Female sex offenders' relationship experiences.

Interventions for child sexual abusers should take into account their perspectives on the context of their offenses, but no descriptions of everyday life from the offender's point of view have been published. This study therefore explored female offenders' views of their strengths and challenges. Documented risk assessments of 20 female offenders were analyzed using inductive content analysis (Cavanagh, 1997; Priest, Roberts, & Woods, 2002; Woods, Priest, & Roberts, 2002). The Good Lives Model provided the initial coding framework and ATLAS.ti software (Muhr, 1997) was used for simultaneous data collection and analysis. The content analysis yielded 999 coding decisions organized in three themes. The global theme was relationship experiences. Offenders described the quality of their relationship experiences, including their personal perspectives, intimate relationships, and social lives. These descriptions have implications for treatment planning and future research with women who have molested children.

Risk profiles for four types of work-related injury among hospital employees: a case-control study.

In this retrospective case-control study, researchers examined risk factors for four types of work-related injury (WRI) in hospital employees. Data were collected from employee health charts and computer databases (N = 2050) and analyzed using logistic regression. Study results showed that strain injuries were related to increased age, increased body mass index (BMI), and maintenance, custodial, and direct-caregiver employment types. Repetitive motion injuries were related to increased BMI and clerical and custodial employment types. Exposure/reaction injuries were related to increased age, increased BMI, and maintenance, custodial, and direct-caregiver employment types. Contact/assault injuries were related to increased age, increased BMI, and maintenance, custodial, and direct-caregiver employment types. All injury types were most often related to female gender and full-time employment status. Reformulating policies to improve screening, prevention, and education for those at risk for certain injury types may limit WRI occurrences and costs.

Factors associated with work-related injury among hospital employees: a case-control study.

The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) spends $1 million annually on occupational illnesses and injuries. To address the problem of injuries among hospital employees, a retrospective case-control study was conducted to examine select risk factors for work-related injuries (WRI) among CAVHS employees. Study methods included a review of employee health charts and computer and manual databases from 1997 to 2002 (N = 2,050). The researchers found that WRI increased with age; WRI occurred more often in women than in men; WRI was greater among maintenance and custodial staff compared to direct caregivers, and less among clerical staff; WRI occurred less often in part-time than full-time staff; and WRI increased with increasing body mass index. Developing standards, guidelines, and policies for preplacement screening, preventive measures, training, and education may help to minimize WRI and associated costs.

Treatment of females convicted of molesting children.

The purpose of this study was to determine what kind of treatment women convicted of molesting children thought they should receive and what they hoped to achieve in treatment. Data were collected from 14 offenders in individual and focused group interviews. The data were analyzed by constant comparison. During the interviews, offenders defined treatment in terms of what they expected it to do and how they would benefit. They described the context, process, and outcomes of treatment, ways in which people could help them and they could change themselves, and the kind of treatment that would help them deal better with men. These women wanted treatment to focus on alleviating the psychological suffering they experienced as a result of their convictions. They had limited insight into societal expectations regarding treatment-related behavioral changes.

Isolation, gratification, justification: offenders' explanations of child molesting.

Child sexual abusers' descriptions of their thoughts, behaviors, and relationships were identified by reviewing qualitative research studies published between 1982 and 2001. Offenders used cognitive distortions to meet personal needs, protect themselves from aversive self-awareness, and overcome internal inhibitions against engaging children in sexual activity. Offenders carefully groomed their victims by systematically separating them from their families and peers and socializing them into sexual relationships. Specific cognitive and behavioral processes were used to translate sexual arousal into offending behavior. Offenders justified the abuse by making excuses and redefining their actions as love and mutuality. Throughout the process, offenders exploited the power imbalance inherent in all adult-child relationships. The participants in these studies provided a unique perspective on child sexual abuse that can be used to help victims cope, guide treatment development and evaluation, and suggest new questions for future research.