Journal Of Child Sexual Abuse[JOURNAL]
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200 papers
Child Sexual Abuse Victimization Amongst Detained Adolescents and Incarcerated Young Adults: Findings from an Australian Population-Based Birth Cohort Study.
Thomsen L, Thompson C, Ogilvie J … +4 more , McKillop N, Hurren E, Molnar T, Allard T
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 May · PMID 38715349 · Publisher ↗
To guide prevention and intervention efforts, the prevalence and impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) victimization among detained and incarcerated populations requires further examination, particularly with consideration...
To guide prevention and intervention efforts, the prevalence and impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) victimization among detained and incarcerated populations requires further examination, particularly with consideration of multi-type maltreatment experiences and sex-based variations. This longitudinal population-based study explores these relationships in an Australian birth cohort comprising all individuals born in Queensland in 1983 and 1984 ( = 82,409; 48.68% female). Data include all notified and substantiated harm(s) from child protection services (0 to 17 years), and sentences to youth detention and/or adult incarceration between ages 10 and 30. Findings indicate greater prevalence of CSA amongst detained/incarcerated individuals compared to the general population but emphasize the impact of cooccurring maltreatment (particularly neglect) on the likelihood of custodial outcomes. Important sex-based differences were noted in the intersection of CSA victimization and detention/incarceration. Findings reinforce the need for trauma-informed practices when working with custodial populations, particularly females, and highlight opportunities for prevention of detention/incarceration in at-risk populations, in line with a broader public health approach to child protection.
Child Sexual Abuse within the Catholic Church in Spain: A Descriptive Analysis of its Characteristics and Long-Term Impact.
Pereda N, Tamarit JM, Bartolomé-Valenzuela M
J Child Sex Abus · 2025 · PMID 38711322 · Publisher ↗
Sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is a serious social issue and a significant public health problem that has caused extensive harm worldwide. In 2022, an independent commission was established in Spain to investiga...
Sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is a serious social issue and a significant public health problem that has caused extensive harm worldwide. In 2022, an independent commission was established in Spain to investigate sexual abuse within the Church. The commission gathered data from 334 victims (82.3% men, 17.7% women), who were predominantly aged between 55 and 74 years old (62.5%). A majority of victims (71.0%) endured sexual abuse involving physical contact, while 21% reported instances of oral, anal, or vaginal penetration. Over half of the victims (57.5%) reported emotional and behavioral issues, as well as functional problems, problems in relationships, sexuality, and cognition, and attributed these difficulties to the abuse. The majority of participants (79.0%) had disclosed the abuse before the study, with the Church taking action in 45.8% of cases. Approximately 8.4% of victims reported the perpetrator was relocated, while 16.2% described institutional efforts to conceal the abuse. In conclusion, victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Spain faced consequences that had a significant impact on their lives, exacerbated by lack of societal recognition and a prevalent dynamic of cover-up and concealment by the Church.
Gender Differences in the Characterization of Child Sexual Abuse.
García-Montoliu C, Ballester-Arnal R, Nebot-Garcia JE … +1 more , Ruiz-Palomino E
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Apr · PMID 38618949 · Publisher ↗
Research on child sexual abuse (CSA) has increased in recent decades. However, the study of gender differences in this field is still scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in the characterization o...
Research on child sexual abuse (CSA) has increased in recent decades. However, the study of gender differences in this field is still scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in the characterization of CSA between Spanish adult men and women. The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire was administered to 162 cisgender victims of CSA aged 18-63. Most of the abuses involved physical contact and were committed by a known person. Twenty percent of the victims indicated that they had developed a mental health problem that they believed was due to the CSA experience. Women suffered more CSA with physical contact and penetration, more types of abuse and more abuse by men, and were abused more frequently by a family member. Compared to women, men suffered more sexual abuse by women. Exploring gender differences in CSA could help to improve preventive strategies and interventions aimed at reducing the occurrence of this type of abuse and sequelae resulting from it.
Determinants of Referral Outcomes for Victim-Survivors Accessing Specialist Sexual Violence and Abuse Support Services.
Bunce A, Blom N, Capelas Barbosa E
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Apr · PMID 38613828 · Publisher ↗
Sexual violence and abuse (SVA) is highly prevalent globally, has devastating and wide-ranging effects on victim-survivors, and demands the provision of accessible specialist support services. In the UK, Rape Crisis Engl...
