[Editor's note: Dr. Harise Stein at Stanford University edits a web site — abuseresearch.info — that focuses on the effects of abuse, and includes research articles on PACEs. Every month, she posts the summaries of the abstracts and links to research articles that address only ACEs, PCEs and PACEs. Thank you, Harise!]
Child Abuse
Riccardi JS, Hale M.
Adverse childhood experiences and brain injury in younger children: Findings from the 2021-2022 National Survey of Children's Health. Brain injury. 2024:1-10. PMID: 39383436
From a large national survey, “Brain injury risk was found to increase with an increasing number of ACEs for children under 12 years old in the US. This association was strongest for children 6–11 years old not involved in sports, compared to sports-involved children. Children with co-occurring brain injury and ACEs were found to have worse health and educational outcomes compared to children with brain injury who have not experienced an ACE. Together, these findings support the need for caregiver education on and screening for brain injury in families experiencing ACEs, as well as continued research and implementation of timely assessment and intervention of associated difficulties to improve functioning and long-term outcomes.”
Focardi M, Gori V, Romanelli M, et al.
"Mimics" of Injuries from Child Abuse: Case Series and Review of the Literature. Children (Basel). 2024 Sep 9;11(9):1103. PMID: 39334635
Six cases of abuse “mimics" out of 418 cases of suspected mistreatment (1.43% of cases) were identified, which included 3 cases of alternative healing treatments such as cupping (using a warm cup on the skin which can result in bruising), and 3 cases of genital lichen sclerosis et atrophicus (a vulvar skin disorder resulting in thinning and easy cracking and bleeding) misdiagnosed as sexual abuse.
Boswell E, Crouch E, Odahowski C, Hung P.
Examining the Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and ADHD in School-Aged Children Following the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of attention disorders. 2024:10870547241290673. PMID: 39422221
From a large national survey of children 5-17 years old 2021-2022, children with ADHD were more likely to experience every type of ACE. Children with 4+ ACEs were 3.44 times more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis. “Male children, children with fair or poor health, and children living in rural counties were more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis, while children of color and uninsured children were less likely…These findings highlight the need for clinicians to consider traumatic stress in ADHD screening. Policymakers and early childhood organizations should encourage early screening and intervention for ACEs to reduce the impacts of ADHD diagnoses.”
Ayer L, Hassler G, Ohana E, et al.
Longitudinal trajectories of suicidal ideation among child welfare-involved 7- to 12-year-old children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2024;65(11):1453-65. PMID: 38659338
Of 2186 children involved in the child welfare system, those with persistent suicidal ideation across 3 waves of data were more likely to be female, have both internalizing and externalizing problems, and to have experienced severe physical abuse.
Baldwin R, Baidawi S, Grove C, et al.
Differences in ambulance attendances between children with and without an identified history of out-of-home-care. Child Abuse Negl. 2024;158:107086. PMID: 39442375
For 27,565 Australian children 0-17 years old, out of home care (OOHC) was associated with multiple “ambulance attendances” (increase utilization of emergency care) due to “higher co-occurrence of substance-related harms, violence, self-harm, suicide ideation and attempts, a developmental or intellectual disability, and mental health conditions compared with children without OOHC history.”
Lowthian E, Moore G, Evans A, et al.
Receipt of social services intervention in childhood, educational attainment and emergency hospital admissions: longitudinal analyses of national administrative health, social care, and education data in Wales, UK. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):2912. PMID: 39434058
Using linked databases for Wales, UK, for children and household members (N = 30,439) across four different groups: [1] no social care intervention; [2] children in need but not in care; [3] children on the Child Protection Register but not in care; [4] children in care - i.e. removed from the family home and looked after by the local authority, “All groups of children in receipt of social services intervention are at risk for higher hospital admissions and lower educational attainment compared to children with no experience of social care intervention…there is a need for policy and practice to focus on all three groups, not just those in out-of-home care, to ensure the needs of those still at home are properly met.”
Helton JJ, Hong JS, Kong V.
