Adult survivors of abuse and neglect bibliography

In April 2009, the Australian Government declared a 'zero tolerance' position on violence against women and children, and acknowledged that, 'The Laws must be strong enough to hold perpetrators to account and offer justice and safety for victims and their families'. Indeed, there is increasing emphasis on responding to the needs of victim/survivors of sexual assault within Australian criminal justice systems. This has been demonstrated through myriad procedural and substantive law reforms that have been introduced over the past 40 years. Nonetheless, research continues to demonstrate that prosecution and conviction rates for sexual offences are not increasing, and that criminal justice system procedures are distressing and traumatising for victim/survivors. Understanding what victim/survivors see as justice and what they consider to be fair procedures are key to developing procedures to meet their needs. Drawing on the narratives of 22 victim/survivors of sexual assault, this article identifies what justice means to these victim/survivors and discusses four key aspects that relate to their procedural justice needs - information, validation, voice and control. The article considers how these can be applied to system procedures to promote meaningful and worthwhile justice system responses for victim/survivors of sexual assault.

This article investigates the rate of suicide or accidental fatal drug overdose among adults who had been sexually abused as children. The authors conducted a historical cohort study linking the forensic medical records, from 1964 to 1995, for 2,759 children in Victoria who had been recorded as being sexually abused, with coronial records of deaths recorded from 1989 to 2008. This data was compared to the general population. The study found that victims of child sexual assault are at increased risk of suicide, most had had contact with the public mental health system, and half were recorded as being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The article discusses the findings and the implications for suicide prevention.

This article is part of a discussion series focusing on public education media campaigns in the areas of childhood sexual abuse. In the article, the author reflects on the strategy of the recent 'Father of the Bride' media campaign, which was run in 2009 by the advocacy organisation Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA). The deliberately controversial campaign aimed to use shock tactics to address taboos and stigma surrounding the issues, and to generate discussion. The author considers her personal response to the advert, its intended aims, and concludes that there is a need for more research on strategies for effective social marketing for changing community attitudes.

This article is part of a discussion series focusing on public education media campaigns in the areas of childhood sexual abuse. In the article, the author reviews the recent 'Father of the Bride' media campaign, which was run in 2009 by the advocacy organisation Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA). The deliberately controversial campaign aimed to use shock tactics to address taboos and stigma surrounding the issues, and to generate discussion. However, the author argues that instead the campaign sends the wrong message to child abuse victims and the general public, and could cause additional harm.

This article is part of a discussion series focusing on public education media campaigns in the areas of childhood sexual abuse. Despite the increased media coverage of child abuse stories, there is little community awareness of the long-term impacts of childhood sexual abuse. In response, the advocacy organisation Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA) developed a confronting media campaign to address the taboos and stigma surrounding the issues, and to generate discussion. This article describes the development and development of their controversial 'Father of the Bride' media campaign, which ran in 2009.

This journal issue features a discussion series focusing on public education media campaigns in the areas of childhood sexual abuse and sexual assault prevention. This editorial highlights the issues involved, and introduces the featured articles.

This article is part of a discussion series focusing on ageing, dementia, and adult survivors of childhood sexual assault. In this interview, Jill Duncan, of CASA House in Melbourne, talks to Rhonda Pryor, who has been working as a manager of aged care services in Victoria for 12 years. Rhonda reflects on her experiences caring for elderly patients who disclose memories of childhood sexual assault.

This article is part of a discussion series focusing on ageing, dementia, and adult survivors of childhood sexual assault. Adelle Williams is a training specialist in aged care with the company Communication Change Observation Respect and Dignity (CCORD). In this interview, she talks about the issue of dementia care and the recognition of triggered traumatic memories of childhood sexual assault. She also discusses the model she is developing to care more effectively for people with dementia who are experiencing traumatic memories of childhood sexual assault.

