Child Sexual Abuse

The sexual abuse of children is not a new phenomenon, but the traumatic short- and long-term mental health consequences make it essential to study and, ultimately, prevent. The labels for child sexual abuse (CSA) vary and have changed over time, examples being “child sexual abuse,” “child sexual assault,” “child sexual exploitation” and “unwanted sexual experiences.” Each has slightly different meanings and implications. Researchers, practitioners, criminal justice personnel, and policymakers also differ on how to define other aspects of CSA (e.g., age of the child, age differential between child and offender, what acts constitute CSA [touch or penetration only, or non-touch such as exposure to pornography], and risk factors that may become targets of prevention strategies). Such definitional debates impact all aspects of studying the concept, such as examining prevalence, assessment, and clinical interventions. Whether the perpetrators are known to the child (true in the majority of cases) or are strangers affects the length of time that the child is victimized sexually and whether and how they disclose the abuse. The sexual abuse of boys, while a relatively small proportion of sexual victimizations, was not given the attention it warranted until relatively recently. Perpetrators are both males and females (an estimated 20 percent), but the type of CSA differs based on the sex of the offender. Special circumstances in which CSA occurs include the abuse of children in institutions and the CSA of children with disabilities. Disclosing CSA is difficult for many children and, rather than directly disclosing, many mention the abuse indirectly or much later on. Once disclosed, intervention typically consists of child protection services assessment and trauma-focused counseling. Child advocacy centers (CACs) have become the standard agencies to investigate and support CSA victims and non-offending family members. There are a number of ways to provide CSA prevention programs, such as media education, but the most common approach is educating children about the risks and teaching them strategies that may assist them in avoiding abusers or seeking assistance early on. The launch of the Internet has introduced new ways to sexually abuse children, with easier access to child pornography, abuse in real time, and trafficking children for commercial sexual exploitation.

Health associations for male survivors of unwanted and non-consensual sex

Literature has established that men with non-consensual sexual experiences exhibit a higher likelihood of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors; however, previous research does not explore men with unwanted sexual experiences, nor their sexual and general health outcomes. Weighted data from the 2011–2017 National Survey of Family Growth included men aged 18–49 years who ever experienced oral, vaginal, or anal sex by partners of any gender ( N = 10,763). The Pearson χ2 test compared the sociodemographic of men with or without a history of unwanted or non-consensual sex. Logistic regressions were used to examine the association of this history to sexual health and general health outcomes, while controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and education level. Approximately 1 in 10 (10.3%) American men reported experiencing unwanted or non-consensual sex in their lifetime. Men with these experiences were more likely to rate their health as fair or poor (a OR = 1.5, 95% CI = [1.1, 2.0]) and have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition (a OR = 2.1, 95% CI = [1.7, 2.7]). Men with forced sex experiences reported higher odds of gonorrhea (a OR = 5.4; 95% CI = [3.0, 10.0]) or chlamydia diagnoses (a OR = 2.5; 95% CI = [1.5, 4.4]) in the past year, and a diagnosis of genital herpes (a OR = 2.7; 95% CI = [1.6, 4.6]), genital warts (a OR = 1.7; 95% CI = [1.0, 5.6]), and syphilis (a OR = 2.4; 95% CI = [1.0, 5.6]) in their lifetime than men who did not report these experiences. The association of sexually transmitted infections and general health outcomes to unwanted and non-consensual sex validates the demand for clinicians to integrate trauma-informed care into their practice with male patients.

A true face of Indian married couples: Effect of age and education on control over own sexuality and sexual violence

Introduction Though there are several interventions evaluated over the past 25 years, significant knowledge gaps continue to exist regarding the effective prevention of sexual violence. This study explored the socio-economic and context-specific distinctive characteristics of husbands and wives on sexual autonomy and unwanted sexual experiences of currently married women in India. Methodology We have utilized the recent round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015–16) data for this exploration. The NFHS-4 survey had adopted a stratified two-stage sample design to reach out to the survey households. A total of 63,696 couples are included in the analysis comprising of women of 15–49 years age and men of 15–54 years age. Multivariate techniques have been applied to understand the adjusted effects of socio-economic and demographic variables on control over their sexuality and sexual violence. Results Uneducated women married to uneducated men experienced more sexual violence and had less control over their sexuality than the other categories. The adjusted multivariate logistic model shows that educated husbands were significantly more likely to exercise control over their educated wives’ sexuality (AOR = 0.88; CI:0.78–0.99). Women having older husbands were significantly less likely to be having no-control over own sexuality (AOR = 0.89; CI:0.83–0.95) and experienced sexual violence (AOR = 0.81; CI:0.70–0.95). Women having comparatively more-educated husbands were significantly less likely to experience sexual violence (AOR = 0.62; CI:0.47–0.81). Muslim women were significantly more likely to have no control overown sexuality. SC/ST women were significantly more likely to experience sexual violence (28%). Conclusions This study highlights the factors associated with control over one’s sexuality and preponderance to sexual violence: age, education, spouse working status, wealth status, husband’s alcohol consumption, women autonomy, decision-making, and freedom for mobility. This study suggests that empowering women with education, creating awareness regarding reproductive health, and addressing their socio-economic needs to help them achieve autonomy and derive decision-making power.

Alcohol-Related Risks for Slovene Secondary School Students on Graduation Trips: Ten Years Later

The purpose of the research was to study the characteristics of risky alcohol use and alcohol-related risky behaviour of Slovene secondary school students attending graduation trips in the period of ten years (in 2007 and in 2017). We used the questionnaire from the first research study which we modified with questions addressing sexual behaviour of adolescents. The final sample included 371 students of the last years of secondary school (44.9% of boys and 55.1% of girls, the mean age was 17.8 years) attending graduation trips. The sample was unrepresentative and based on self-selection. Both research studies gave comparable results in the categories of alcohol use and risky alcohol use before the trip. The most notable increase was seen in the categories of lifetime prevalence and frequency of use of marijuana. The most common alcohol-related risks remain property damage, accidents, and issues arising from relations with friends. In addition to that, the following categories stand out: sharing embarrassing photos via social media, establishing sexual contacts which would not take place if sober, and unwanted sexual experiences. Almost half of them consumed alcohol before the last sexual intercourse. In the last decade, graduation trips have retained the status of specific environments, in which, compared with the period before the trip, the use of alcohol is characterised by greater risks for a higher percentage of adolescents. Given the results, the recommendations focus on interventions aimed at reducing specific risks related to the use of alcohol on graduation trips.

Undergraduates’ Disclosures of Unwanted Sexual Experiences: Who, Why, and When?

This study evaluated patterns of sexual assault disclosures as well as the response and impact of that response on assault survivors. The sample consisted of 217 undergraduates with a history of sexual assault (89.5% female, 76.5% Caucasian). Participants reported the order in which they disclosed and the nature and impact of the response they received. Results indicated that the majority of participants told close peers first and perceived the first response to be supportive. These findings are encouraging but also demonstrate the need for improving the response that an assault survivor receives.