[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!]
Human Trafficking
Santiago Mangual KP, Patin E, Chandler M, et al.
Part I: Health issues of those experiencing trafficking: Background and context for dermatologists. Clin Dermatol. 2024 Sep 27:S0738-081X(24)00197-4. PMID: 39341515
“This paper reviews the current understanding of trafficking, outlines the epidemiology and legal framework surrounding it, and discusses gaps in training for health care providers and policy that may hinder effective identification and intervention. It also explores state and national efforts to incorporate human trafficking education into health care training, emphasizing the need for standardized, trauma-informed approaches within dermatology.” Online toolkit
Patin E, Santiago Mangual KP, Chandler M, et al.
Part II: Skin signs of human trafficking and intervention by dermatologists. Clin Dermatol. 2024 Sep 26:S0738-081X(24)00198-6. PMID: 39341512
“We hope to emphasize the importance of early identification and intervention, as well as bring awareness to critical signs, including dermatologic evidence of abuse, infectious diseases, sexually transmitted infections, substance use, and branding. In understanding this, we can bring awareness to dermatologists' critical role in caring for this patient population and their associated cutaneous manifestations.” Registry of skin signs
Santiago Mangual KP, Patin E, Chandler M, et al.
Part III: Navigating an encounter with a trafficked person in the dermatology clinic. Clin Dermatol. 2024 Sep 26:S0738-081X(24)00199-8. PMID: 39341514
“The third part of this series focuses on navigating encounters with trafficked persons within the dermatology clinic, emphasizing the importance of trauma-informed, patient-centered care. We reviewed the barriers trafficked patients face and mechanisms to overcome them, the importance of comprehensive needs assessments, and the implementation of effective health care protocols.”
Panda P, Deng Y, Fang A, Ward V, Wang E, Newberry J, et al.
Increased Emergency Department Identification of Young People Experiencing Trafficking During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis. Public Health Rep. 2024:333549241279662. PMID: 39344051
“We performed an interrupted time-series analysis using the Pediatric Health Information System database, which includes data from 49 US children's hospitals, to determine differences in rates of trafficked young people identified in pediatric EDs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic…We found a 1.92-fold increase in the incidence rate of identified trafficked young people at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, followed by a decrease over time…should alert pediatric ED providers to the opportunity to identify and provide services for trafficked young people as an important part of improving preparedness for future disease outbreaks.”
LGBTQ Concerns
McMillan IF, Brienzo MJ, Gezinski LB, et al.
Technology-Facilitated Abuse Among College Students: Prevalence and Consequences, and Examinations by Gender and Sexual Identity. J Interpers Violence. 2024:8862605241287801. PMID: 39376116
From a survey of 1563 college students, technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) was more prevalent among sexual and gender minority students, and the consequences of academic standing, depression, anxiety, and traumatic stress were more severe within this population. “These results suggest that programming takes a dual approach in addressing TFA through reducing TFA exposure and mitigating the impacts of TFA on mental health and other outcomes.”
Tran NK, Lett E, Cassese B, et al.
Conversion practice recall and mental health symptoms in sexual and gender minority adults in the USA: a cross-sectional study. The lancet Psychiatry. 2024;11(11):879-89. PMID: 39362229
Using data from the PRIDE study, “149 (3·4%) participants reported sexual orientation-related conversion practice alone, 43 (1·0%) reported gender identity-related conversion practice alone, and 42 (1·0%) reported both.” Either or both practices were variously significantly associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Race/Cultural Concerns
Brooks KC, Raffel KE, Chia D, et al.
Stigmatizing Language, Patient Demographics, and Errors in the Diagnostic Process. JAMA Intern Med. 2024 Jun 1;184(6):704-706. PMID: 38619826
From a review of 2347 multisite charts of patients who died while hospitalized, diagnostic errors were identified in 23.2%, and stigmatizing language in 5.1%. “Stigmatizing language [SL] was more common among Black patients (9.6%) than among Asian (3.9%) or White (3.8%) patients and among patients with housing instability (15.1% vs 4.9%)…SL was associated with delays in care at presentation (OR, 1.9) and communication with patients and caregivers (OR, 3.8).”
Iversen C, Flinkfeldt M, Hamed S.