This article is part of a discussion series focusing on ageing, dementia, and adult survivors of childhood sexual assault. In the article, the author applies trauma theory to childhood sexual abuse, explaining how traumatic experiences are processed over the life-course, and their place in personal growth. Psychological injuries have a complex and life-long impact - changing the whole person - rather than something that can be resolved with initial care.

Exposure to child abuse and neglect can lead to a wide range of adverse consequences that can last a lifetime. The purpose of this Resource Sheet is to indicate the potential long-term effects of child abuse and neglect that may extend into adulthood. (Author abstract)

Research with child and adult survivors of child abuse can be harrowing for the researchers. This article discusses some of the safety issues involved in this secondary emotional trauma, drawing on the literature as well as the authors' experiences with interview-based research. Topics include the impact of qualitative research on researchers; the relationship between researcher and participant; the issue of counsellor versus the objective researcher role; empathy and sensitivity to participant distress; and researcher vulnerabilities. The article conludes with reflections on the authors' experience with strategies for preventing secondary trauma, and their resultant chart of safety recommendations. This includes preparing for the research; setting up support networks; strategies for during the research interview; strategies for during data collection and analysis; and ensuring that the research has a positive outcome.

Sexual relations between children and adults is a highly controversial issue, and is usually framed as child sexual abuse. However, not all people regard their childhood sexual experiences as abusive or having an impact on their lives. Without detracting from the significant trauma of child abuse, this book seeks to explore divergent narratives of childhood sexual experiences, in particular to examine the factors leading to resilience in adversity or reduced perceptions of severity. The chapters look at the current literature on child sexual abuse and experiences, family and environmental protective and risk factors, the psychology of disclosure, coping mechanisms, gender differences, affect on sexuality, and the implications for therapy, and draws upon the narratives of adults who describe their perceptions - in childhood and adulthood - of their experiences. The outline of a ten week recovery programme is also included.

It can be argued that the well-substantiated relationship between childhood maltreatment and adult personality disorder (PD) symptoms may be confounded by comorbid symptoms of depression, anxiety or dysfunctional childhood family environments. Therefore, the current study was designed to test the hypothesis that retrospective reports of childhood maltreatment would still be significantly related to reports of more PD symptoms when statistically controlling for these factors. One hundred and seventy-eight non-clinical participants were divided into groups reporting childhood maltreatment (n = 54) or not (n = 124) according to scores on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Participants also completed questionnaires measuring current depression, anxiety, and PD symptoms as well as retrospective reports of their childhood environment. Results showed that individuals reporting childhood maltreatment reported more symptoms of PD than those not reporting childhood maltreatment, even when statistically controlling for depression, anxiety and retrospective reports of dysfunctional family environment. These findings underscore the relevance and independent contribution of childhood maltreatment to the development of PDs, with important implications for further research and clinical practice. (Journal abstract)

"Theories on the causal relationship between drug use and crime in Australian literature have often overlooked the influence of gender as a confounding variable. However, research indicates that pathways into drug use and crime differ for males and females. Using data from the Australian Institute of Criminology's Drug Use Monitoring in Australia program, this study explores the relationship between drug use, offending, mental health and experiences of child abuse among a sample of police detainees. Findings indicate that female detainees were more likely to use 'hard' drugs and to have been arrested for a property crime. The relationship between experiences of mental illness, drug use and arrest was also stronger for female detainees. The study also found a strong relationship, mediated by gender, between drug use, offending and prior experience of child abuse, with the relationship being stronger among female detainees. It is suggested that mental health care be considered as a measure to reduce recidivism, and that programs designed for male offenders may not be suitable for addressing women offenders' needs, which also tend to be more complex."--Author abstract.