Bullying victimisation and perpetration of foster and kinship youth in the USA. Inj Prev. 2024 Oct 2:ip-2024-045294. PMID: 39358040
From a large US children’s health survey looking at bullying, “Pre-COVID-19, 69% of foster youth were victimised compared with 44% of kinship and 48% of birth-family youth, and 57% of foster youth perpetrated compared with 21% of kinship and 20% of birth-family youth. During COVID-19, the relative risk of both victimisation and perpetration flipped between groups…Foster youth are at high risk for victimisation and perpetration compared with youth living with kinship or birth families. Results indicate that prevention efforts in school settings may be the most effective.”
Yates P, Mullins E, Adams A, Kewley S.
Sibling sexual abuse: What do we know? What do we need to know? Stage 1 analysis of a 2-stage scoping review. Child Abuse Negl. 2024:107076. PMID: 39389848
“While poorly and inconsistently defined, sibling sexual abuse is a common form of child sexual abuse with significant consequences for the whole family. It may involve children of any age and sex, entail the full range of sexual behaviours, and can take place in families from across the socioeconomic spectrum. Disclosure is uncommon during childhood…Official records are likely to under-report the frequency and duration of the abuse…This paper…presents key findings as well as a summary of practice and research recommendations.”
Lewin T, Black B, Socolof M, Talmon A.
The parental experience and emotional response to sibling sexual abuse: When a parent's most valuable gift becomes a source of trauma. Child Abuse Negl. 2024:107079. PMID: 39379195
From an online survey of 58 participants “who identify as a parent of a child who was sexually abused by a sibling, a child who sexually harmed a sibling, or both…results recognize the unique trauma experienced by parents where sibling sexual abuse occurred in their family. It acknowledges the crucial need for clinicians, professionals, family and friends to support parents during this time in order that they can best support their children and family.”
Westphaln KK, Clark L, Watts C, et al.
Parents with disabilities, mandated reporting, and nursing: A scoping review. Nurs Outlook. 2024;72(6):102305. PMID: 39442241
“Many nurses report feeling underprepared and insecure about the mandated reporting of concern for child maltreatment, which is further compounded by parental disability.” This review found “sparse evidence and guidance to help nurses navigate mandated reporting of child abuse in families with parental disability”. Authors identify “opportunities to inform research, policy, and practice”.
Adult Manifestations of Child Abuse
Kurbatfinski S, Dosani A, Dewey DM, Letourneau N.
Proposed Physiological Mechanisms Underlying the Association between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health Conditions: A Narrative Review. Children (Basel, Switzerland). 2024;11(9). PMID: 39334644
“The purpose of this narrative review was to synthesize and critique the peer-reviewed literature on physiological mechanisms proposed to underlie the impacts of ACEs on mental health, specifically: (1) hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning [stress hormones], (2) inflammation, (3) genetic inheritance and differential susceptibility, (4) epigenetics [cell life span], (5) brain structure and function, (6) oxidative stress [the ability of a cell to detoxify and repair cellular damage], and (7) metabolic profiles [functioning of the body, relating to disease risk and outcome].”
Babatunde OA, Gonzalez K, Osazuwa-Peters N, et al.
Adverse Childhood Events Significantly Impact Depression and Mental Distress in Adults with a History of Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2024;16(19). PMID: 39409912
From a database of 14,132 adult cancer survivors, 22% of respondents reported experiencing ≥3 ACEs. The prevalence of depression was 21.8%. Compared with cancer survivors who had experienced 0 ACEs, those who had experienced ≥3 ACEs were 3.94 times more likely and for 1-2 ACEs 1.85 times more likely to report depression.
Ranallo L, Pathak HB, He J, et al.
Feasibility Study of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Treatment-Related Sequelae, and Inflammatory Markers in Breast Cancer Survivors. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2024;51(6):516-28. PMID: 39431688
For 120 breast cancer survivors 3 or more years from diagnosis with complete treatment response, “Higher ACE scores correlated with greater fatigue, anxiety, and depression, and with lower cognitive function…Oncology nurses should consider incorporating ACEs assessment into the workflow for women receiving survivorship care.”
