The stronger and the weaker sex - gender differences in the perception of individuals who experienced physical and sexual violence in childhood. A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Violence against children is an issue of serious concern. Stigma impacts coping with childhood trauma. A central aspect regarding disclosing trauma and seeking help is the social perception of the victim and survivor's gender. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to synthesize qualitative and quantitative research about the impact of the victim and survivor gender on the societal perceptions of individuals who have experienced sexual and/or physical violence in childhood. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This review considered both society's and victims and survivors' perspectives on gender-linked perceptions concerning individuals with childhood trauma. METHODS: The initial search was conducted in November 2021 and involved the databases Web of Science, PubMed, and PsychInfo. All studies, published in English or German, that reported study design, sample characteristics, and gender-linked perceptions of individuals with a history of sexual and/or physical violence in childhood were included. RESULTS: A total of 10,373 studies were identified, of which 20 studies were eligible for review. Six studies reported no significant victim gender effect. However, when significant victim gender effects were present, males were characterized with considerably more stigmatizing attributes regarding the blame category while females were exposed to considerably more stigmatizing attributes regarding the harm category. CONCLUSIONS: Females and males experience stigmatization reflecting typical stereotypes of femininity and masculinity. Thus, females are perceived as more vulnerable, more burdened, and with a higher need for security than males. Males are seen as more blameworthy and less trustworthy than females due to their presumed capability to physically resist or escape abuse.

[Stigma as a Barrier to Treatment for Former Residents of GDR Children's Homes - A Qualitative Study with Members of the "Betroffeneninitiative Missbrauch in DDR-Kinderheimen"]. / Stigma als Behandlungsbarriere bei ehemaligen DDR-Heimkindern ­ Eine qualitative Studie am Beispiel der Mitglieder der "Betroffeneninitiative Missbrauch in DDR-Kinderheimen".

OBJECTIVE: Exploratory study of stigma as a barrier to treatment with former GDR home children with traumatic experiences. METHODS: Discussion of the topic "stigmatisation" within a self-help group for people with abuse experience in GDR children's homes using an interview guideline. Transcription and processing of the material based on the thematic analysis. RESULTS: The participants report stigmatisation in public, in the family and structurally. These experiences can be related to strong perceived barriers to treatment in somatic and psychosocial care. CONCLUSION: For the psychotherapeutical treatment of this group, it is important to consider perceived barriers to treatment and to give patients sufficient space to address traumatic experiences and their consequences.

Stigma as a barrier to addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma survivors: A study in the general population.

Victims of childhood trauma report shame and anticipation of stigma, leading to non-disclosure and avoidance of help. Stigma is potentially aggravating the mental health consequences of childhood trauma. So far there is no comprehensive study examining stigma toward adult survivors of various forms of childhood trauma, and it is unclear whether stigma interferes with reaching out to affected individuals. In a vignette study based on a representative sample of the German general population (N = 1320; 47.7% male) we randomly allocated participants to brief case vignettes pertaining to past childhood sexual/physical abuse or accidents, and adult physical abuse. Stigma was elicited by applying the Social Distance Scale, assessing respondents' attitudes/stereotypes toward the persons in the vignette and their reluctance to address the specific trauma in conversation. While one aim was to establish the prevalence of stigma toward persons with CT, we hypothesized that attitudes differ according to type of trauma. Of the respondents, 45% indicated they were unlikely to reach out to a victim of childhood sexual abuse, 38% to a victim of childhood physical abuse, 31% to someone reporting a childhood accident and 25% to someone reporting adult physical abuse. Contrary to our expectations, childhood sexual abuse did not consistently elicit more stigma than childhood physical abuse in Krukall-Wallis tests. Equally, childhood interpersonal trauma did not consistently elicit more stigma than childhood accidental trauma. Structural equation modeling revealed social distance as mediator of the relationship between negative stereotypes and reluctance to address childhood trauma in conversation. Our analyses further revealed an ambiguous role of negative stereotypes in addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma victims, which has yet to be examined. There is evidence for stigma associated with having survived childhood trauma, which is interfering with offering help.

["Nowadays, we wouldn't Admit Being Depressed - Instead, we Tend to Call it Burnout" - Reporting on Burnout in German Print Media]. / "Man gesteht sich ja heutzutage keine Depression mehr ein, sondern nennt es Burnout".

OBJECTIVE: Identifying overlaps with and differences to the clinical picture of depression as reflected in media coverage of burnout. METHODS: Qualitative content analysis of three national daily newspapers from the years 2016 and 2017. RESULTS: Depictions of burnout symptoms are often related to the leading symptoms of depression. Differences become visible in the underlying causes and therapeutic measures described. Burnout is rarely depicted in the context of professional treatment recommendations. CONCLUSION: In coverage, the phenomenon of burnout seems more approachable than depression due to its work-relatedness, the figurative quality of the term, and numerous disclosures by affected celebrities. We discuss that the destigmatizing potential of the term burnout may come at the expense of people with severe depression, and people outside the working context. Additionally, lower recommendation of professional treatment for burnout may delay help-seeking.

[User Acceptance of an Online-Intervention for Improving Depressive Symptoms in Adults with Obesity - Results of a Pilot Study]. / Nutzungsakzeptanz einer Online-Intervention zur Verbesserung depressiver Symptome bei Menschen mit Adipositas.

OBJECTIVES: Investigating the user acceptance and associated factors regarding the use of an unguided online-intervention in people with obesity and comorbid depressive symptoms. METHODS: Quantitative longitudinal pilot study with regard to user acceptance (Baseline before access to online-intervention; Follow-up after 3 months) with n = 46 subjects. RESULTS: Moderate (usefulness, ease of use, satisfaction) to high (ease of learning) user acceptance was reported with regard to the online-intervention. Uptake-rates were 76.1 %, completion-rates were 22.9 %. Positive associations were found e. g. for people receiving invalidity pension and personality traits. CONCLUSIONS: Online-interventions for people with obesity and comorbid depressive symptoms represent a complementary treating component. Associated factors of user acceptance should be taken into account when implementing online-interventions to support high fitting accuracy and to increase the benefit for program users.