147 Australian men who were sexually abused in childhood were examined to determine the relationship between their coping strategies and clinical diagnoses. The relationship between the time passed since the abuse and their psychological functioning was also examined. This sample of men and a sample of 1,231 men from the community had their clinical psychopathology compared. Both groups were given the 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28) and the 60 item coping style inventory instrument (COPE). The study concluded that the men who were sexually abused in childhood were more likely to have clinical diagnoses and that their coping strategies have a significant effect on this outcome. An important coping strategy seems to be seeking practial social support, though the timing of this does not seem to be critical. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for practice such as the need for support services to help male victims develop practical approaches and intellectual reframing to enable them to see positive growth.

"Little research has been done on the needs of men who experienced child sexual abuse, particularly on survivors' own perspectives. Mental health charity, Health in Mind worked with CRFR on a Big Lottery funded project, to explore care and support needs of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This briefing outlines the project's findings and recommendations."--P. [1]

As part of a larger investigation on the role of genes and the environment in the development of opioid dependence, this study examines whether childhood abuse is a risk factor for drug dependence. The study interviewed 967 opioid dependent adults from urban new South Wales, matched against a control group of 346 adults from a similarly socially disadvantaged background. The interviews looked at maltreatment during childhood, family environment, drug use and psychiatric history. The results of the study showed a substantial relationship between some forms of child maltreatment and opioid dependence. Opioid-dependent males had a higher prevalence of physical and emotional abuse, and opioid-dependent females were found to have a higher prevalence and severity of sexual abuse.

Recent research shows that not all assaults described in victimisation surveys are considered to be crimes by the victims. This paper investigates this issue and puts forward findings which have implications for the role surveys play in measuring crime. Using ABS 2005 Personal Safety Survey data, it examines the extent to which surveyed incidents of assault are perceived by victims to be criminal events, aspects of incidents that predict perceptions and any existing variations by sex. Findings show that male victims under 25 years of age are less likely to perceive assault victimisations as crimes, and women were less likely to perceive an event as criminal if the perpetrator is known to them. Incident severity increased the perceived criminality of an incident, but location was predictive of perceptions of criminality for male victims only. The study points to the potential for victimisation surveys to overestimate the extent of violent crime. It is suggested that approaches for reducing violence should acknowledge the importance of victim perceptions, as the way incidents are defined by individuals has a significant bearing on whether they are reported to police and come to the attention of the criminal justice system. (Author abstract)

The objective of the study was to establish the impact of child sexual abuse on adult sexual behaviour over three age periods. Data was drawn from a longitudinal study from Dunedin New Zealand, using the 1972 and 1973 birth cohort. At the age of 26, information on child sexual abuse was sought, and at the ages of 21, 26 and 32 information on sexual behaviour and outcomes were examined. Comparisons for the period between 18-21, 21 to 26 and 26 to 32 were made. For abused women, there was an increased rate of sexual partners, unwanted pregnancies, abortions and sexually transmitted infections from age 18-21, with rates approaching those of non-abused over time. For men rates were not significantly elevated in the younger age period, but abused men seemed to carry increased risks into adulthood.

Using narrative inquiry methodology, this study explored how men and women constructed a sense of self through narrative following an early sexual experience with an adult. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 women and nine men, aged between 25 and 70, in New South Wales. The participants had all had an early sexual experience when they were 15 years or younger with someone 18 years or older. The co-constructed stories that emerged were examined through narrative analysis. This article presents participants' four evolving narratives of their experiences: narratives of silence, of ongoing suffering, of transformation, and of transcendence. It examines the gender differences between these narratives in the light of the literature relating to childhood sexual abuse, the victim and survivor discourses, and the social construction of gender.

The cost of child abuse is measured not only in fiscal terms, but also in the pain and suffering of the abused and neglected children, representing the loss of their childhood. This report estimates the cost of child abuse to the Australian economy and society by: (1) estimating the cost incurred by the community associated with children who were abused or neglected in 2007; and (2) estimating the future costs which will be incurred over a lifetime by abused or neglected children. The report estimates the prevalence and incidence of child abuse, and the severity of harm. It also explores the risk factors and consequences of child abuse, outlining the costs in terms of health systems expenditures, education, productivity losses, crime, protection and care programs, efficiency losses, the burden of disease (fear, mental anguish and pain), and prevention and protection programs.