Dealing with callers' racialised talk in suicide preventive helplines: Accomplishing (anti)racism in the context of unconditional support. Sociol Health Illn. 2024 Nov;46(8):1547-1586. PMID: 38861477
From racialized calls to a mental health counselling hotline in Sweden, “This speaks to the complexity of responding to racism in a mental health setting, as counsellors must see to callers' needs, and calling out racialised talk may alienate callers. Call-takers manage this problem in three ways: (1) questioning racialised talk, (2) supporting the callers' stance in a way that makes it ambiguous if call-takers are coproducing racism or affiliating with callers' lives being difficult and (3) supporting callers' problems as mental health issues while resisting a potentially racist trajectory. The study offers direct insight into the workings of racism in health care and how practitioners can balance health care users' needs for support with an antiracist position.”
Gibbons SM, Krase KE, Landzaat LH, Spoozak LA.
Recognizing and Responding to Overt Racism Towards Medical Trainees: Using the IRES Tool and Scripted Language. MedEdPORTAL. 2024;20:11453. PMID: 39450071
“We aimed to provide methods for faculty to recognize and respond to overt racism so that trainees feel supported in the clinical learning environment…created a faculty development workshop with didactic and experiential learning components…Providing scripted language and being able to practice in a safe environment were particularly important. This training can be adapted to include residents, fellows, and other disciplines.” Training materials
McKinnon, II, Krause KH, Suarez NA, et al.
Experiences of Racism in School and Associations with Mental Health, Suicide Risk, and Substance Use Among High School Students - Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. MMWR Suppl. 2024;73(4):31-8. PMID: 39378188
“In 2023, approximately one in three high school students (31.5%) said that they had ever experienced racism in school. Reported experiences of racism were most prevalent among Asian (56.9%), multiracial (48.8%), and Black or African American (Black) (45.9%) students and least prevalent among White students (17.3%). Black and Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) students who reported experiencing racism had a higher prevalence of all health risk behaviors and experiences investigated, including indicators of poor mental health, suicide risk, and substance use compared with students of their racial and ethnic group who reported never experiencing racism…Among students of color, including AI/AN, Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students, the prevalence of seriously considering and attempting suicide was more than two times higher among students who ever experienced racism compared with those who never experienced racism.”
Osman M, Williams MT, Alftieh A.
State of the Science on Racial Microaggressions. Behav Ther. 2024;55(6):1172-88. PMID: 39443060
“Many initial assumptions about the nature of microaggressions have been found to be incorrect, as we now know that racial microaggressions are neither subtle nor invisible, and in fact they are psychologically harmful, constituting a form of aggressive behavior. As such, it is critical that we redouble our efforts at finding solutions to increase awareness, reduce the prevalence of microaggressions, and help those who have suffered as a result of them…This state of the science review addresses racial microaggressions by reviewing the concept, validated measures, physical and mental health impacts, critiques and misinformation, recommended strategies and interventions, and clinical implications.’
Finley AJ, Baldwin CL, Hebbring TM, et al.
Differences in Emotion Expression, Suppression, and Cardiovascular Consequences Between Black and White Americans in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study. Psychosom Med. 2024 Nov-Dec 01;86(9):748-757. PMID: 39412291
Using data from two time periods of a study of Black and White Americans in midlife, “Black Americans reported engaging in expressive suppression [“the act of masking facial giveaways in order to hide a current emotional state“] more frequently than White Americans…was associated with higher systolic blood pressure only for Black Americans.”
Perpetrators
Shelton JLE, Knox BL, Hardie JE, Burd TE, Hoffer TA, Slater KE.
Child torture as a form of child abuse: An exploratory study of investigative aspects among 42 offenders. Child Abuse Negl. 2024;158:107092. PMID: 39437671
From interviews with 42 child torture (CT) offenders and 35 child torture victims, “Offenders were often female (57 %), most commonly biological mothers (38 %), with a history of violence (57 %). Prior CPS reports were noted in 85 % of cases, less than half of which were substantiated. In over half of the cases (55 %), law enforcement discovered digital documentation of the torture. Over half (54 %) of the victims died as a result of the torture…CT perpetrators inflict a severe, multifaceted type of child abuse that includes extreme physical and psychological maltreatment…includes intense humiliation and terrorization of the targeted child. The unique environmental conditions created (e.g., solitary confinement, forced exercise, position holds and food restrictions), in addition to the victims' perceived omnipotence of the offenders, reflects that CT is distinctly different from other forms of child maltreatment in its premeditation, intent, and ongoing nature. The hallmarks of this severe form of abuse span all facets of the victim's life.”
McDonagh T, Travers Á, Armour C, Cunningham T, Hansen M.
