"Like A Mouse Pursued By the Snake": A Qualitative Metasynthesis on the Experiences of Revictimization Among Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Partner Violence.

A metasynthesis was performed on 15 qualitative studies to document the experience of revictimization by an intimate partner among women, based on survivors' perspectives on their sustained childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence victimization. Results identified two main conceptual categories: (a) Barriers to action: A belief system reflecting learned helplessness that hinders women's abilities to protect themselves and prevent further abuses, and (b) Broken internal compass: Cognitive elements blurring women's risk evaluation capacities and reference points limiting their ability to break the cycle of revictimization. These findings support the need to examine cognitive distortions and false beliefs in intervention practices and suggest valuable guidelines for practitioners. As the responsibility for violence always lies with the perpetrator, this study should not be interpreted as blaming women for their victimization, but instead, as a way to give women a voice about their experiences and give them a sense of power in the prevention of violence.

Who seeks sex therapy? Sexual dysfunction prevalence and correlates, and help-seeking among clinical and community samples.

Sexual dysfunctions (SD; e.g., female sexual interest/arousal disorder, erectile disorder, female orgasmic disorder, delayed ejaculation, genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder, etc.) affect up to a third of individuals, impairing sexuality, intimate relationships, and mental health. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of SDs and their sexual, relational, and psychological correlates between a sample of adults consulting in sex therapy (n = 963) and a community-based sample (n = 1,891), as well as examine barriers to sexual health services for SD and the characteristics of individuals seeking such services. Participants completed an online survey. Analyses showed that participants in the clinical sample reported lower levels of sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction and higher levels of psychological distress than participants in the community-based sample. Moreover, higher SD rates were related to lower relational satisfaction and higher psychological distress in the community sample, and to lower sexual satisfaction in both samples. Among participants in the community sample who sought professional services for SD, 39.6% reported that they were unable to access services, and 58.7% reported at least one barrier to receiving help. This study provides important data regarding the prevalence of SD and the link between SD and psychosexual health in clinical and nonclinical samples, as well as barriers to treatment access.

Who am I as a Sexual Being? The Role of Sexual Self-Concept Between Dispositional Mindfulness and Sexual Satisfaction among Child Sexual Abuse Survivors.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with long-lasting and pervasive impacts on survivors' sexual health, particularly on their sexual satisfaction. Dispositional mindfulness has been found to be associated with greater sexual satisfaction among adult CSA survivors. However, the mechanisms involved in this association remain understudied. The present study examined the role of sexual self-concept (i.e., sexual esteem, sexual preoccupation, and sexual depression) in the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and sexual satisfaction among CSA survivors. A total of 176 adult CSA survivors (60.6% women, 39.4% men) completed an online survey assessing dispositional mindfulness, sexual self-concept, and sexual satisfaction. Path analyses revealed that dispositional mindfulness was positively related to sexual satisfaction through a significant indirect effect of higher sexual esteem and lower sexual depression. The integrative model explained 66.5% of the variance in sexual satisfaction. These findings highlight the key roles that dispositional mindfulness and sexual self-concept play in CSA survivors' sexual satisfaction. Implications for interventions based on trauma-sensitive mindfulness targeting the sexual self-concept are discussed, as they may promote sexual satisfaction in adult CSA survivors.

A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis of Childhood Interpersonal Trauma and Dispositional Mindfulness: Heterogeneity of Sexual and Relational Outcomes in Adulthood.

The current mixed-method study aimed to 1) identify different childhood interpersonal trauma (CIT) and dispositional mindfulness (DM) profiles in an adult sample; 2) illustrate these profiles with qualitative data documenting childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and CIT survivors' perceptions of their own DM; and 3) examine profile differences on sexual and relational outcomes. Participants were 292 adults who completed an online questionnaire. A subsample of participants having reported a history of CSA (n = 51) also completed semi-structured interviews. Hierarchical cluster, comparison, and content analyses were performed. Analyses yielded three profiles: 1) Lower victimization, high mindfulness; 2) Psychological victimization, low mindfulness; and 3) Multi-victimization, low mindfulness. Participants in profile 1 presented the lowest frequency of CIT experiences and the highest levels of DM and sexual and relational well-being. Profile 2 participants presented higher sexual and relational well-being (i.e., higher sexual satisfaction, lower sexual depression, and fewer interpersonal conflicts) than those in profile 3. By documenting distinct CIT and DM profiles and tying them to different levels of relational and sexual well-being, this study could guide practitioners in designing tailored interventions.

Insecure Attachment and Sexual Satisfaction: A Path Analysis Model Integrating Sexual Mindfulness, Sexual Anxiety, and Sexual Self-Esteem.