"This book provides a systematic account of parental behaviour and the means of identifying and addressing inadequate parenting. It is intended for professionals who work with children or adults who were harmed as children, and its central concern is with parents who endanger their children or whose children may endanger themselves or others. Understanding and helping troubled parents to become secure and balanced people is of crucial importance for the parents themselves, for their children and for society at large. This book is a guide to understanding parents as people who have children - as opposed to seeing them as existing solely in terms of their inadequacy in fulfilling their children's needs. 'Raising parents' is divided into three parts. Part 1 analyses the information processing that underlies behaviour, with the examples of dangerous and violent parental behaviour, and connects the merging cognitive neurosciences with parenting, child protection and forensic psychology. Part 2 delineates a gradient of distortions of information processing that result in increasingly dangerous behaviour. It provides a dimensional structure, based on information processing, and offers examples of inadequate to extremely dangerous childrearing. Part 3 addresses issues of prevention, treatment and forensic decision-making. It [ties] information processing to the selection of treatment strategies, and sets out the principles and practice of the Dynamic Maturational Model as a comprehensive model of treatment."--Book jacket.

"A book detailing inspiring stories from women from women who have confronted the adversities and personal challenges associated with sexual abuse during their childhood. These women have had the courage to work through past difficulties to move into a future with which they are content. They reveal the thinking, decision-making, strategies and actions that have enabled them to reclaim their lives, to grow and keep moving on."--Publisher website.

This booklet is written for men who are suffering from the effects of childhood sexual abuse. It offers advice on the first steps on changing their lives for the better, and contacts for support organisations in South Australia. Section one of the booklet discusses the context of abuse, including the tactics of perpetrators. Section two looks at the effects of abuse and suggestions on coping strategies. The third section is entitled 'Finding your own way: staying connected to what you value in life', and offers advice on self care and seeking support. The booklet features stories and quotes from men who have experienced child sexual abuse, emphasising that people are not alone and that it?s possible to move beyond the abuse.

As a child, the author was sexually abused by a trusted caregiver. In this book, she reflects on the experience of sexual abuse and its effects as a way of learning new, healthier patterns of relating to oneself and others. The book and the accompanying CD explore psychological and spiritual themes of self reflection and understanding as a means of recovering from abuse.

The Forgotten Australians are survivors of the institutional care system that was the main form of out of home care in Australia until the 1970s. This booklet is designed to inform and assist health workers, social workers and service delivery organisations to recognise, support and respond to Forgotten Australians, many of whom suffer long term trauma because of their childhood experiences in orphanages or homes. The booklet covers: who the Forgotten Australians are; where you will meet them; what they experienced; the long term impacts; and, working with Forgotten Australians.

The Health Model is a treatment guideline complex post traumatic stress disorder. Part 1 of this article series outlined the steps involved: Stage 1: Having a supportive and experienced therapist; Stage 2: Ensuring personal safety; Stage 3: Assisting with daily functioning; Stage 4: Learning to manage core PTSD symptoms; Stage 5: Treating complex symptoms; Stage 6: Having patience and persistence in enabling ego strengthening. This article, part 2, uses a case study with an adult who had experienced multiple forms of abuse as a child, to illustrate some of the issues for practitioners.

"[This book is] narrative review of the current state of knowledge of the effects and role of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the treatment of children and adults who have experienced childhood abuse and neglect ... This book is intended for practitioners of psychiatric, psychological, and psychoanalytic therapies and providers of mental health services to children and adults ... Sections cover: the epidemiology of child abuse; different aspects of child abuse; health consequences in children and adults; memories of abuse and the recovered memories controversy; high risk groups; gender; domestic violence; how early relational trauma interferes with early development and leads to disturbed attachment; impaired emotional regulation; dissociation."-- Book jacket.