Psychological Predictors of Recidivism for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: A Systematic Scoping Review. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2024:15248380241284793. PMID: 39396186
From a research review of potential predictors of IPV reoffending, “in general, personality assessment appears to be a promising tool in predicting reoffending. Anger, childhood maltreatment, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), implicit attitudes, and neurocognitive deficits were also identified as predictors of IPV recidivism. Methodological issues were found to be present across studies.”
Steely Smith MK, Ten-Bensel T.
Sexual Grooming Behavior and Processes of Women Who Commit Sexual Offenses Against Children. J Interpers Violence. 2024;39(21-22):4526-48. PMID: 38494788
For the present study, we examined the nature of sexual grooming and processes exhibited by a sample of 50 women convicted of sexual offenses against a child…to obtain trust, conceal, and prolong the sexual abuse…most of the women in this study made no mention of being involved in the community or affiliated with children’s organizations. In most cases, these women were friends or acquaintances of family members…women targeted victims who were vulnerable and experiencing dysfunctional home lives, had little social support, and low self-esteem…these women utilized a specific traumatic event or hardship to build trust with their victims.”
Almeida B, Gomes H, Carvalho J.
The Mediating Role of Rape Myths in the Relationship Between the Use of Hentai Pornography and Sexually Aggressive Strategies: A Study with College Students. J Interpers Violence. 2024 Oct 10:8862605241286004. PMID: 39387161
For 906 male and female college students, “the frequency of hentai pornography use predicts sexually aggressive behaviors in male and female participants. The endorsement of rape myths mediated the relationship between the frequency of hentai use and sexually aggressive behavior in both genders and the relationship between the intensity of hentai use and sexually aggressive behavior in men.” From Psychology Today article: Hentai pornography is “porn that comes in cartoons, anime, or Manga format, and it's one of the most popular kinds of porn for Millennials, young adults, and children…rise in popularity is due to unlimited sexual fantasies and highly exaggerated sex acts available through this format…understanding of healthy sexuality can be distorted as imagery of sexual violence, abuse, and degradation are merged with entertainment.”
Police and Court Systems
Dash HR.
Advancements in differentiation between sperm cells and epithelial cells for efficient forensic DNA analysis in sexual assault cases. Int J Legal Med. 2024;138(6):2209-27. PMID: 38995400
Author describes how advanced cell separation techniques have shown “huge promise” in separating DNA from sperm cells and DNA from non-sperm cells (such as skin cells).
Davidson G, Lee-Gorman M, Davidson A.
The transfer of spermatozoa onto children's underwear during normal domestic laundering activities. Forensic Sci Int. 2024;364:112250. PMID: 39405819
“This study demonstrated that background levels of semen can be present on children's clothing during domestic laundering activities which include male underwear when there are sexually active males within the household. Further, that semen can persist in the washing machine even after three washes. This study has produced data which will assist forensic scientists to evaluate cases of child abuse in a domestic setting.”
Morlat PV, Alison L.
Understanding "Childhood Poly-Victimization" to help uncover abuse during child investigative interviewing. Frontiers in psychology. 2024;15:1395940. PMID: 39351110
“Our findings highlight the need for a more theoretically coherent definition of childhood poly-victimization. Questions regarding number of abuses, time consideration (past year vs. lifetime), mental health and severity of abuse should be addressed…A new definition of ‘Childhood Poly-Victimization’ is proposed by the authors as well as a ‘Decision Tree for Identifying Childhood Poly-Victimization’ designed to be used by law enforcement during child investigative interviews.”
Providers
Yang AW, Blosnich JR. Differences in Exposures to Adverse Childhood Experiences by Primary Source of Health Care, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2019-2020. Med Care. 2024 Dec 1;62(12):809-813. PMID: 39377691
Using a large national study to estimate the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among a population-based sample of adults in the United States by their primary source of health care, “Across all health insurance types, at least 60% of individuals reported at least one ACE. The greatest prevalence of patients reporting ≥4 ACEs occurred for military-related health care (21.6%) and Indian Health Service (45.4%). ACEs are extremely common across sources of health care, but some health systems have greater proportions of patients with high ACE exposures. The unique strengths and challenges of specific health care systems need to be integrated into the debate about clinical ACEs screening.”
Pines R, Myers KK, Giles H.