Carola V, Vincenzo C, Di Vincenzo G, et al.
Psychological risk factors and cardiovascular disease. Frontiers in psychology. 2024;15:1419731. PMID: 39403242
This research review assessed the impact of psychological risk factors on cardiovascular disease, including workplace stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, Takotsubo syndrome [stress effects on heart, mimicking a heart attack], bereavement, coping strategies, attachment, personality traits, ACEs, anxiety and depression.
Esterov D, Persaud TD, Dens Higano JC, et al.
Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences Predicts Increased Neurobehavioral Symptom Reporting in Adults with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Neurotrauma Rep. 2024;5(1):874-82. PMID: 39391050
For 78 individuals with mild traumatic brain injury presenting for treatment to an outpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation clinic, after adjusting for age and gender, those with a history of ACEs reported significantly increased neurobehavioral symptoms on intake.
Venkatesan UM, Juengst SB.
Adverse childhood experiences in adults with chronic traumatic brain injury: Support for a life course approach to brain injury rehabilitation. Disability and health journal. 2024:101714. PMID: 39406646
For 85 Philadelphia-area participants with chronic (>1 year post-injury) traumatic brain injury (TBI), “The median number of total ACEs was 3 (range: 0-17). Emotional abuse, physical abuse, and alcohol abuse in the household were the most common conventional ACEs (each at 36.5 %). Witnessing violence (45 %) was the most common community ACE. Black individuals reported more community ACEs than White individuals. Total ACEs was significantly related to more severe mental health symptoms and poorer health-related quality of life… results underscore the value of trauma-informed and life course approaches to research and clinical care in TBI.”
Gorthy AS, Balleste AF, Placeres-Uray F, Atkins CM.
Chronic Stress in Early Development and Effects on Traumatic Brain Injury Outcome. Adv Neurobiol. 2024;42:179-204. PMID: 39432043
“Complete recovery from mTBI [minimal traumatic brain injury] normally requires days to weeks, yet a subset of the population suffers from symptoms for weeks to months after injury. The risk factors for these prolonged symptoms have not yet been fully understood. In this chapter, we address one proposed risk factor, early life stress (ELS) and its influence on mTBI recovery…for a deeper understanding of the neuronal, hormonal, and cognitive changes that occur after mTBI following ELS…how adverse childhood experiences may predispose a subset of individuals to poorer recovery after mTBI.”
Vaidya N, Marquand AF, Nees F, Siehl S, Schumann G.
The impact of psychosocial adversity on brain and behaviour: an overview of existing knowledge and directions for future research. Mol Psychiatry. 2024;29(10):3245-67. PMID: 38658773
“In this review, we explore the effects of adversity on brain's structure and function and its implications for brain development, adaptation, and the emergence of mental health disorders. We are focusing on adverse events that emerge from the immediate surroundings of an individual, i.e., microenvironment. They include childhood maltreatment, peer victimisation, social isolation, affective loss, domestic conflict, and poverty. We also take into consideration exposure to environmental toxins…different types of adversity may share common underlying mechanisms while also exhibiting unique pathways. However, they are often studied in isolation, limiting our understanding of their combined effects and the interconnected nature of their impact…This review provides a background for future research, highlighting the importance of understanding the cumulative impact of various adversities.”
Moran P, Chandler A, Dudgeon P, et al.
The Lancet Commission on self-harm. Lancet. 2024;404(10461):1445-92. PMID: 39395434
“Self-harm refers to intentional self-poisoning or injury, irrespective of apparent purpose, and can take many forms, including overdoses of medication, ingestion of harmful substances, cutting, burning, or punching. The focus of this Commission is on non-fatal self-harm…Self-harm is a behaviour, not a psychiatric diagnosis, with a wide variety of underlying causes and contributing factors…we set out to integrate missing perspectives about self-harm from across the world alongside existing mainstream scientific knowledge, with the aim of…improving the treatment of people who self-harm internationally.”
