Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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The effect of severe child sexual abuse and disclosure on mental health during adulthood
- Authors:
- O'LEARY Patrick, COOHEY Carol, EASTON Scott D.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 19(3), May 2010, pp.275-289.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between indicators of severe sexual abuse and mental health symptoms during adulthood and to determine whether telling someone the abuse had occurred during childhood moderates the relationship between severe abuse and mental health. A phone survey was conducted with 172 adults living in Victoria, Australia, who were sexually abused as children. The results suggested that disclosure of child sexual abuse during childhood may be important in understanding mental health symptoms during adulthood. Telling someone about the sexual abuse was related to a greater number of mental health symptoms, however discussing the sexual abuse within a year was related to fewer mental health symptoms. Regardless of whether the respondent told someone about the abuse or discussed it, three indicators of abuse severity were associated with more mental health symptoms: being injured, being abused by more than one person, and being abused by a biological relative. The authors discuss the study results and their implications.
Childhood adversities and adult psychopathology in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys
- Authors:
- Ronald C. Kessler, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 197(5), November 2010, pp.378-385.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The association between childhood adversity and adult mental problems is well known. To date, however, most research has focused on single childhood adversities predicting single disorders. This paper investigated joint associations of 12 childhood adversities with first onset of 20 DSM-IV disorders in World Mental Health (WMH) surveys in 21 countries. Surveys of 51,945 adults assessed childhood adversities and lifetime DSM-IV disorders with the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Findings revealed that childhood adversities associated with maladaptive family functioning, such as parental mental illness, child abuse, or neglect, were the strongest predictors of disorders. Co-occurring childhood adversities associated with maladaptive family functioning had significant predictive associations and little specificity across disorders. Childhood adversities were seen to account for almost 30% of all disorders across countries. The paper concluded that childhood adversities have strong associations with all classes of disorders at all life-course stages in all groups of WMH countries.
Psychiatric evaluation of sexual abuse cases: a clinical representative sample from Turkey
- Authors:
- FIS Nese Perdahli, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 32(10), October 2010, pp.1285-1290.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This research examined the characteristics of childhood sexual abuse cases referred for psychiatric evaluation in a university hospital in Turkey. Eighty three child sexual abuse cases referred between 2006 and 2010 were included. Findings indicated that two thirds of the victims were girls, and three quarters of the perpetrators were familiar. The most common type, 44%, of sexual abuse encountered was genital contact without penetration. All of the strangers were reported to legal authorities within 3 months whereas 77% were reported when offenders were familiar. Forty percent of the cases involving offending family members needed additional evaluation by social services, as opposed to 11% of cases with offenders who were not family members. Anxiety disorders and adjustment disorder were the most common psychiatric diagnoses. Family counselling for possible risk factors, child protection, and prevention of further abuse was provided for all cases. The authors concluded that the data was similar to western studies. Because of the significant impact on the victim, publishing data and emphasising the topic of child sexual abuse should help facilitate recognition and management of such cases.
Tonic immobility in childhood sexual abuse survivors and its relationship to posttraumatic stress symptomatology
- Author:
- HUMPHREYS Kathryn L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(2), February 2010, pp.358-373.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Although research has thus far focused on the role of peritraumatic dissociation and fear in the development of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), research has also shown that another set of peritraumatic responses may be related to PTSD. Past research shows that 37% to 52% of sexual assault survivors reported experiencing a set of peritraumatic responses, which include gross motor inhibition, analgesia, and fixed or unfocused staring - a response set closely resembling a set of unconditioned responses, collectively known as Tonic Immobility (TI). This study examined TI among childhood sexual abuse survivors and its relationship to PTSD symptomatology. 131 female college undergraduates participated in a questionnaire assessing their sexual abuse history, TI, and PTSD symptom severity. Results showed that TI partially mediated the relationship between peritraumatic fear and overall PTSD severity and completely mediated the relation between fear and the PTSD symptoms. Although peritraumatic fear is associated with TI, the mediation findings provided evidence for the perception that these responses are separate from one another. These results suggest that TI during childhood sexual abuse may play an important role in the subsequent PTSD symptomatology in adulthood. The authors conclude that the relationships discovered may provide useful information for therapists working with sexual abuse victims, leading to the inclusion of TI assessment as part of the clinical process.
Exploring coping factors amongst men who were sexually abused in childhood
- Authors:
- O'LEARY Patrick J., GOULD Nick
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 40(8), December 2010, pp.2669-2686.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Men who were sexually abused in childhood are overrepresented in mental health and other clinical populations. At the same time, a substantial number develop coping strategies that minimise the negative consequences of abuse. This study aimed to explore male victims’ long-term coping strategies, in order to better understand the nature of their coping and the variability in responses to childhood sexual abuse. The paper reports on one arm of a larger study of mental health outcomes for Australian men who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It presents findings from thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with 39 men, exploring how their coping mechanisms have developed and the nature of the advice for coping they would give to professionals or other survivors. The study found that coping strategies developed adaptively through the life course but clustered into 2 types: those that are concerned with forms of suppression and denial, which are associated with negative mental health outcomes; and those that involve reframing the abuse, which tend to be associated with more positive outcomes. Implications for practice are consistent with the advice suggested by the men themselves, that they were helped by consistent relationships with others who could provide practical support and inspire hope.
