Adolescents and sexual assault: A critical integrative review.

Adolescents are sexually assaulted at remarkably high rates. Adolescents are also unique given the specific dynamics of adolescent sexual assault, their current stage in human development, their limited legal standing and rights, and their experiences navigating postassault services and resources. While literature exists within each of these domains, it is somewhat disconnected and overlooks how adolescents are often relegated to the margins in research and practice. The purpose of this integrative review is to (1) provide a more complete understanding of adolescent sexual assault and survivors' nuanced needs; (2) frame adolescent survivors as a too-often-overlooked oppressed group that researchers and responders must consider and center in their work, lest contribute to their further marginalization; and (3) inspire and orient social justice-minded scholar activists to various action steps to take to center and prioritize adolescents in research and practice. Through our intersectional feminist approach, we offer specific action steps for social justice-minded scholar activists to recenter adolescents in their research and practice.

Identifying abolitionist alignments in community psychology: A path toward transformation.

Psychology is grounded in the ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence, that is, "do no harm." Yet many have argued that psychology as a field is attached to carceral systems and ideologies that uphold the prison industrial complex (PIC), including the field of community psychology (CP). There have been recent calls in other areas of psychology to transform the discipline into an abolitionist social science, but this discourse is nascent in CP. This paper uses the semantic device of "algorithms" (e.g., conventions to guide thinking and decision-making) to identify the areas of alignment and misalignment between abolition and CP in the service of moving us toward greater alignment. The authors propose that many in CP are already oriented to abolition because of our values and theories of empowerment, promotion, and systems change; our areas of misalignment between abolition and CP hold the potential to evolve. We conclude with proposing implications for the field of CP, including commitments to the belief that (1) the PIC cannot be reformed, and (2) abolition must be aligned with other transnational liberation efforts (e.g., decolonization).

The work experiences and needs of lone community psychologists: Exploring diversity of settings and identities.

Community psychologists (CPs) are committed to value-based praxis, an interdisciplinary orientation, and an ecological approach to community collaboration in pursuit of social justice and liberation. Because no setting is immune to the impacts of the intersecting systems of oppression in which we are embedded, CPs end up working in a wide array of settings, and often as the only CP in the setting. This dynamic-operating as a "lone" CP-may be rewarding as the CP is able to provide unique value at work, or may present specific challenges, particularly if the CP's sense of community or mattering is compromised. We interviewed n = 31 lone CP to explore their work experiences, including the benefits, challenges, and what they need to thrive in their current setting. Findings reveal a wide array of experiences among CPs, related to their community psychology, and other identities. Participants consistently discussed the important role of values in their decision-making and experiences at work, and provide specific recommendations as to how the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) can ensure all CPs across all settings can thrive. This includes providing more tangible and relational support, changing SCRA's culture and priorities, and improving community psychology undergraduate and graduate training.

"Value in diversity": School racial and ethnic composition, teacher diversity, and school punishment.

American schools have become increasingly punitive and characterized by racial and ethnic disparities in punishment outcomes. Scholarship on the causes and consequences of this shift has highlighted the potential salience of school context. The current study extends this work by exploring the potential effect of an underexplored factor, teacher diversity, on suspension disparities. To date, explorations of the role of teacher diversity have been limited to its impact on academic outcomes, teacher perceptions, and behavioral outcomes. The current study fills a void in the existing literature by examining (1) whether greater teacher diversity is associated with reductions in racial and ethnic suspension disparities and (2) whether greater teacher diversity interacts with the size of the racial and ethnic student population to influence suspension disparities. This study contributes to the existing literature by extending the "value in diversity" perspective to the school setting. Additionally, the findings suggest that racial and ethnic diversity in positions of authority in the school setting fosters a more equitable approach to the administration of student punishment.

(Un)safe Spaces: The Relationship Between Slavery and Sexual Victimization of Black Women.

Research exploring the correlates of sexual victimization has found sexual victimization to be associated with both individual- and contextual-level factors, including age, gender, poverty, and size of the female population. However, to date, research has been limited in exploring how historical factors, such as slavery, may be associated with the contemporary prevalence of sexual victimization of women. Historical accounts have often suggested that enslaved women often experienced sexual victimization during their enslavement. Despite these accounts, research has been limited in empirically exploring the relationship between slavery and the sexual victimization of Black women. Using the 1860 U.S. Census and the 2019 National Incidence-Based Reporting System, multilevel logistic regression analyses are employed to explore whether slavery is consequential for contemporary instances of Black female sexual victimization. In line with the "legacy effect" framework, the findings from the current study suggest that Black women are significantly more likely to be sexually victimized in counties characterized by larger enslaved populations in 1860. These findings illuminate how historical institutions, despite being outlawed, have contemporary consequences, particularly for Black women. These findings, discussions, avenues for future research, and policy implications are discussed below.