Infurna MR, Fazio L, Bevacqua E, et al.
Understanding the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and neglect and psychological distress in pregnant women: the role of prenatal attachment. BMC psychology. 2024;12(1):520. PMID: 39354645
“The transition to motherhood is a sensitive period, particularly for women who have experienced abuse and neglect during childhood. These experiences may negatively impact a woman's disposition to emotionally and behaviorally engage in the formation of a bond with their unborn baby. These results may have important prevention and clinical implications.”
Sher-Censor E, Feniger-Schaal R, Slonim M, Koren-Karie N.
Effects of adverse childhood experiences on observed parenting and children's behavior problems among Jewish and Arab Muslim families in Israel. Dev Psychopathol. 2024:1-11. PMID: 39363733
In this Israeli study of 232 non-ultra-orthodox Jewish, ultra-orthodox Jewish, and Arab Muslim mothers with median age of a child 18 months, for all groups, maternal ACEs were directly associated with decreased maternal sensitivity. Mothers' ACEs were indirectly associated with more behavior problems in children through mothers' higher psychological distress…Findings emphasize the significant role ACEs play in early mother-child relationships. The importance of including ACE assessment in research and practice with families of infants and toddlers is discussed.”
Walker-Mao C, Farewell CV, Nagle-Yang S, et al.
Adverse childhood experiences predict anxiety during postpartum and early childhood parenting. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2024;45(1):2410203. PMID: 39431449
“Perinatal anxiety disorders (PAD) affect one in five pregnant/postpartum people and are associated with adverse maternal and child health outcomes…mothers reporting four or more ACEs had significantly higher levels of anxiety than those reporting less than four ACEs…Our findings support screening for and addressing maternal ACEs early in obstetric care and well-child visits through trauma-informed, strengths-based approaches that promote maternal, child, and intergenerational well-being.”
Senaratne DNS, Koponen M, Barnett KN, et al.
Impact of adverse childhood experiences on analgesia-related outcomes: a systematic review. Br J Anaesth. 2024 Oct 21:S0007-0912(24)00568-3. PMID: 39438213
From a research review on the association between ACEs and pain medication (analgesics), “No studies assessed the effect of ACE exposure on the potential benefits of analgesics. ACE exposure was associated with greater use of analgesic medication, higher incidence of analgesic medication side-effects, greater risk and severity of substance misuse, greater risk of drug overdose, and greater risk of attempted suicide in opioid dependency.”
Adolescents
Lee RD, Luo F.
Parental incarceration in childhood and adult intimate partner violence perpetration. Crim Justice Behav. 2023;50(11):1661-78. PMID: 39350968
Using data from a large national adolescent study, “Exposure to PI [parental incarceration] was significantly associated with increased risk of all IPV perpetration behaviors in adulthood, except forced sex. The association of PI exposure with issuing threats, pushing, and throwing objects did not differ by race/ethnicity or sex. Associations of PI exposure with slapping, hitting, or kicking and injuring a partner were stronger for non-Hispanic White persons than for non-Hispanic Black persons. Differing patterns of elevated violence risk in adults with PI history suggest tailored preventive strategies may be of value.”
Farooq B, Russell AE, Howe LD, et al.
The relationship between type, timing and duration of exposure to ACEs and adolescent self-harm and depression. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2024 Oct;65(10):1369-1387. PMID: 38613494
Across three different UK studies, the majority of ACEs were associated with co-occurring self-harm and depression in adolescents, with consistent findings across the studies. Details of studies showed differences in timing and exposure duration; for example longer duration of exposure to parental mental health problems was strongly associated with co-occurring self-harm and depression in two of the studies.
Haslam SK, Hamilton-Hinch B, Torres S, et al.