Psychopathology in a large cohort of sexually abused children followed up to 43 years
- Authors:
- CUTAJAR Margaret C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 34(11), November 2010, pp.813-822.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This long term prospective study examines the rate and risk of clinical and personality disorders in childhood and adulthood in individuals sexually abused as children. The forensic medical records of 2,759 sexually abused children living in Victoria, Australia and assessed between 1964 and 1995 were linked with a public psychiatric database between 12 and 43 years later. Control subjects for comparison, drawn at random from the general population, were matched by gender and age. A lifetime record of contact with public mental health services was found in 23.3% of cases compared to 7.7% of controls. The rate of contact among child sex abuse victims was 3.65 times higher. It was estimated that child sexual abuse accounted for approximately 7.83% of mental health contact. It increased risks for the majority of outcomes including psychosis, affective, anxiety, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Older age at sexual abuse and those exposed to more severe abuse were associated with greater risk for psychopathology. It is concluded that child sexual abuse is a substantial risk factor for a range of mental disorders in both childhood and adulthood.
Child abuse and autonomic nervous system hyporesponsivity among psychiatrically impaired children
- Authors:
- FORD Julian D., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 34(7), July 2010, pp.507-515.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This study was designed to assess the association of stress-related changes in autonomic nervous system activity with a history of either or both physical or sexual abuse among children and adolescents who briefly experienced a mildly painful non-interpersonal stressor (a routine blood draw). Documented incidents of abuse were recorded for the sample of 262 children at a residential treatment centre in Massachusetts serving high risk and seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. Changes in heart rate and blood pressure were assessed before and after the blood draw. The results suggested that a history of physical, but not sexual, abuse is associated with stressor-related autonomic nervous system down-regulation in psychiatrically impaired children, and that stressor-related autonomic hyporesponsivity secondary to physical abuse may contribute to the impairment of severely emotionally disturbed children.
Left behind by Laming
- Author:
- GARBODEN Molly
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 1.4.10, 2010, pp.18-19.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The second report from Lord Laming led to a number of new priorities for councils and other organisations involved in children's safeguarding. Concerns that these new priorities have led to the needs of other groups of vulnerable children being neglected are discussed. Children and young people who are at risk of sexual exploitation, children of mentally ill parents and disabled children are highlighted as at risk. Two short case studies are included.
Child mental health problems as risk factors for victimization
- Authors:
- TURNER Heather A., FINKELHOR David, ORMROD Richard
- Journal article citation:
- Child Maltreatment, 15(2), May 2010, pp.132-143.
- Publisher:
- Sage
While a great deal of previous research has focused on the negative effects of child victimisation, little research has been conducted to consider how mental health problems within children may influence their vulnerability to such victimisation. This study, using a national probability sample of 1,467 children aged 2 to 17 years from longitudinal data acquired through the Developmental Victimization Survey, investigated the effects of child internalising and externalising symptoms on increases in victimisation over a 1-year period. Results showed that children with higher levels of co-occurring internalising and externalising symptoms were more likely to have experienced increased exposure to several forms of victimisation, including peer victimisation, maltreatment, and sexual victimisation, when controlling for earlier victimisation and adversity. The relationship of symptoms to victimisation exposure differed across developmental stages. Findings indicated that elementary school children with high levels of symptoms were especially vulnerable to victimisation by peers, whereas distressed children in early adolescence were particularly vulnerable to sexual victimisation. Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence appear to represent important risk factors for increased victimisation. The authors suggest that future interventions might consider targeting children with co-occurring internalising and externalising symptoms during especially vulnerable developmental stages.
Gender differences in internalizing problems among sexually abused early adolescents
- Author:
- COOHEY Carol
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 34(11), November 2010, pp.856-862.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This study examined whether sexually abused adolescent boys or girls were more likely to have internalising behaviour scores in the clinical range. Having discovered that boys were more likely to exhibit an internalising behaviour problem, the author tested whether this relationship would persist after the following variables were taken into account: characteristics of the sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence, self-efficacy, and their peer and caregiver relationships. The study involved a sample of 127 girls and 31 boys, ages 11–14 obtained from a US national probability sample of children investigated by child protection services for child maltreatment. Sexually abused boys were shown to be more likely than girls to have an internalising behaviour problem in the clinical range even after controlling for the variables selected. Exposure to domestic violence, more severe sexual abuse, sexual abuse by a non-relative, and the amount of autonomy support provided by caregivers also increased the likelihood of an internalising problem. It is suggested that internalising symptoms warrant careful screening and assessment with sexually abused boys and girls who fall into these higher risk categories.