Mandatory Reporting and Adolescent Sexual Assault.

Adolescents experience alarmingly high rates of sexual violence, higher than any other age-group. This is concerning as sexual violence can have detrimental effects on teens' personal and relational well-being, causing long-term consequences for the survivor. Still, adolescents are hesitant to report the assault or seek out services and resources. When an adolescent survivor does seek out services, they may interact with a provider who is a mandatory reporter. This scoping review sought to synthesize the current U.S.-based research on the role, challenges, and impact of mandatory reporting (MR) in the context of adolescent sexual assault. Database searches using key words related to MR, sexual assault, and adolescence identified 29 peer-reviewed articles. However, none of these articles reported on empirical investigations of the phenomenon of interest and instead consisted of case studies, commentaries, and position papers. The scoping review was expanded to provide a lay of the land of what we know about the intersection of adolescent sexual assault and MR. Results of the review indicate that though implemented broadly, MR policies vary between individuals, organizations, and states and have historically been challenging to implement due to this variation, conflicts with other laws, tension between these policies and providers' values, and other factors. Based on the available literature, the impact of MR in the context of adolescent sexual assault is unknown. There is a critical need for research and evaluation on the implementation and impact of MR policies, especially in the context of adolescents and sexual violence.

Language in pediatric epilepsy.

PURPOSE: This study examined the severity and range of linguistic impairments in young, intermediate, and adolescent youth with epilepsy and how these deficits were associated with illness effects, nonverbal intelligence, psychopathology, and reading. METHODS: Tests of language, intelligence, achievement, and structured psychiatric interviews were administered to 182 epilepsy youth, aged 6.3-8.1, 9.1-11.7, and 13.0-15.2 years, as well as to 102 age- and gender-matched normal children. Parents provided demographic, seizure-related, and behavioral information on their children. RESULTS: Significantly more epilepsy subjects had language scores 1 standard deviation (SD) below average than the age-matched control groups did. The intermediate and adolescent epilepsy groups also had significantly lower mean language scores compared to their matched controls. The older compared to the younger epilepsy groups had more language impairment and a wider range of linguistic deficits. Longer duration of illness, childhood absence epilepsy, psychiatric diagnosis, and socioeconomic status were associated with linguistic deficits in the young group. Prolonged seizures, lower Performance IQ, and minority status predicted low language scores in the intermediate epilepsy group. In the adolescent group, language impairment was associated with poor seizure control, decreased Performance IQ, and lower socioeconomic status. Linguistic and reading deficits were significantly related in each epilepsy group. CONCLUSIONS: The age-related increase in linguistic impairment, different profiles of predictors in each age group, and the relationship of linguistic deficits with poor reading skills have important clinical, developmental, theoretical, and academic implications.

Patterns of illicit drug use of prisoners in police custody in London, UK.

AIMS AND METHODS: The aims of the study were to explore the current characteristics of drug misusers seen in police custody and identify trends or changes that have taken place in the last decade. A prospective, anonymised, structured questionnaire survey was undertaken of consenting consecutive, self-admitted illicit drug users seen by forensic physicians in police custody within the Metropolitan Police Service in London, UK in 2003. RESULTS: 30% of detainees were dependent on heroin or crack cocaine. Drug users (n=113) were studied in 2003. 95.4% completed the questionnaire. 82% were male, 18% female. Mean age was 28.5 y (range 18-49). 80% were unemployed; significant mental health issues (e.g., schizophrenia) were present in 18%; 15% had alcohol dependence; heroin was the most frequently used drug (93%); crack cocaine -- 87%; mean daily cost of drugs -- heroin GBP 76 (range 20-240), crack GBP 81 (range 20-300). >50% users inject crack and heroin simultaneously. 56% used the intravenous route; 25% had shared needles; 100% had accessible sources of clean needles; 6.4% were hepatitis B positive; 42% were aware of hepatitis prophylaxis; hepatitis C positive -- 20.2%; 3.6% were HIV positive. Mean length of time of drug use was 7.5 y (range 1 month -- 20 years); 82% had served a previous prison sentence; 54% had used drugs in prison; 11% had used needles in prison; 3% of users stated they had started using in prison. 38% had been on rehabilitation programs; 11% had been on Drug Treatment and Testing; Orders (DTTO); 32% had used the services of Drug Arrest Referral Teams in police stations; 10% were in contact with Drug Teams at the time of assessment. CONCLUSIONS: In the last decade, there appears to be a substantial increase in the prevalence of drug use in this population -- particularly of crack cocaine. Treatment interventions are either not readily available, or not followed through. In very general terms, the illicit drug use problem appears to have significantly worsened in the population seen in police custody in London, UK, in the last decade although there is evidence that health education and harm reduction messages appear to have had some positive effects.

Stability of preoperative cataract surgery gel in polycarbonate syringes.

