Mediators of childhood trauma and suicidality in a cohort of socio-economically deprived Scottish men

Background: There is little research investigating the relationship between childhood abuse, including neglect, and suicidality in adult men, despite epidemiological data suggesting that they are most at risk for suicide.Objective: To investigate the relationship between childhood abuse and neglect and suicidality, and the possible mediating roles of affect dysregulation and social inhibition.Participants and setting: a cohort of eighty-six socio-economically deprived male Caucasian participants previously identified as suicidal, attending a non-clinical community group.Methods: Participants completed self-report measures on childhood trauma, emotion regulation, interpersonal difficulties and suicidal behavior.Results: Mediation analysis indicated that emotion dysregulation and interpersonal difficulties significantly mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidality with a medium effect size (R² = .41, p < .001).Conclusions: Study results suggest that early childhood abuse and neglect results in dysfunctional emotion regulation, which leads to suicidality in the context of impoverished social environments. The provision of psychological interventions aimed at improving social and emotional functioning may help to safeguard men who are most at risk of suicide.     

A prospective,longitudinal cohort study: The impact of child maltreatment on delinquency among South Korean youth in middle and high school

BackgroundCultural groups vary in how they understand child maltreatment and children's misbehavior and these cultural variations may impact the relationship between maltreatment and delinquency.ObjectiveThis study investigated the impact of maltreatment on delinquency among South Korean youth. Participants and Setting: Using Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey data, this study followed two cohorts of middle (n = 2,275) and high (n = 2,272) school youth for their first self-reported delinquency over 4 years.MethodDiscrete-time hazard model was used for the analyses.ResultsApproximately 19% of middle and 11% of high school youth engaged in delinquency for 4 years. Maltreatment is associated with delinquency only for high school youth (HR = 1.42). In both cohorts, male youth with high levels of aggression were more likely to engage in delinquency. Additional risk factors included high levels of depression (HR = 1.36) and negative attitudes toward school rules (HR = 0.68), father's education less than high school (HR = 0.63), low levels of self-control (HR = 0.63). Findings also identified culturally unique factors that place Korean youth at heightened risk of delinquency: mother's education more than high school (HR = 1.49) and higher family income (HR = 1.93).ConclusionPreventive interventions need to identify culturally specific risk factors for youth at increased risk of delinquency and thus these preventive interventions should be culturally tailored.     

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.     

Household composition and maltreatment allegations in the US: Deconstructing the at-risk single mother family

BackgroundPrevious research has demonstrated the association between child maltreatment and household composition, with increased maltreatment risk generally present in single mother households. However, existing research does not fully examine the complexity and configuration of single mother households. In particular, less is known about important variants of single parent family structures, such as grandparents residing in the home, and the extent to which household compositions change across time.ObjectiveThe present study examines rates of maltreatment allegations across various household compositions in a sample of single biological mother households. Participants and Setting: Youth participants (N = 417) were part of the larger multi-site Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) study.MethodsParticipants completed longitudinal assessments of household composition and maltreatment allegations from ages 4 to 10. Results: The present study illustrates substantial variability in the rate of maltreatment allegations across different types of single mother household compositions. In particular, the presence of non-relatives, especially unrelated males, demonstrated an increased risk for maltreatment allegations in the home. Conversely, single mother homes with two or more adult relatives, especially grandmothers, were at reduced risk for child maltreatment allegations.ConclusionsThis study highlights variability in maltreatment allegations among single mother homes, including how maltreatment allegations vary across different household configurations, across child age periods and across different risk levels.     

Using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children-Short form (TSCC-SF) on abused children in South Africa: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch models

BackgroundWhile assessment measures of trauma-related symptoms in children exist, few of them are at once brief, self-reports, normed, comprehensive (i.e., cover both general and trauma-specific symptoms), and thus suitable for poorly resourced clinical contexts.ObjectiveThis study validated the short form of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-SF) in a sample of children and adolescents.Participants and settingsParticipants were school-age children and adolescents (N = 270; M_age = 12.55 yrs., SD = 1.19; 67% = Female) exposed to different types of abuse (i.e., sexual, physical, emotional and neglect) receiving counselling at a non-governmental organisation.MethodsThe TSCC-SF’s factor structure and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sexes were examined using confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis.ResultsResults revealed a satisfactory construct validity of the scale, while internal consistency was also adequate. No DIF was found across the sexes.ConclusionsThe TSCC-SF appears to be a viable option for use with children exposed to different types of abuse, particularly in low resource clinical contexts.     

