Child Sexual Abuse Victimization Amongst Detained Adolescents and Incarcerated Young Adults: Findings from an Australian Population-Based Birth Cohort Study.

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 (n = 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.

Intergenerational (Dis)continuity of Child Maltreatment: Variation by Parents' Childhood Victimization Experiences and Sex.

This longitudinal population-based study examines the association between maltreatment victimization experiences and the likelihood of intergenerational (dis)continuity of maltreatment. Our data include all individuals born in 1983/1984 in Queensland (QLD), Australia who are registered as parents via birth records and who experienced system contacts for maltreatment victimization in childhood (n = 2906). Child safety data on system contacts as a child victim and person responsible for harm to a child were obtained from the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs. Out-of-home care experiences and maltreatment frequency, timing, and type were examined. Results indicated that childhood maltreatment experiences significantly differed between parents who were not subsequently responsible for harm to a child (cycle breakers) and parents who were subsequently responsible for harm to a child (cycle maintainers). Different patterns of association were observed across sex. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing the heterogeneity of victim maltreatment experiences and associated risk of maltreatment for their children, and can inform effective and targeted interventions by tailoring these by sex and developmental period.

Front-line health professionals' recognition and responses to nonfatal strangulation events: An integrative review.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine how front-line health professionals identify and manage nonfatal strangulation events. DESIGN: Integrative review with narrative synthesis was conducted. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive database search was conducted in six electronic databases (CINAHL, Wed of Science, DISCOVER, SCOPUS, PubMed and Scholar) resulting in 49 potentially eligible full texts, reduced to 10 articles for inclusion after exclusion criteria were applied. REVIEW METHODS: An integrative review was undertaken in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement guidelines. Data were extracted, and a narrative synthesis using Whittemore and Knafl (2005) framework was undertaken to determine how front-line health professionals identify and manage nonfatal strangulation events. RESULTS: The findings identified three main themes: an overall failure by health professionals to recognize nonfatal strangulation, a failure to report the event and a failure to follow up on victims after the event. Stigma and predetermined beliefs around nonfatal strangulation, along with a lack of knowledge about signs and symptoms, were the salient features in the literature. CONCLUSION: Lack of training and fear of not knowing what to do next are barriers to providing care to victims of strangulation. Failure to detect, manage and support victims will continue the cycle of harm through the long-term health effects of strangulation. Early detection and management of strangulation are essential to prevent health complications, particularly when the victims are exposed to such behaviours repeatedly. IMPACT: This review appears to be the first to explore how health professionals identify and manage nonfatal strangulation. It identified the significant need for education and robust and consistent screening and discharge policies to assist health providers of services where victims of nonfatal strangulation attend. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This review contains no patient or public contribution since it was examining health professionals' knowledge of identifying nonfatal strangulation and the screening and assessment tools used in clinical practice.

Dual-system Involvement: Exploring the Overlap Between Domestic and Family Violence and Child Maltreatment Perpetration.

This longitudinal population-based study aimed to understand the dual-system involvement of males who engage in domestic and family violence (DFV) and child maltreatment perpetration. Specifically, this study investigates the prevalence of male perpetration of DFV, child maltreatment, and dual-system involvement, and compares the frequency and nature of perpetration by males with single-system contact and males with dual-system contact. The effect of race (Indigenous Australian/non-Indigenous Australian) and parental status on dual-system involvement is also examined. This study utilizes data from the Queensland Cross-sector Research Collaboration repository. These data contain each contact an individual male born in 1983 or 1984 had with the Queensland civil court system as a respondent to a domestic violence order (DVO) and the Queensland statutory child protection system, where, after an investigation, they were identified as the person responsible for substantiated harm to a child. The results from the study show a high level of overlap between males who perpetrate DFV and child maltreatment. Of males identified as being responsible for substantiated harm to a child, 58% have also been a respondent of a DVO, and approximately 16% of male DVO respondents were identified as being responsible for substantiated harm to a child. Differences were found in the frequency and nature of perpetration by males with dual-system involvement compared to those with single-system contact for either DFV or child maltreatment. Our results also show differences for Indigenous status, parental status, number of maltreatment events, harm type, number of DVOs, and number of breaches of a DVO. The implications of this study for both policy and practice are discussed.

Exploring dual-system involvement for domestic violence victimisation and child maltreatment perpetration: An exploration by gender and race/ethnicity.

BACKGROUND: There is an historical separation between system responses to domestic violence (DV) and child maltreatment. Concerns have been noted that DV victims may be over-represented as parents responsible for harm to children in the child protection system. Although there is a growing acknowledgement of the high overlap between DV and child maltreatment within families, little empirical research has been conducted on this relationship. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to longitudinally examine the overlap of being a victim of DV and a perpetrator of child maltreatment, along with the impact of dual-system involvement on the nature and frequency of the violence experienced. METHODS: The data are linked longitudinal administrative data from the Queensland Cross-sector Research Collaboration (QCRC) repository. These data contain each contact every individual born in Queensland in 1983 or 1984 had with the Queensland DV civil court system and the Queensland statutory child protection system. RESULTS: Of individuals identified as a perpetrator of child maltreatment, 45% have also been a victim of DV and approximately 22% of DV victims were identified as a perpetrator of child maltreatment. Our results also show differences based on Indigenous status, gender, parental status, number of substantiations, frequency of violence, harm type, and number of domestic violence orders. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable overlap between individuals who are victims of DV and individuals who perpetrate child maltreatment. This overlap was influenced by both gender and race/ethnicity. The implications of this study for both policy and practice are discussed.