The stability of preoperative cataract surgery gel packaged in 1-mL polycarbonate syringes, stored protected from light under controlled temperatures for a period of 60 days, was studied. Preoperative cataract surgery gel is a mixture of cyclopentolate hydrochloride 0.51 mg/mL, phenylephrine hydrochloride 5.1 mg/mL, and tropicamide 0.51/mL in preservative-free lidocaine hydrochloride 2% gel. Stability was defined as the maintenance of initial physical and chemical charactereistics during storage under controlled ambient (25 deg C/60% relative humitidty) or refrigerated (2 deg C to 4 deg C) conditions. Evaluation parameters were appearance, pH,sterility, endotoxin level, and potency of each active ingredient. The specificity and stability-indicating characteristics of an assay method using high-performance liquid chromatography were validated through forced degradation studies. Samples were tested at predefined time intervals over a period of 60 days. Preoperative cataract surgery gel maintained the appearance of a clear and colorless gel, with pH values ranging form 5.58 to 5.77 throughout the study period. The average initial drug concentrations for cyclopentolate hydrochloride, phenylephrine hydrochloride, lidocaine hydrochloride, and tropicamide were determined to be within +/- 10% of their label concentrations. Recovery of the active ingredients at subsequent time points was within +/- 10% of their initial concentrations, and chromatographic profile for all tested samples exhibited no changes in stability of the active ingredients. The ophthalmic gel tested sterile and had no detectable endotoxin during the 60-day study period. Preoperative cataract surgery gel packaged in polycarbonate syringes and stored protected from light is stable through 60 days at both controlled ambient and refrigerated conditions.

Thought disorder: A developmental disability in pediatric epilepsy.

This study compared thought disorder (i.e., impaired use of language to formulate and organize thoughts) in 93 children with complex partial seizures (CPSs) and 56 children with primary generalized epilepsy with absence (PGE) and its relationship to age, seizure, cognitive, and linguistic variables. By the use of psychopathology, social competence, academic achievement, and school problem measures, the functional implications of thought disorder in these two groups were compared. When demographic variables were controlled for, there were no significant differences in thought disorder scores between the CPS and PGE groups. However, the profile of age, gender, seizure, and cognitive variables related to thought disorder differed in the CPS and PGE groups. Within each group, different aspects of thought disorder were associated with different seizure variables. Thought disorder was related to psychopathology, school problems, decreased academic achievement, and poor peer interaction in the CPS group, but with school problems in the PGE group. These findings suggest that CPS and PGE affect the normal maturation of children's discourse skills, albeit through different mechanisms. The relationship of thought disorder to behavioral, academic, and social problems implies that these discourse deficits are one component of the developmental disabilities or comorbidities associated with pediatric CPS and PGE.

Variation among developmental dyslexics: evidence from a printed-word-learning task.

A word-learning task was used to investigate variation among developmental dyslexics classified as phonological and surface dyslexics. Dyslexic children and chronological age (CA)- and reading level (RL)-matched normal readers were taught to pronounce novel nonsense words such as veep. Words were assigned either a regular (e.g., "veep") or an irregular (e.g., "vip") pronunciation. Phonological dyslexics learned both regular and exception words more slowly than the normal readers and, unlike the other groups, did not show a regular-word advantage. Surface dyslexics also learned regular and exception words more slowly than the CA group, consistent with a specific problem in mastering arbitrary item-specific pronunciations, but their performance resembled that of the RL group. The results parallel earlier findings from Manis, Seidenberg, Doi, McBride-Chang, & Petersen [Cognition 58 (1996) 157-195] indicating that surface dyslexics and phonological dyslexics have a different profile of reading deficits, with surface dyslexics resembling younger normal readers and phonological dyslexics showing a specific phonological deficit. Models of reading and reading disability need to account for the heterogeneity in reading processes among dyslexic children.

Self-perceived responsibility of HIV-seropositive men who have sex with men for preventing HIV transmission.

Relatively little attention has been paid to unique factors that may motivate HIV-seropositive men who have sex with men (MSM) to prevent HIV transmission. This study examines the beliefs of 250 HIV-seropositive MSM about their responsibility for protecting sex partners from HIV infection. Participants completed an open-ended interview about their sexual practices, substance use, and other HIV-related issues. Seventy percent of participants were men of color. Most participants (72%) spontaneously mentioned issues related to responsibility that were represented by three themes: (1) personal responsibility for protecting sex partners, (2) partners' responsibility for protecting themselves, and (3) mutual responsibility. These beliefs were expressed by 63%, 24%, and 12% of respondents, respectively. Motivations underlying beliefs about personal responsibility included altruism, self-standards, and self-interest. Beliefs about personal responsibility were influenced by participant characteristics, partner characteristics, disclosure of HIV status, and contextual factors. The findings suggest that self-perceived responsibility may be an important factor that affects HIV-seropositive MSM's sexual decision making.