Sexual violence and abuse (SVA) is highly prevalent globally, has devastating and wide-ranging effects on victim-survivors, and demands the provision of accessible specialist support services. In the UK, Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW), a voluntary third sector organization, is the main provider of specialist SVA services. Understanding the profile of victim-survivors who are referred to RCEW and their referral outcomes is important for the effective allocation of services. Using administrative data collected by three Rape Crisis Centres in England between April 2016 and March 2020, this study used multinomial regression analysis to examine the determinants of victim-survivors' referral outcomes, controlling for a wide range of potentially confounding variables. The findings demonstrate that support needs, more so than the type of abuse experienced, predicted whether victim-survivors were engaged with services. Particularly, the presence of mental health, substance misuse and social, emotional, and behavioral needs were important for referral outcomes. The referral source also influenced referral outcomes, and there were some differences according to demographic characteristics and socioeconomic factors. The research was co-produced with stakeholders from RCEW, who informed interpretation of these findings. That victim-survivors' engagement with services was determined by their support needs, over and above demographic characteristics or the type of abuse they had experienced, demonstrates the needs-led approach to service provision adopted by RCEW, whereby resources are allocated effectively to those who need them most.
Community-Level Factors As Positive and Negative Correlates of Sexual Aggression Perpetration Among Adolescent Boys.
Huntington C, DeJong W, Reidy DE … +1 more , Orchowski LM
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Apr · PMID 38605491 · Publisher ↗
Often, perpetrators of sexual violence first aggress in their teens. Presently, very little is known about environmental factors that may influence adolescents' engagement in sexual aggression. Drawing upon data collecte...
Often, perpetrators of sexual violence first aggress in their teens. Presently, very little is known about environmental factors that may influence adolescents' engagement in sexual aggression. Drawing upon data collected at 27 high schools in the Northeast United States, this study is the first to test the association between community-level factors and male adolescents' sexual aggression. A series of backward linear regressions determined that 10 of 19 community variables were associated with males' sexual aggression, which were then used to generate a ratio of positive to negative correlates of sexual aggression for each high school. In multilevel analyzes, as hypothesized, the ratio of positive to negative correlates was positively associated with schools' sexual aggression perpetration rates. We discuss the study's implications for future sexual assault research and prevention interventions.
Correction.
J Child Sex Abus · 2025 Jan · PMID 38577815 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
What is Known About the Magnitude, Trend, and Risk for Child Sexual Abuse and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the United States?
Rezey ML, DiMeglio M
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Aug · PMID 38481360 · Publisher ↗
Many nationally representative datasets are available for assessing the magnitude, trend, and risk for child sexual victimization in the United States. Unfortunately, the disaggregation of sexual violence into more speci...
Many nationally representative datasets are available for assessing the magnitude, trend, and risk for child sexual victimization in the United States. Unfortunately, the disaggregation of sexual violence into more specific sex crimes and the reliable measurement of these specific acts are often avoided by researchers due to the methodological limitations of victimization data. For example, previous scholars have successfully measured the strength of the relationship between the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and child sexual abuse (CSA) within their respective samples; however, little is known about the extent to which CSEC occurs in the larger U.S. population, irrespective of past CSA. This study presents new analyses of publicly available representative data on the incidence, trend, and risk for CSA and CSEC independent of one another. We find that significantly more is known about CSA than CSEC. In addition, while victims of CSA and CSEC share many risk factors, CSA is far more common than CSEC, and their trends are going in different directions. We find that rates of CSA and CSEC are often derived from data with significant methodological limitations, such as administrative datasets that are limited to only victimizations reported to governmental agencies or representative surveys that measure the incidence/prevalence in one year alone, not repeatedly as required to assess trends. We fill in some of the gaps existing in our analyses with a review of other studies examining CSA and CSEC, as well as discuss future directions in research that researchers and child welfare practitioners should consider.
How Risky is Online Sexting by Minors?
Finkelhor D, Sutton S, Turner H … +1 more , Colburn D
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Feb · PMID 38459672 · Publisher ↗
What proportion of minors who engage in sexting find themselves involved in an episode of image abuse? The data come from a US nationally representative sample of 2639 respondents aged 18-28 reporting about experiences b...
