the associations between self-reported externalising behaviour and infrequent, as well as frequent, use of corporal punishment were investigated to understand how varying levels of parental use of corporal punishment were differently related to youth outcomes. Results: Both mothers’ and fathers’ use of corporal punishment were associated with greater youth externalising behaviour. Additionally, increases in positive parenting practices, such as parental warmth and family involvement, were met with decreases in youth externalising behaviour when controlling for youth demographics, family socioeconomic status, and parents’ use of corporal punishment. Finally, both infrequent and frequent use of corporal punishment were positively associated with higher youth problem behaviours, though frequent corporal punishment had a stronger relationship with externalising behaviour than did infrequent corporal punishment. Conclusions: Parental use of corporal punishment, even on an occasional basis, is associated with greater externalising behaviour for youth while a warm and involving family environment may protect youth from serious problem behaviours. Therefore, findings of this study add to the growing evidence concerning the negative consequences of corporal punishment for youth outcomes. (Publisher abstract)
Psychological maltreatment in relation to substance use problem severity among youth
- Authors:
- ROSENKRANZ Susan E., MULLER Robert T., HENDERSON Joanna L.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(5), 2012, p.438–448.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objectives: Research has demonstrated that experiences of childhood maltreatment are prevalent in the life histories of youth with substance use problems; however, most of this research has focused on sexual or physical abuse. The purpose of the current study was to extend the scope of previous investigations to include psychological maltreatment experiences, examining the extent to which emotional abuse and emotional neglect predict substance use problem severity among youth. The current study also sought to examine whether a cumulative model fit the data, in which the experience of multiple forms of maltreatment would be related most strongly to severity of substance use problems, or whether there was a distinct effect of psychological maltreatment. Methods: Data were collected through self-report questionnaires from 216 youth (144 males, 72 females) entering an outpatient treatment programme for youth with substance use concerns. Results: Results indicated that, when considering all forms of abuse together, only emotional abuse and emotional neglect emerged as significant predictors of substance use problem severity. Furthermore, the association between psychological maltreatment and substance use problem severity was unaltered by the consideration of concurrent experiences of interpersonal violence. Conclusions: The results of the current study are consistent with those of a body of research describing the detrimental effects of psychological maltreatment. The findings have potential implications for the development and provision of trauma-informed youth substance use treatment services. The findings suggest that attending to the sequelae of psychological maltreatment may be important in assisting these youth in achieving successful treatment outcomes. (Publisher abstract)
Childhood trauma exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan war era veterans: Implications for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and adult functional social support
- Authors:
- van VORHEES Elizabeth E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(5), 2012, p.423–432.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objective: This study examined the relationship among childhood trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and adult social support in a large sample of veterans who served in the military after 09/11/2001, with a specific focus on the potential role of the PTSD avoidance and numbing cluster as intervening in the association between childhood abuse and adult functional social support. Method: Participants were 1,301 veterans and active duty soldiers who have served in the military since 09/11/2001; a subsample of these participants (n = 482) completed an inventory of current functional social support. Analyses included linear regression and nonparametric bootstrapping procedures. Results: After controlling for combat exposure, exposure to childhood trauma was associated with PTSD symptoms in adulthood. Further, PTSD symptoms, and particularly PTSD avoidance/numbing cluster symptoms, intervened in the relationship between childhood trauma and adult functional social support. Conclusions: Findings support the association of childhood trauma (both abuse related and other, non-abuse related trauma) with PTSD symptoms in military personnel and veterans, even after accounting for combat exposure. Additionally, the avoidance and numbing symptom cluster of childhood trauma-based PTSD may be particularly salient in compromising one's subsequent ability to garner functional social support in adulthood. (Publisher abstract)
Exploring the role of child sexual abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in gay and bisexual men reporting compulsive sexual behavior
- Authors:
- BLAIN Leah M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(5), 2012, p.413–422.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Objectives: Compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) is an impairing yet understudied clinical phenomenon. The experience of child sexual abuse (CSA) has been implicated as an etiological factor in the development of some cases of CSB (Kuzma & Black, 2008); however, research regarding the role of CSA and related psychopathology in CSB symptomatology has been limited in the literature. The present study aimed to examine the uniqueness of the association of CSA with CSB as compared to other experiences of child maltreatment; the role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in CSB symptoms for individuals reporting CSA; and clinical differences between individuals with and without histories of CSA. Methods: Hypotheses were tested using data from a sample of 182 gay and bisexual men reporting CSB symptoms. Results: CSA prevalence was high in the tested sample (39%). CSA severity was a unique predictor of CSB symptoms, above child physical and emotional abuse, and poly-victimisation status was not significantly related to CSB symptoms. Contrary to hypotheses, PTSD symptoms did not significantly mediate the role of CSA severity, although PTSD symptoms explained additional variance in CSB symptoms, with the final model accounting for over a quarter of the variance in CSB symptoms (27%). Finally, men with a history of CSA reported more CSB, depressive, and anxious symptoms than those without a history of CSA. Conclusions: Findings from the present study support the hypothesis that CSA may be uniquely related to CSB symptoms, above other forms of child maltreatment, and indicate that men with a CSA history are likely to present more severe clinical comorbidities. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed. (Publisher abstract)