ACEs, maladaptive coping behaviours and protective factors in undergraduate students: A cross-sectional study. J Am Coll Health. 2024:1-12. PMID: 39383094
For 327 Canadian college students, 42.5% reported 3+ ACEs. “Respondents with high ACEs and low levels of protective factors reported lower levels of hope and forgiveness and higher levels of stress and rumination.”
Ghaffari A, Graves KY, Hogans-Mathews S, et al.
Associations of adverse childhood events with disordered eating behaviors among US adolescents. Eat Behav. 2024;55:101929. PMID: 39447402
Using data from a large US survey of children aged 10-17, “This study’s results demonstrated a dose-response relationship between the number of ACEs and the odds of reporting any DEB [disordered eating behaviors including skipping meals or fasting, low interest in food, and binge eating]…Thus, it is imperative to use opportune times such as primary care office visits to intentionally identify and address both ACEs and DEBs in this population.”
Kemp L, Elcombe E, Blythe S, Grace R, Donohoe K, Sege R.
The Impact of Positive and Adverse Experiences in Adolescence on Health and Wellbeing Outcomes in Early Adulthood. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024;21(9). PMID: 39338030
From a long-term study of Australian youth, a higher number of adverse youth experiences (AYEs) was associated with poorer health, education, and employment outcomes. Participants with higher positive youth experiences had significantly greater odds of better general and mental health outcomes, even after accounting for AYEs, but not for employment or education outcomes. “Reducing adverse experiences and environments and increasing positive ones during adolescence could enhance adult wellbeing.”
Swedo EA, Pampati S, Anderson KN, et al.
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Conditions and Risk Behaviors Among High School Students. MMWR Suppl. 2024;73(4):39-50. PMID: 39378222
From a large national US study of high school students, “ACEs were common, with approximately three in four students (76.1%) experiencing one or more ACEs and approximately one in five students (18.5%) experiencing four or more ACEs. The most common ACEs were emotional abuse (61.5%), physical abuse (31.8%), and household poor mental health (28.4%). Students who identified as female; American Indian or Alaska Native; multiracial; or gay or lesbian, bisexual, questioning, experienced the highest number of ACEs. Population-attributable fractions associated with experiencing ACEs were highest for suicide attempts (89.4%), seriously considering attempting suicide (85.4%), and prescription opioid misuse (84.3%). ACEs contribute substantially to numerous health conditions and risk behaviors in adolescence.”
Swedo EA, Anderson KN, Okwori G, DePadilla, et al.
Adolescents' Adverse Childhood Experiences, Poor Mental Health, and Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Adolesc Health. 2024 Sep 28:S1054-139X(24)00391-4. PMID: 39352358
From a 2021 national survey, “Use of all substances was higher among adolescents with ACEs, particularly those who experienced both ACEs and poor mental health. Prevalence of substance use was especially high among adolescents exposed to any sexual violence or physical dating violence. Compared to adolescents without ACEs, a higher percentage of adolescents with 4+ ACEs reported current use of alcohol (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 5.32), marijuana (aPR, 5.86), misuse of prescription pain medications (aPR, 8.82), binge drinking (aPR, 7.70), and increased alcohol (aPR, 6.54) or drug (aPR, 7.09) use during the pandemic.”
Judd J, Pilkington RM, Malvaso C, et al.
Mental health-related hospitalisations of adolescents and their contact with child protection services to age 11 years, South Australia: a whole-of-population descriptive study. Med J Aust. 2024 Nov 18;221(10):540-545. PMID: 39433873
Of 175,115 adolescents born during 1991-1999, 3.2% had been hospitalised with mental health conditions, and 15.5% had histories of contact with child protection services…About 45% of mental health-related hospitalisations of 12-17-year-old adolescents were of people who had had contact with CPS by age 11…The trauma associated with a history of child protection…should be considered when adolescents are hospitalised with mental health conditions.
Domestic Violence – Effects on Children
Clark I, Nahmias J, Jebbia M, et al.