What proportion of minors who engage in sexting find themselves involved in an episode of image abuse? The data come from a US nationally representative sample of 2639 respondents aged 18-28 reporting about experiences before the age of 18, of whom 23% had engaged in sexting as minors. Among those who sexted the rate of image abuse was 37%, a risk ratio of 13.2 compared to those who did not engage in sexting. For females who sexted the victimization rate was particularly high, but sexting increased risk for females and males. Among the minors who only sexted occasionally (vs those who sexted frequently) the rate of abuse was still high (35%) and the reduction in risk modest. When we controlled for other background and demographic risk factors like adversities and prior sexual abuse, it did not substantially reduce the large risk entailed with sexting. Various harm reduction strategies may be needed to supplement messages about dangers and risks.
PTSD Symptoms Among College Students: Linkages with Familial Risk, Borderline Personality, and Sexual Assault.
Tyler KA, Ray CM
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Feb · PMID 38456682 · Full text
College students have high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as high rates of sexual assault. What is less clear, however, is whether different sexual assault types (e.g. coercive, physicall...
College students have high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as high rates of sexual assault. What is less clear, however, is whether different sexual assault types (e.g. coercive, physically forced, and incapacitation) are associated with greater PTSD symptoms. Moreover, understanding early familial and mental health histories of college students is important for explaining PTSD symptoms. As such, we use a social stress framework to examine the relationships between early familial risk (i.e. child abuse, perceived maternal rejection), borderline personality (BP) symptoms, and three sexual assault types with PTSD symptoms among college students. A total of 783 undergraduate students (65.4% female) completed paper and pencil surveys in fall 2019 and spring 2020 at a large public university. Results revealed that females were more likely to experience child sexual abuse and all three forms of sexual assault, while males experienced higher rates of child physical abuse. OLS regression results showed positive associations between child sexual abuse, perceived maternal rejection, BP symptoms and all three types of sexual assault with PTSD symptoms. Females also experienced more PTSD symptoms compared to males. Findings have implications for targeted interventions to improve mental health outcomes.
The Sexual Grooming Behaviors of Youth Who Engage in Harmful Sexual Behaviors.
Jeglic EL, Winters GM, Steedman LA
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Apr · PMID 38402629 · Publisher ↗
Little is known about the extent to which youths who commit harmful sexual behaviors (HSBs) against another minor utilize sexual grooming during the offense process. This study examined sexual grooming behaviors reported...
Little is known about the extent to which youths who commit harmful sexual behaviors (HSBs) against another minor utilize sexual grooming during the offense process. This study examined sexual grooming behaviors reported by adults ( = 250) who experienced HSBs by another minor during their childhood. Participants completed a self-report survey which included the Sexual Grooming Scale - Victim Version (SGS-V). The results showed that most participants ( = 242; 96.9%) reported at least one sexual grooming behavior, with an average of 11.3 behaviors reported. These findings will be discussed as they pertain to the identification and prevention of HSBs among youth.
Feasibility Trial of a Newly Developed Brief Psychological Trauma Intervention for Children Surviving Sexual Abuse in India.
Choudhary V, Satapathy S, Sagar R
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Feb · PMID 38389272 · Publisher ↗
Given the alarming increase in incidences of child sexual abuse (CSA), the present study was conceived to conduct a feasibility trial for a brief CSA-focused cognitive-behavioral intervention for children. A quasi-experi...
Given the alarming increase in incidences of child sexual abuse (CSA), the present study was conceived to conduct a feasibility trial for a brief CSA-focused cognitive-behavioral intervention for children. A quasi-experimental single-group pre-post design with convenient sampling was adopted. The intervention module was administered to 20 children aged 7-13 years ( = 10.4, = 1.3) with a CSA history. The intervention was spread across a minimum of six required sessions and a maximum of 12 sessions held weekly for approximately 90 to 120 minutes' duration to restore the child's functioning and to assist the child in processing and managing trauma effectively along with initiating the process of growth. Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS), Children's Impact of Events Scale-13 (CRIES-13), Developmental Psychopathology Checklist (DPCL), Multidimensional Scale for Child Sexual Abuse (MSCSA) and Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) were used to measure the impact of the intervention on the children. Estimation of improvement was done using Wilcoxon signed rank test, effect size and subjective feedback from children. Feasibility assessment was done across five parameters: recruitment, data collection, attrition, adherence and improvement. We found that the intervention led to significant improvement in scores of all scales with a large effect size of .50 for MSCSA and CRIES-13 and medium effect size for CGAS, CRIES-13 (Intrusion & Avoidance), CPSS, and DPCL. Feasibility was estimated to be high across all five parameters of the assessment. Thus, the newly developed intervention was found to be helpful in restoring the child's functioning, and assisting the child in processing, and managing trauma effectively.