"Who maltreats? Distinct pathways of intergenerational (dis)continuity of child maltreatment".

BACKGROUND: Maltreatment victimization history is an established risk factor for child maltreatment across generations. However, many parents with a victimization history do not maltreat, and many parents with no victimization history do have victimized children. OBJECTIVES: To understand differences in demographic and maltreatment risk factors across the following intergenerational patterns of maltreatment: cycle maintainers, cycle breakers, cycle initiators, and a comparison group (no maltreatment). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data were drawn from a large population-based cohort in Queensland, Australia and included 32,574 biological parents and their children. Maltreatment experiences as a victim or person responsible for harm towards a child were obtained from the Queensland Child Protection System. METHODS: Multinomial regression was completed with the full sample to compare the three maltreatment groups with the comparison group. Logistic regressions were conducted on all pairwise combinations of maltreatment groups. Models accounted for several demographic and maltreatment factors. RESULTS: Compared with breakers, maintainers were more likely to be Indigenous (OR = 1.86), never married (OR = 0.34), younger at first birth (OR = 0.87), have ≥3 children (OR = 1.99), be younger at first-and older at last-maltreatment victimization (ORs = 0.97 and 1.07, respectively), and experience a higher frequency of victimization (OR = 1.05). Amongst maltreaters, males were significantly more likely to be initiators while females were more likely to be maintainers (OR = .62). There were few other differences between initiators and maintainers. CONCLUSIONS: Meaningful differences among the three maltreatment groups were revealed suggesting that research should focus on the intergenerational discontinuity of maltreatment.

Are Dual-System Offenders Different? An Examination of Prevalence and Specialization in Criminal Offending and Child Maltreatment Perpetration.

Although most theoretical and policy approaches treat criminal behavior and child maltreatment as different issues, we examine the prevalence of those involved in both the criminal justice system and child protective services as perpetrators, assessing how several criminal career characteristics differ between dual-system and single-system offenders. Using longitudinal cohort data from the Queensland Cross-Sector Research Collaboration (QCRC), we found that while dual-system-involved offenders made up only 4% of the population, their proportion was much higher among those with a delinquent history, especially among females (males = 21%, females = 38%). Those involved with both systems were more serious offenders and child maltreatment perpetrators with respect to the number and versatility of system contacts. These findings suggest involvement in both the criminal justice and child welfare systems are part of an underlying vulnerability or predisposition toward antisocial behavior and represent an important overlap of service delivery that must be managed effectively.

New Methods to Address Old Challenges: The Use of Administrative Data for Longitudinal Replication Studies of Child Maltreatment.

Administrative data are crucial to the "big data" revolution of social science and have played an important role in the development of child maltreatment research. These data are also of value to administrators, policy makers, and clinicians. The focus of this paper is the use of administrative data to produce and replicate longitudinal studies of child maltreatment. Child protection administrative data have several advantages. They are often population-based, and allow longitudinal examination of child maltreatment and complex multi-level analyses. They also allow comparison across subgroups and minority groups, remove burden from individuals to disclose traumatic experiences, and can be less biased than retrospective recall. Finally, they can be linked to data from other agencies to explore comorbidity and outcomes, and are comparatively cost and time effective. The benefits and challenges associated with the use of administrative data for longitudinal child maltreatment research become magnified when these data are used to produce replications. Techniques to address challenges and support future replication efforts include developing a biographical understanding of the systems from which the data are drawn, using multiple data sources to contextualize the data and research results, recognizing and adopting various approaches to replication, and documenting all data coding and manipulation processes. These techniques are illustrated in this paper via a case study of previous replication work.

Transitions and turning points revisited: A replication to explore child maltreatment and youth offending links within and across Australian cohorts.

In this study we examined the consistency of life-course child maltreatment trajectories and youth offending links across birth cohorts. In so doing we demonstrated the value of replication studies for maltreatment research. We applied the methodology of Stewart et al. (2008) and linked population-based (1990 birth cohort) child protection and youth justice administrative data from Queensland, Australia. We performed a group based trajectory analysis to identify distinct maltreatment trajectory groups distinguishable by maltreatment timing and frequency across the life-course. We explored group-based youth offending outcomes with consideration of variations in maltreatment chronicity, timing, and frequency, multi-type maltreatment, gender and race (Indigenous Australian versus non-Indigenous Australian youths). To determine the consistency of maltreatment trajectories and offending links across cohorts (1983/84 versus 1990) we compared our results with those of Stewart et al. (2008). Consistent with Stewart et al. (2008): (1) We identified six distinct maltreatment trajectory groups; (2) Trajectory groups characterised by chronic maltreatment and/or adolescent maltreatment had the largest proportion of young offenders; and (3) Maltreatment frequency commonly peaked at transition points. Extending beyond Stewart et al. (2008) we noted considerable overlap between maltreatment dimensions and a potential impact of race and multi-type maltreatment on maltreatment and offending links. We endorse replication studies as a valuable tool to advance child maltreatment policy and practice and recommend further research on interactions between maltreatment dimensions, gender, race, and youth offending.