Incidence and Outcomes of Pregnant Trauma Patients With Positive Urine Toxicology: A Southern California Multicenter Study. Am Surg. 2024:31348241290612. PMID: 39392904
In a multicenter study of 852 pregnant trauma patients, 9.8% had a positive urine toxicology screen (Utox), with the most common substances being THC (57%) and Methamphetamine (44%). Those with +Utox were more likely to have higher rates of blunt head injury (9.5% vs 4.2%), extremity injury (14.3% vs 6.5%), domestic violence (21.4% vs 5.9%), suicide attempt (3.6% vs 0.3%), and uterine contractions (46% vs 23.5%). However, they did not have higher rates of abnormal fetal heart tracing, premature rupture of membranes, placental injury, or maternal complications.
Scott SE, Laubacher C, Chang J, et al.
Perinatal Economic Abuse: Experiences, Impacts, and Needed Resources. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2024 Nov;33(11):1536-1553. PMID: 39037010
From interviews with 20 IPV survivors and 18 IPV advocates, “Participants described experiences of financial control, exploitation, and employment sabotage. Partners leveraged the criminal-legal, child welfare, and health care systems and cultural norms about pregnancy, including those related to gender and religion to financially harm survivors. Advocates described how economic abuse impacts marginalized survivors. Dream resources include cash assistance, healthy relationship and financial education, and employer policies.” Impacts of financial abuse included inability to care for health during pregnancy, and lack of options to leave.
Anderson KN, Chen MS, Swedo EA, et al.
Child-Focused and Economic Stability Service Requests and Barriers to Service Access Among Intimate Partner Violence Survivors With and Without Children, 2017-2021. J Fam Violence. 2024;39(6):1145-63. PMID: 39445137
From an analysis of calls to the Domestic Violence Hotline, 42.6% reported having a child at home. Survivors with children compared to those without children reported greater polyvictimization, were more likely to request economic stability services, and were more likely to report service access barriers. “IPV survivors with children need additional supports; organizations serving IPV survivors with children may consider the unique needs of this population.”
Zivin K, Zhong C, Rodríguez-Putnam A, et al.
Suicide Mortality During the Perinatal Period. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jun 3;7(6):e2418887. PMID: 38935375
Using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System on suicide during the perinatal period, “This study included 1150 perinatal decedents: 39.6% were pregnant at death, 17.7% were pregnant within 42 days of death, and 42.7% were pregnant within 43 to 365 days before death…The mean age was 29.1 years for perinatal decedents and 35.8 years for nonperinatal decedents. Compared with matched nonperinatal decedents, perinatal decedents had higher odds of the following identified contributing circumstances: intimate partner problems (odds ratio [OR], 1.45), recent argument (OR, 1.33), depressed mood (OR, 1.39), substance abuse or other abuse (OR, 1.21), physical health problems (OR, 1.37), and death of a family member or friend (OR, 1.47). The findings of the qualitative analysis emphasized the importance of mental health and identified 12.4% of decedents with postpartum depression.”
Murgueitio N, Sheridan MA, Bauer DJ, Propper CB.
Developmental mechanisms linking deprivation and threat to psychopathology and school outcomes. Dev Psychopathol. 2024:1-12. PMID: 39429002
“In this longitudinal study of 206 mother-child dyads…across the first 7 years of life, threat was measured by the presence of domestic violence, and deprivation by the lack of cognitive stimulation within the parent-child interaction…children who experienced more deprivation showed poor academic achievement through difficulties with executive function, while children who experienced more threat had higher levels of psychopathology through increased emotional reactivity.”
D'Angelo DV, Kapaya M, Swedo EA, et al.
Physical Intimate Partner Violence and Increased Partner Aggression During Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Public Health Rep. 2024:333549241278631. PMID: 39342451
From a national study in 2020, “Among 14 154 respondents, 1.6% reported physical IPV during pregnancy, and 3.1% reported increased aggression by a husband or partner due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents experiencing any economic, housing, or childcare COVID-19-related stressors reported approximately twice the prevalence of both types of violence as compared with those without COVID-19-related stressors. Physical IPV and increased aggression were associated with a higher prevalence of postpartum depressive symptoms, and postpartum cigarette smoking. Physical IPV was associated with a lower prevalence of attending postpartum care visits. Our findings support the need for ongoing efforts to prevent IPV during pregnancy and to ensure the availability of resources during public health emergencies.”