Pranks, Obscene Chatters, and Ambiguous Content: Exploring the Identification and Navigation of Inappropriate Messages to a Web-Based Sexual Assault Hotline.
Nason JA, Moylan CA, Nelson A … +3 more , Munro-Kramer ML, Fedewa T, Campbell R
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Feb · PMID 38358248 · Publisher ↗
Sexual assault crisis hotlines provide crucial support for survivors. Though some hotline users engage in inappropriate conduct (e.g. prank or obscene calls), few studies explore these interactions. To address the lack o...
Sexual assault crisis hotlines provide crucial support for survivors. Though some hotline users engage in inappropriate conduct (e.g. prank or obscene calls), few studies explore these interactions. To address the lack of literature exploring inappropriate hotline interactions, we conducted a secondary data analysis of chat transcripts ( = 233) shared with the research team as part of the formative evaluation of a university-based sexual assault program's web-based crisis hotline. From those transcripts, we analyzed potentially inappropriate interactions ( = 38), most of which ( = 28) hotline responders flagged as inappropriate in post-chat log forms. We used codebook thematic analysis to explore how hotline responders identified and navigated these interactions. Our analysis generated three themes describing the processes through which responders seemed to identify potentially inappropriate chats - detecting implausibly graphic and abusive content, identifying patterns of presumably inauthentic chat topics, and interpreting ambiguous content. Hotline responders seemed to navigate ambiguous and less egregious boundary violations by gently redirecting conversations, and addressed clearer violations by setting firm, direct boundaries. Chatters responded to boundary setting by desisting and disconnecting or attempting to reengage responders. Findings highlight ambiguities and challenges web-based sexual assault hotline responders face and suggest a need for additional responder support, training, and debriefing options.
Relationship Between Sexual Abuse and Substance Use Among Students from Caribbean Colombian.
Caballero-Dominguez CC, Campo-Arias A, Jiménez-Villamizar MP
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Feb · PMID 38351595 · Publisher ↗
Sexual abuse is a public health problem due to its negative impact on physical and mental health. This study aimed to determine the association between sexual abuse and the use of psychoactive substances among high-schoo...
Sexual abuse is a public health problem due to its negative impact on physical and mental health. This study aimed to determine the association between sexual abuse and the use of psychoactive substances among high-school adolescents in Colombia. A cross-sectional analytical study was designed in which tenth and eleventh-grade students were included. Overall, a history of sexual abuse was explored with the Trauma Symptom Checklist, and lifetime substance use was assessed with the United States Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior Questionnaire. The prevalence of sexual abuse was 17.4%, lifetime alcohol use was 77.4%, cigarette 22.4%, cannabis 11.6%, cocaine 2.7%, and other substances 5.1%. History of sexual abuse was associated with alcohol use (OR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.10-2.30), cigarette (OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.51-2.85), cannabis (OR = 2.43, 95% CI 1.66-3.56), cocaine (OR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.25-5.04) and use of other substances (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.31-4.13). The history of sexual abuse is related to the use of substances in high school adolescents in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. More studies are needed to identify the impact of sexual abuse on short-term and lifelong mental health.
Associations Among Online Social Reactions to Disclosure of Sexual Victimization, Coping and Social Isolation.
Bhuptani PH, López G, Peterson R … +1 more , Orchowski LM
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Feb · PMID 38339999 · Full text
Social reactions to the disclosure of sexual victimization are critical to post-assault recovery. The popular social media hashtag "#MeToo" resulted in numerous survivors of sexual victimization disclosing their experien...
Social reactions to the disclosure of sexual victimization are critical to post-assault recovery. The popular social media hashtag "#MeToo" resulted in numerous survivors of sexual victimization disclosing their experience online. Whereas previous research has examined the association between social reactions to of sexual victimization and factors commonly associated with adjustment among survivors - such as coping and social support - research is needed to examine correlates of social reactions to of sexual victimization. Accordingly, the current study investigated the relationship between online social reactions to the disclosure of sexual victimization via #MeToo and engagement in various coping strategies (problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping) and social isolation among a sample of 195 adults with a history of sexual victimization. Results indicated that the provision of online resources was associated with lower use of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. Receipt of online emotional and informational support was associated with increased use of emotion-focused coping strategies. Further, receipt of online social reactions that turned against the survivor and receipt of online social reactions that "made fun of you, insulted you, or said something to hurt you" were associated with higher levels of social isolation. Lastly, online unsupportive acknowledgment and "sharing your tweet with other people" were associated with lower levels of social isolation. Results highlight how online social reactions to disclosure of sexual victimization via #MeToo intersect with coping and social support among survivors of sexual victimization and help to give context to the experience of online disclosure of sexual victimization.
