Child Sexual Abuse of Elite Athletes: Prevalence, Perceptions, and Mental Health.

Despite a series of high-profile media reports of sexual abuse in sport over the past few years, little research has been done to explore the scope of the problem in the United States. The current article reports on prevalence of child sexual assault in elite athletes in the United States. Using a retrospective web survey, adults answered questions on their experiences in sport. Of the 473 elite athletes surveyed, 3.8% (n = 18) reported being sexual assaulted as a minor in the sporting context. Of those reporting assault, most (61%) reported being abused by an adult authority figure (usually a coach) and 44% reported being assaulted by a peer. Abused athletes were significantly more likely to report having been diagnosed with a mental disorder (Fisher's exact test; p < .001). The findings can be utilized to improve prevention and child protection measures and other safeguarding initiatives in sport.

Police response to violence and conflict between parents and their minor children.

PURPOSE: This study examines the nature of all domestic violence incidents involving parents and their minor children to which police in Philadelphia responded during the 2013 calendar year. METHOD: We use a retrospective design to explore the nature and outcome of parent-child incidents to which police are summoned. Incidents that officers determined met the state statute definition of child abuse are not included. RESULTS: Of 54,456 domestic violence incidents in the city of Philadelphia in 2013, 2,361 involved a verbal incident or physical altercation between a minor child and at least one parent. Most reports (83.3%) identified the child as the offender and were for verbal incidents (89.6%), suggesting police were called to resolve conflict in the home. When a child was the offender, boys were the most common offenders and mothers the most common victims. When a parent was the offender, mothers were the most common offenders and daughters the most common victims. Parent-offender incidents were far fewer (16.7%) but more likely than child-offender incidents to involve physical violence (AOR=6.19) and to result in arrest (AOR=3.67). CONCLUSIONS: Parent-child incidents that are not child abuse constitute about 20% of all domestic violence incidents to which police are summoned. Parent-child incidents are an under-researched and perhaps under-served issue. We know of few resources beyond law enforcement for on-the-scene crisis intervention and, as such, officers appear to serve as mediators in these mostly verbal disagreements. The appropriateness and cost of such intervention merits investigation and discussion.

Child welfare characteristics in a sample of youth involved in commercial sex: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Homeless, runaway, and youth exiting foster care are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, but little research has parsed the societal, community, and individual factors that contribute to their risk. OBJECTIVES: (1) To estimate child welfare characteristics in a sample of homeless young people who engaged in commercial sex (CS); and (2) To compare young people who were sex trafficked (ST) to those who engaged in some other form of CS. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This study includes 98 homeless young people in Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, and Washington, DC, who were interviewed for a larger study of ST and endorsed engagement in CS. METHODS: We used a non-probability, purposive, maximum variation sampling procedure. Interviews were recorded and responses were simultaneously noted on a standardized interview form. Data were analyzed through means, frequencies, and bivariate tests of association. RESULTS: Average age of the full sample of 98 homeless young people was 20.9 years; 48% were female and 50% were Black/African American. Forty-six percent of the full sample was sex trafficked. The full sample and the victims of ST differed significantly in three child welfare characteristics, with the ST group more likely to have been maltreated as children, more likely to have had family involvement with the child welfare system (CWS), and more likely to report higher rates of living someplace other than with their biological parents as children. CONCLUSIONS: ST victims differ from those who engaged in other forms of CS in histories of maltreatment, involvement with the CWS, and exposure to residential instability while growing up.

Women's perceptions of safety and risk following police intervention for intimate partner violence.

Police intervention is a primary response to intimate partner violence (IPV) but does not guarantee a victim's future safety. This study sought to identify factors associated with IPV survivors' perceptions of safety and risk of revictimization following police intervention. One hundred sixty-four women completed a questionnaire, and 11 of those women also took part in qualitative interviews. The findings revealed that feeling unsafe and perceiving oneself to be at risk of future violence is associated with experiencing particular forms of IPV, including battering, lethality threats, and sexual violence. Having support from others and distance from the partner helps women feel safe.

The Dialectical Psychoeducational Workshop (DPEW): the conceptual framework and curriculum for a preventative intervention for males at risk for IPV.