Beyond the Sex Binary: Toward the Inclusive Anatomical Sciences Education

Developments in biology and genetics in recent decades have caused significant shifts in the understanding and conceptualization of human biological variation. Humans vary biologically in different ways, including individually, due to age, ancestry, and sex. An understanding of the complexities of all levels of biological variation is necessary for efficient health care delivery. Important steps in teaching medical students about human variation could be carried out in anatomy classes, and thus, it is important that anatomical education absorbs new developments in how biological variation is comprehended. Since the early 1990s biological sex in humans has been vigorously investigated by scientists, social scientists, and interest groups. Consequently, the binary division in male and female sex has been called into question and a more fluid understanding of sex has been proposed. Some of the major textbooks teach anatomy, particularly of the urogenital system, as a male-female binary. Anatomical sciences curricula need to adopt a more current approach to sex including the introduction of the category of “intersex”/“differences in sexual development” and present sex as a continuum rather than two sharply divided sets of characteristics. This approach offers a better understanding of the complexity of sex differences and, at the same time, provides students with an improved theoretical framework for understanding human variation in general, transcending the limitations of biological typology. When well delivered, the non-binary approach could play a significant contribution to the formation of competent and responsible medical practitioners and avoidance of problematic practices such as non-consensual “normalizing” surgeries.     

红色旅游与体育旅游融合性开发的策略研究——以韶山为例

阐述了红色旅游与体育旅游的概念,以及韶山红色旅游与体育旅游融合性开发所具有的现实意义,对韶山红色旅游与体育旅游融合性开发的优势与机遇进行分析,并提出了红色旅游与体育旅游融合性开发的思路与对策,及应该注意的问题。     

First-time maltreatment in children ages 2–10 with and without specific birth defects: A population–based study

Children with disabilities are at an increased risk for maltreatment. However, little is known about the risk of maltreatment in children with specific types of birth defects. This study was conducted to determine whether the risk and predictors of maltreatment in children 2 to 10 years of age differ between those without and with specific birth defects: Down syndrome, cleft lip with/without cleft palate, and spina bifida. State administrative and United States Census data were linked to identify study groups, variables of interest, and outcome measures. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to identify study groups and variables associated with an increased risk for maltreatment. The prevalence of substantiated maltreatment was consistently highest among children with cleft lip with/without cleft palate. After adjusting for birth-level factors, children with Down syndrome and cleft lip with/without cleft palate were 34% and 26% more likely to have been maltreated than those without birth defects, respectively. In all three birth defect groups, the risk of medical neglect was higher (relative risks ranged from 3 to 11) than in the unaffected group. The factors associated with increased risk for maltreatment were similar across all groups. Of note, parity, maternal education, and maternal Medicaid use at birth were all associated with greater than 2-fold increased risk for maltreatment. Our findings suggest that the families of children with birth defects may need support services throughout early childhood to help families cope with the needs of their children and reduce the risk of maltreatment.     

Childhood sexual abuse,risky sexual behaviors and adverse reproductive health outcomes among Chinese college students

BackgroundChildhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a serious public health problem worldwide.ObjectivesWe reported the prevalence of CSA and examined its association with risky sexual behaviors and adverse reproductive health outcomes among college students in China.Participants and settingParticipants were 17,966 college students from 130 colleges in Eastern, Central, and Western China, who completed the online questionnaire in January–August 2015.MethodsData were obtained from a cluster-random Internet-based survey. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed: risky sexual behaviors and adverse reproductive health outcomes were outcome variables, and various types of CSA were predictor variables, while adjusting for socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics.ResultsThe overall prevalence of any type of CSA was 27.5%. Most perpetrators were friends/acquaintances (34.6%) or intimate partners (24.7%) of the victims. Respondents who reported penetrative CSA were strongly associated with regular unprotected sex (odds ratio (OR): 3.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2–4.0), early sexual debut (OR: 5.5, 95% CI: 3.3–9.1), having genital tract symptoms in the last 12 months (OR: 5.0, 95% CI: 4.1–6.0), unintended pregnancy (OR: 6.2, 95% CI: 4.2–9.0), and induced abortion (OR: 5.5, 95% CI: 3.7–8.2) (for boys, the survey asked about history of unintended pregnancy and induced abortion of their sexual partners). A dose-response relationship was found across non-contact, contact, and penetrative CSA.ConclusionsCSA experience may increase the likelihood of risky sexual behaviors and adverse reproductive health outcomes in victims’ early adulthood.