The Relationship Between Childhood Abuse and Unintended Pregnancy Among Married Women of Reproductive Age in Bangladesh.
Islam MJ
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Feb · PMID 38326755 · Publisher ↗
Childhood abuse has been associated with adverse medical, psychological, behavioral, and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. Despite this, limited research explores the connection between childhood abuse and unintended...
Childhood abuse has been associated with adverse medical, psychological, behavioral, and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. Despite this, limited research explores the connection between childhood abuse and unintended pregnancy during adulthood. Notably, existing studies have predominantly focused on high-income countries, leaving a significant gap regarding low- and middle-income nations. This study aims to investigate the impact of childhood physical, sexual, and psychological abuse on the prevalence of unintended pregnancies and explore the interaction effects of childhood abuse on unintended pregnancy occurrences. The cross-sectional survey study was conducted between October 2015 and January 2016 in the Chandpur District of Bangladesh. Data were collected from 426 married women aged 15-49 years who had at least one child of six months or younger. The assessment of child abuse pertains to the mother's own experiences of childhood abuse and not abuse inflicted on her child. The prevalence of childhood physical, psychological, and sexual abuse was 37%, 26%, and 15%, respectively. About 25.1% of their most recent pregnancies were unintended. Notably, women with a history of childhood sexual abuse were twice as likely to experience unintended pregnancy compared to those without such a history. Furthermore, a dose-response connection was observed between the combined exposure of all categories of childhood abuse and a higher risk of unintended pregnancy. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, such as comprehensive sex education, accessible mental health support, and improved child protection frameworks, to address the potential repercussions of maternal childhood abuse and reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancies.
Exploring the Meanings of Posttraumatic Growth in Spanish Survivors of Clergy-Perpetrated Child Sexual Abuse: A Phenomenological Approach.
Sicilia L, Capella C, Barrios M … +1 more , Pereda N
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 · PMID 38229267 · Publisher ↗
A healing and recovery perspective related to child sexual abuse (CSA) has gained attention in the past two decades, a concept that accurately refers to the process is posttraumatic growth (PTG). Scarce empirical researc...
A healing and recovery perspective related to child sexual abuse (CSA) has gained attention in the past two decades, a concept that accurately refers to the process is posttraumatic growth (PTG). Scarce empirical research on PTG in clergy-perpetrated CSA survivors shows evidence of the presence of growth after the abusive experience and a tendency to create accounts of trauma as a way to heal. The general aim of the study is to explore the experiences and meanings of PTG as lived by survivors of clergy-perpetrated CSA. Seven clergy-perpetrated CSA survivors were interviewed with semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in person. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three dominant themes in the participants' stories: (a) the hindering of PTG; (b) the meanings of PTG, and (c) the internal and contextual and facilitators of PTG. The present study brings new insights into the meanings of PTG, the close relationship between damage and growth, and the mechanisms (both internal and contextual) that are involved in healing from clergy-perpetrated CSA in Spanish culture.
Child Sexual Abuse in the United States: A Commentary on Current Policy Approaches to Prevention and Aspirations for the Future.
Helpingstine CE, Murphy CA, Bernier J … +2 more , Crane K, Klika JB
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 Oct · PMID 38193750 · Publisher ↗
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant threat to the health and well-being of children in the United States (US). Public policies are a key public health strategy for the primary prevention of violence, including CSA....
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant threat to the health and well-being of children in the United States (US). Public policies are a key public health strategy for the primary prevention of violence, including CSA. In 2021, the Enough Abuse Campaign and Prevent Child Abuse America published a comprehensive report entitled to encourage state leaders to create a comprehensive strategy to prevent CSA in the US. Findings from the report show that the nation has made some effort to address CSA, but more focus needs to be given to primary prevention strategies that stop it from occurring in the first place. The report also illustrates the variability of CSA prevention policies across the US and highlights critical gaps in current approaches that must be addressed. In the spirit of the special issue, the authors reflect on key policy issues in the field, including the lack of a federal policy framework for CSA prevention, dedicated funding for the prevention of CSA, and research on the effectiveness of policies intended to prevent CSA. Suggestions for future directions in relation to policy development provided in this commentary will be useful to a variety of stakeholders interested in the topic of CSA prevention policy.