Current programs aimed at reducing intimate partner violence (IPV) have demonstrated little effect on at-risk males, who may potentially engage in acts of IPV. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) provides the conceptual and empirical foundation for the dialectical psychoeducational workshop (DPEW). The DPEW offers a targeted preventative intervention for individuals potentially at risk for IPV. This article offers the rationale and theoretical basis for a specialized preventative approach to IPV and delineates a brief psychoeducational program that may stimulate further research and provide an alternate preventative intervention strategy in an area in need of innovative programs.

Effect of child protective services system factors on child maltreatment rereporting.

This study examined how child protective services (CPS) systems respond to initial and subsequent reports in the context of child maltreatment rereporting and to what extent CPS system factors are associated with the risk of rereporting after controlling for abuse type and child and family factors. This study followed 67,243 families who were reported to the CPS agencies in seven counties in Florida for child abuse and neglect over a period of 5.4 years and found that 14,218 families had one or more child maltreatment rereports. Key findings include that CPS system factors were significantly different from initial report to subsequent reports. Five CPS system factors, reporting source, contact by CPS workers, investigative level at intake, postinvestigation services, and duration ofCPS involvement were significantly associated with the risk of child maltreatment rereporting. Multivariate analyses found that CPS system factors were substantially different for three categories ofrereporting, unsubstantiated rereports, substantiated rereports, and recurrence reports. Interpretations and implications for practice are discussed.

Adolescent risk behaviors and religion: findings from a national study.

Too few studies have assessed the relationship between youth risk behaviors and religiosity using measures which captured the varied extent to which youth are engaged in religion. This study applied three measures of religiosity and risk behaviors. In addition, this study ascertained information about youths' participation in religious activities from a parent or caretaker. Based on a national random sample of 2004 teens (ages 11-18), this study indicates that youth perceive religion as important, are active in religious worship and activities, and further shows that perceived importance of religion as well as participation in religious activities are associated with decreased risk behaviors. Looking at ten risk behaviors, religiosity variables were consistently associated with reduced risk behaviors in the areas of: smoking, alcohol use, truancy, sexual activity, marijuana use, and depression. In the case of these six risk variables, religiosity variables were significantly associated with reduced risk behaviors when controlling for family background variables and self-esteem. The study highlights the importance of further understanding the relationship between religious variables, background variables, self-esteem, and youth risk behaviors.

The utility of male domestic violence offender typologies: new directions for research, policy, and practice.

The development of empirically based behavioral and psychological typologies provides clear evidence that offenders vary across types. A review and synthesis of the literature reveals three types of batterers common across current typology research-a low, moderate, and high-risk offender. Examination of these types demonstrates that most male offenders do not escalate over time from low to high levels of risk. This observation refutes previous claims regarding a common consensus among researchers that battering escalates in frequency and intensity over time. There are particular characteristics specific to each type that establish thresholds distinct to each classification. Thus, it is unlikely that an offender will move from one type to another. Interventions targeted to address the needs of subsamples of offenders can lead to more effectively protecting those most at risk for future violence. Addressing the issue of woman battering through the prism of typologies has significant implications for research, policy, and practice.

Family violence among adults with severe mental illness: a neglected area of research.

Violence against family caregivers by their adult relatives with severe mental illness is a taboo area of public discourse and scientific research because of fears of further stigmatizing this population. Yet, these families experience violence at a rate estimated to be between 10% and 40%, which is considerably higher than the general population. This article reviews the limited research on violence of adults with severe mental illness against their family caregivers and proposes a conceptual framework that can further stimulate study in an area that has been neglected too long by both mental health and family violence investigators. Research on this topic is essential in developing effective policy and practice interventions.

Methods for studying sensitive family topics.

Researchers on sensitive topics in family relations face a number of obstacles, due to the private nature of the family and to ethical constraints on the study of humans. Difficulties in locating subjects, engaging their cooperation, and obtaining valid and reliable data are discussed, and methods are proposed for pursuing research on these important but frequently taboo topics.

Family experience and public support of the death penalty.

Integration of data on the characteristics of death penalty supporters with data on violence within the family suggests that experience with violence in the family, and the meaning and moral evaluation of punishment and violence learned thereby, lead to support for the death penalty. This paper concludes that the high level of public support for the death penalty may be accounted for in part by the high level of violence within the family and by parental use of retributive physical punishment.