This study examines the intermediary role of three variables (sexual mindfulness, sexual anxiety, and sexual self-esteem) in a path analysis model to explain the association between insecure attachment and sexual satisfaction. A community sample of 543 adults completed an online survey. Results supported our hypothesized integrative model, which explained 44.1% of the variance in sexual satisfaction and presented satisfactory fit indices. This study suggests that the association between attachment insecurities and lower sexual satisfaction could be partially explained by a proximal association with lower sexual mindfulness, which emphasizes the relevance of examining sexual mindfulness during the screening and treatment of people presenting low sexual satisfaction.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2021.2011808 .

Psychological Intimate Partner Violence and Childhood Cumulative Trauma: The Mediating Role of Affect Dysregulation, Maladaptive Personality Traits, and Negative Urgency.

The current study examined the mediating role of affect dysregulation, maladaptive personality traits, and negative urgency in the association between childhood cumulative trauma (CCT) and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV). A total of 241 men and women from the general population answered self-report questionnaires assessing these variables. Results indicated that 70% of participants reported at least two different types of childhood trauma, while, over the past year, 80% indicated having perpetrated or experienced psychological IPV. Path analyses of a sequential mediation model confirmed that the CCT-IPV association is explained by affect dysregulation, maladaptive personality traits, and negative urgency. These findings support the need to assess affect regulation and personality traits in CCT survivors. Psychosocial interventions should aim to increase self-soothing skills and decrease negative urgency to prevent psychological IPV.

A Longitudinal Study of Suicidal Ideation in Sexually Abused Adolescent Girls: Depressive Symptoms and Affect Dysregulation as Predictors.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with many repercussions on adolescents' mental health, including suicidal ideation. Yet, the mechanisms linking CSA to adverse outcomes have rarely been investigated within a longitudinal design. The current study aimed to examine the role of affect dysregulation in the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation 1year after the first assessment in a sample of 119 sexually abused adolescent girls. An integrative mediational model was conceptualized to examine the explicatory role of affect dysregulation (Time 2) in the association between depressive symptoms (Time 1) and suicidal ideation (Time 3). Approximately 31% of the girls reported suicidal ideation at Time 3. Path analysis with logistic regressions revealed that the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation presence was partly explained by affect dysregulation, which increased the risk of suicidal ideation presence by 18.4%, OR = 1.18, 95% CI [1.07, 1.33]. The integrative model explained 21.5% of the variance in suicidal ideation. These findings identify potential predictors of suicidal ideation among sexually abused adolescent girls. This present study highlights the role of affect dysregulation in the presence of suicidal ideation and provides potential targets for intervention practices when working with adolescent girl victims of CSA. As such, interventions for this vulnerable population should aim to decrease depressive symptoms and affect dysregulation to reduce suicidal risk.

Is My Sex Life Ok? The Mediating Role of Sexual Anxiety in the Association between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Sexual Coercion against Women.

Empirical studies suggest that childhood sexual abuse is associated with sexual revictimization by a male romantic partner in female survivors. Yet, the potential mechanisms underlying this association remain understudied. Past studies indicated that women childhood sexual abuse survivors report more sexual anxiety, which in turn was linked to an increased risk of sustaining sexual coercion. The current study, conducted with a sample of 448 adult women from the community, aimed to examine sexual anxiety as a potential mechanism in the association between childhood sexual abuse and sexual coercion sustained by women in heterosexual romantic relationships. Results from path analyses confirmed the indirect effect of sexual anxiety in the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and sexual coercion victimization. Findings indicated that childhood sexual abuse is associated with higher levels of sexual anxiety, which in turn, was linked to a higher frequency of sexual coercion experiences perpetrated by the romantic partner. This study contributes to a better understanding of the determinants of sexual violence against women and provides an empirical basis to better inform prevention initiatives and guide future interventions.

Development of an efficient cis-trans-cis ribozyme cassette to inactivate plant genes.

Inactivation of a targeted gene is one of the main strategies used to understand their precise cellular role. In plants, apart from chemical or physical mutagenesis and random insertions of DNA elements followed by screening for a desired phenotype, the most common strategy to inhibit the expression of a given gene involves RNA silencing. This can be achieved either through antisense suppression, sense over-expression leading to co-suppression, or expression of double-stranded DNA constructs (dsRNA). The use of ribozymes to inhibit gene product accumulation has only been occasionally attempted, mainly because of the more complex genetic engineering procedure involved, although the specificity of ribozymes can be an important factor when targeting close members of a gene family. We report here the development of a new cis-acting ribozyme cassette for the production of RNAs with desired termini. Attention to many details has been brought in order to provide a powerful procedure for plant application. For example, ultrastable GNRA tetraloops were substituted for both loops II and III of cis-acting hammerhead sequences, thereby favouring folding into the catalytically active structure that results in the self-cleavage of all transcripts. We demonstrate the usefulness of this cassette by producing a ribozyme that cleaves in trans, originally embedded in the cis-acting self-cleaving cassette. The activity of the cis-trans-cis construct, was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo, in transgenic plants with the specific cleavage of an mRNA encoding a 2-oxo-glutarate-dependant dioxygenase predominantly expressed in pistils tissues and in leaves, from the wild potato Solanum chacoense.