Factors Related to General Sexual Behavior of Children Under 10 Years Old in Korea.
Choi JY, Hyunmi K
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 · PMID 38160444 · Publisher ↗
The risk factors for intrusive or problematic sexual behavior in a specific population, including abused or clinically referred children, have been occasionally explored. However, sexual behaviors broadly in the general...
The risk factors for intrusive or problematic sexual behavior in a specific population, including abused or clinically referred children, have been occasionally explored. However, sexual behaviors broadly in the general population have not been investigated. This study aimed to determine whether child characteristics, exposure to trauma, family factors, and exposure to sexuality, which were proposed as predictors of sexual behavior problems in previous studies, significantly affected the general sexual behaviors of children under 10 years in the Korean population. The parents of 652 children aged 3-9 years in a Korean community completed questionnaires, including the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory, the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist, Trauma Symptom for Young Children, the Korean version of the Family Inventory of Life and Change, the Dysfunctional Parenting Scale, and exposure to trauma and sexuality. Regression analysis indicated that children's age, externalizing behavior problems, post-traumatic symptoms, exposure to trauma, and exposure to sexuality were significant predictors of overall sexual behaviors. Therefore, it may be helpful to explore trauma and exposure to sexuality even to understand a child's general sexual behavior. In addition, psychoeducation can help parents monitor and reset family boundaries and sexual exposure that can affect children's sexual behavior.
Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan: A Phenomenological Study on Parental Understanding and Prevention Strategies for Child Protection.
Khan MA, Kamal E, Nisar R … +2 more , Batool S, Faisal I
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 · PMID 38073238 · Publisher ↗
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is widespread and pervasive in Pakistan, presenting a significant threat to a child's physical health, psychological well-being, and overall development. This study aimed to empirically substanti...
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is widespread and pervasive in Pakistan, presenting a significant threat to a child's physical health, psychological well-being, and overall development. This study aimed to empirically substantiate the understanding of parents regarding CSA and their utilized preventive strategies. The study utilized Social Ecological Theory to gain a deeper comprehension of the phenomenon. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 parents from Islamabad capital city, using a qualitative phenomenological research approach along with thematic analysis. Results reveal that most of the parents were highly aware of the most common aspects of sexual assault and molestation, but they were unaware of the more manipulative subtle forms such as "grooming." Additionally, they had a limited understanding of the long-term consequences of sexual abuse. While many parents knew about the option of involving the police in cases of abuse, they were unaware of helpline services and the availability of psychological support. In terms of prevention, most parents employed an integrated approach involving various preventive measures, such as educating their children about appropriate and inappropriate touch. These findings underscore the importance of implementing public-focused initiatives and community-based programs to enhance parental awareness, knowledge, and capabilities in preventing CSA in Pakistan.
It's More Than a Matter of Trust: What Parents and Young Children Need to Know to Prevent Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse.
Innes SL, Rayment-McHugh S
J Child Sex Abus · 2024 · PMID 38051095 · Publisher ↗
Programs aimed at preventing child sexual abuse typically focus on skilling up young children and, to a lesser extent, parents by imparting a range of protective messages. Many sexual abuse prevention programs include a...
Programs aimed at preventing child sexual abuse typically focus on skilling up young children and, to a lesser extent, parents by imparting a range of protective messages. Many sexual abuse prevention programs include a focus on identifying or vetting "safe" or "trustworthy" people. The authors qualitatively analyzed the content of narratives from individuals with childhood experience of intrafamilial sexual abuse, an under-represented voice in the development of child sexual abuse prevention programs. The analysis of impediments to protection indicated that, within the family context, reductionistic judgments of familiar individuals' perceived safety or trustworthiness impaired child safety. In addition to adults and children being unable to recognize sexually abusive behavior and warning signs, child-victim survivor narratives highlighted the barriers for prevention in family environments characterized by maltreatment, a lack of child rights or that were unsupported by external authorities. Implications for the content of messages young children and their parents need to prevent child sexual victimization in the context of everyday family life are discussed.
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