Folk JB, Valencia-Ayala C, Holloway ED, et al.
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Family-Based Telehealth Intervention for Families Impacted by the Child Welfare System: Formative Mixed Methods Evaluation. JMIR formative research. 2024;8:e57939. PMID: 39405104
“An open trial of the Family Telehealth Project, a skills-based telehealth intervention for families impacted by the child welfare system, suggests high levels of intervention feasibility and acceptability. Participants noted improvements in areas often hindered by the impacts of trauma and family separation: communication and affect management. Perceptions of the intervention were positive overall for both teens and caregivers. The Family Telehealth Project shows promise in addressing the gaps in behavioral health access for systems-impacted families.”
Mielityinen LA, Ellonen N, Fagerlund M.
Is Physical Intimate Partner Violence a Risk Factor for Physical Child Maltreatment in a Nationally Representative Sample of Finnish School Children? J Interpers Violence. 2024:8862605241289476. PMID: 39440921
From a nationally representative sample of 12 to 13 and 15- to 16-year-old Finnish children (N = 6,825), a country where corporal punishment is prohibited by law, “Around 47.3% of the children who had been exposed to pIPV [physical IPV of caregivers] had also experienced physical child maltreatment [pCM] during the past year, whereas 6.7% of those who had not been exposed to pIPV reported pCM. Children exposed to pIPV were almost three times more likely to experience pCM than children who were not exposed to pIPV. The connection remained statistically significant after controlling for other risk factors.”
Falke M.
The Basics of Trauma-Informed Care in the NICU. Neonatal network. 2024;43(5):323-9. PMID: 39433341
“The impact of trauma in the NICU [neonatal = newborn ICU] extends beyond the immediate medical implications, affecting the long-term well-being of both neonates and their families. For neonates, trauma can disrupt early brain development, impair self-regulation abilities, and increase the risk of behavioral and emotional difficulties later in life…By recognizing the sources of trauma and implementing trauma-informed care practices, NICU professionals can mitigate its effects, promote resilience, and foster healing in this vulnerable population.”
Sexual Assault
Witherspoon NL, Thorp SR, Shuman T, Stolberg R. Predictors of Trauma-Related Self-Blame in Male Survivors of Sexual Violence. J Child Sex Abus. 2024:1-19. PMID: 39420502
“Male survivors of adult sexual assault and child sexual abuse - together encompassing sexual violence (SV) - experience a number of adverse consequences. High rates of self-blame can lead to increased symptomatology and treatment resistance.” From an online survey of 179 cisgender male survivors of SV, 93% of the sample reported some level of self-blame. Self-blame was strongly associated with rape myth acceptance, with participants who used substances within 12 hours prior to their SV, and with participants who had not previously disclosed their abuse. “The findings of this research highlight the high rates of self-blame and how imperative it is to provide psychoeducation …and to normalize these experiences.”
Lee H.
State-level structural sexism and adolescent sexual violence victimization in the US. Child Abuse Negl. 2024;158:107096. PMID: 39423595
“Structural sexism, a form of gender inequality at the societal level, may play a crucial role in influencing the prevalence of sexual violence victimization…captures the overall gender climate within a state, potentially creating an environment that normalizes gender-based power imbalance.” This study analyzed nine variables by state, that included such data as the male/female ratio for: state legislators, median income, higher education, etc., and then compared adolescent sexual violence from a large national study. “In states with higher levels of structural sexism, female adolescents reported significantly increased likelihood of sexual violence, sexual dating violence, and physical dating violence compared to males. Conversely, male adolescents in these states reported lower rates of victimization…Addressing structural sexism may be essential in mitigating the risk of sexual violence victimization, especially for female adolescents.”
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