Forensic medical results and law enforcement actions following sexual assault: A comparison of child,adolescent and adult cases

BackgroundIn sexual assault cases, little research has examined differences in forensic medical findings and law enforcement response by victim age across the entire age range.ObjectiveThis study addressed this gap by comparing four victim age groups: adults, adolescents over the age of consent, adolescents under the age of consent, and children under 12.Participants and settingCases were randomly sampled from a statewide database of medical reports on sexual assault examinations conducted in hospital emergency departments, including only cases reported to law enforcement (N = 563).MethodsData were combined from a medical report database, from coding of medical documentation and crime laboratory reports, and from case data provided by law enforcement.ResultsRates for both younger and older adolescent victims and adult victims were comparable, with no statistically significant differences on most variables: penetration, perpetrator use of force, non-genital and genital injuries, presence of biological evidence, generating assailant DNA profiles, DNA match to suspect, hits in the FBI’s DNA database, and law enforcement unfounding (i.e., determining allegations to be false or baseless). Child victims were significantly less likely to have a non-genital injury, and their cases were significantly more likely to be founded by law enforcement. Arrests were significantly more likely when victims were under the age of consent.ConclusionsDespite significant differences by victim age, similarity between adolescent and adult cases was substantial. Both younger and older adolescents may be at higher risk of physical violence during sexual assault than previously recognized, and need greater attention in response systems.     

Childhood sexual abuse is significantly associated with subsequent sexual offending: New evidence among federal correctional clients

BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences are associated with multiple negative behavioral outcomes and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is particularly damaging. There is controversial evidence that CSA has a specialized effect on subsequent sexual offending.ObjectiveThe current study tested the hypothesis that CSA is associated with sexual offending.MethodUsing a near-population of correctional clients on supervised release in the Midwestern United States, we examined the hypothesis with hierarchical negative binomial regression models.ResultsCSA was significantly associated with official charges for rape/sexual abuse despite controls for sex, race, age, arrest onset, total arrest charges, total adverse childhood experiences, Antisocial Personality Disorder, sexual sadism, and pedophilia. Age of onset of CSA was also inversely associated with sexual offending with effect sizes ranging between 2–5 standardized z-scores.ConclusionThe current study provides significant evidence that CSA is associated with later sexual offending even when accounting for powerful clinical and criminological covariates.     

Recorded offending among child sexual abuse victims: A 30-year follow-up

In this paper we employed a prospective design to examine the effect of child sexual abuse (CSA) on life-course offending by comparing victims to both their siblings and random controls in the Netherlands. Information on victimization was gathered from court files and on offending from official criminal records. We found that victims of CSA were more at risk of offending than random controls, but so were their siblings. Only female victims were more likely to offend than their own siblings. The increased risk for offending was not specifically found for sexual offenses, instead it was found for various types of offenses. The found difference between female victims and siblings held true for abuse perpetrated by someone outside the family. We therefore conclude that family and environmental factors are the most important to explain offending among male CSA victims, while these factors alone are not enough to explain the effect of CSA on offending for females.     

Overcrowded housing: One of a constellation of vulnerabilities for child sexual abuse

BackgroundEffective prevention of child abuse depends on an understanding of factors associated with the abuse. Increased risk of child sexual abuse has been associated with parental substance use and adverse socio-economic factors such as living in poverty and parental unemployment. This study investigated overcrowding as a potential socio-economic risk factor in child sexual abuse taking into account other socio-economic, child and parental factors.MethodThis study used de-identified linked data from health and child protection data collections for the cohort of children born in Western Australia from 1990 to 2009 (n = 524,478). Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for time to first sexual abuse allegation and first substantiated allegation, relative to the level of overcrowding and controlling for other risk factors.ResultsHigher levels of household overcrowding were associated with a 23%–46% increase in the risk of child sexual abuse allegations. Only the highest level of overcrowding was associated with a 40% increased risk of substantiated sexual abuse.ConclusionThe findings suggest that overcrowded living conditions are associated with an increased risk of sexual abuse for some children. This factor needs to be considered alongside other risk factors when assessing and improving child safety.     

Him Too? Cristiano Ronaldo and the News Coverage of a Rape Case Allegation

ABSTRACT

This paper uses critical thematic analysis to explore the news media coverage of a rape allegation case against the football player Cristiano Ronaldo. After providing the context of the case, we examine the literature on how rape cases are represented by the news media. We then proceed to a critical thematic analysis of a purposive sample of Portuguese national newspapers, first identifying ten sub-themes in a total of 140 news stories and opinion columns and then considering the patterns of three critical themes that tended to dismiss the allegations, highlight the seriousness of the allegations and neutralize sexual victimization. Each of these considers prevailing ideologies, news values and journalistic practices.     

An integrated model of decision-making in health contexts: the role of science education in health education

Health education is to foster health literacy, informed decision-making and to promote health behaviour. To date, there are several models that seek to explain health behaviour (e.g. the Theory of Planned Behaviour or the Health Belief Model). These models include motivational factors (expectancies and values) that play a role in decision-making in health contexts. In this theoretical paper, it is argued that none of these models makes consequent use of expectancy-value pairs. It is further argued that in order to make these models fruitful for science education and for informed decision-making, models should systematically incorporate knowledge as part of the decision-making process. To fill this gap, this theoretical paper introduces The Integrated Model of Decision-Making in Health Contexts. This model includes three types of knowledge (system health knowledge, action-related health knowledge and effectiveness health knowledge) as influencing factors for motivational factors (perceived health threat, attitude towards health action, attitude towards health outcome and subjective norm) that are formed of expectancy-value pairs and lead to decisions. The model’s potential for health education in science education as well as research implications is discussed.     

一种基于交互式遗传算法的图书经费分配群决策模型

提出一种基于交互式遗传算法的大学图书馆藏书建设中图书采购经费分配群决策系统模型,通过人工智能技术把定性决策与定量决策结合起来,解决文献经费分配决策中优化目标非定量化、难以较高效率获得专家群体意见共识的问题。模拟实验反映出该模型能以较高效率达成专家群体意见共识。     

关于大学生性道德的几点思考

当代大学生的性道德存在着性观念过分开放、缺乏性知识和获取性知识的正确途径以及性行为较随意等问题。大学生自己、家长、学校和社会都对这些问题负有责任。为此,我们应该提高大学生的认知能力,充分发挥家庭的第一教师作用和学校的教育基地作用,净化社会大环境,以此来解决大学生性道德存在的问题,加强大学生性道德建设。     

教师教学决策模式

“决策”不是教学研究的内生术语,而是从教育教学研究以外的领域引进的术语。教师教学决策的系统研究,在介绍和引进国外教学决策的研究成果的同时,可以借鉴和挖掘管理学、政治学、心理学与经济学中关于决策的研究成果。教师教学决策模式,是对教师在教学决策中想要达到的理想或者所遵循的程序与规则的简化概括。教师教学决策可以有五种模式选择：完全理性模式;满意模式;渐进模式;混合扫描模式;规范最佳模式。     

一种带有决策者偏好信息的AHP在投资决策中的应用

在层次分析法中,决策结果的正确性依赖于数量标度的选择.因此,根据<心理物理学>中阈限的测量方法--极限法,可获取决策者的偏好,得出了一种针对具体的决策制订数量标度的方法,并将之应用于投资决策中.