Healthcare Professionals' Emotional Labor and Management of Workplace Violence with Underserved Patients in the Safety Net Context. Health Commun. 2024 Jul;39(8):1558-1567. PMID: 37331974
“Healthcare providers (HP) work in high-stress situations, interacting with patients and families who are often in crisis. HPs who work in safety net clinics, which provide care to uninsured, Medicaid recipients and other vulnerable populations, interact with patients who are frequently frustrated by long wait times, extensive paperwork, short appointments, and have generally lower health literacy. Many patients have chronic conditions and substance use disorders which has been associated with higher likelihood to be perceived as verbally aggressive and/or perpetrate workplace violence. Using interviews with 26 HPs at safety net clinics, we investigated how HPs manage interactions with aggressive patients and avoid burnout…provide guidance to healthcare organizations, and offer directions for future theory and research.”
Garling KA.
Tools for Success in Experiential Education for Pharm.D. Students with Trauma and Adverse Childhood Events (ACES). Am J Pharm Educ. 2024:101302. PMID: 39366634
Very practical and useful article. “Preceptor tools for students living with trauma and ACEs are designed to proactively recognize trauma responses, whether they occur in isolated incidences or of a chronic nature. Screening and assessment can identify students preemptively who may need extra support, resources, and tools for academic resilience. Responding to a student's disclosure with a disclosure plan will lay the groundwork for a safe and productive encounter. During the encounter, prevent re-traumatization by being up to date on sensitive and appropriate language while providing daily logistical tools for success.”
Hickey J, White M, Gantz S.
Best Practices in the Nursing Care of Patients With Injuries From Violence: An Integrative Review. Crit Care Nurse. 2024 Oct 1;44(5):32-41. PMID: 39348930
“Themes included identifying patients as survivors of intimate partner violence or child abuse, the need to collect forensic evidence, the need for emotional support of patients and their loved ones, support for health care workers caring for patients with injuries from violence, prevention of further violence, and the challenges of caring for patients with injuries from violence with concurrent substance use disorders…Health care workers can experience strong emotional responses when caring for these patients, and health care systems should support staff by caring for their mental health…Best practices for these aspects of care are summarized.”
Sahu N, Patil PS, A., Longkumer I.
Understanding and Treating Nightmares: A Comprehensive Review of Psychosocial Strategies for Adults and Children. Cureus. 2024;16(9):e70044. PMID: 39449955
“Nightmares are distressing dreams that evoke strong negative emotions, such as fear or anxiety, often leading to waking from sleep and subsequent sleep disruption. They are prevalent across various age groups, with significant psychological and physiological health implications. This review explores the nature of nightmares, distinguishing them from other sleep disturbances like night terrors and sleep paralysis. It examines the prevalence of nightmares in children and adults, highlighting their impact on mental health and daily functioning. The review also emphasizes the importance of addressing nightmares through effective treatment strategies.”
Constantian MB, Zaborek N.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in 252 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons: Prevalences, ACE Clustering, and Effects on Adult Health and Behaviors, Including Self-Defined Depression, Work Addiction, and Burnout. Aesthet Surg J. 2024 Oct 17:sjae214. PMID: 39417477
From a survey of 252 board-certified plastic surgeons (72% men, 28% women), “42% of plastic surgeons had 1 or more ACEs; 9.9% had 4 or more. Emotional abuse was 2 times higher than the control CDC/Kaiser population, though other ACEs were lower. Gender differences existed: women suffered more sexual abuse (17% vs. 8%), physical neglect (7% vs. 1%), violence against their mothers (7% vs. 2%), and self-defined burnout (32% vs. 17%). Total ACEs predicted autoimmune disorders, chronic pain/fatigue, self-defined depression, irritable bowel, antidepressant/anxiolytic use, alcohol abuse, >3 marriages, >10 sexual partners, sex and work addiction, eating disorders, and self-defined burnout. Emotional abuse predicted alcohol abuse. Sexual abuse predicted sex addiction. Emotional neglect predicted autoimmune disease, antidepressant/anxiolytic use, eating disorder, and work addiction. Physical neglect predicted chronic fatigue/chronic pain, depression, and burnout…Adverse childhood experiences occurred in 42% of our 252-member plastic surgeon cohort and predicted 13 adult illnesses and self-harming behaviors that can impair surgeons' lives and performances. Recognition may facilitate their recognition and treatment.”
Prevention
Alrimawi I, Bettini E, Taylor C, Saifan AR, Al-Yateem N.
Insights Into Child Abuse and Neglect in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) Area: Evidence and Opportunities. Global pediatric health. 2024;11:2333794x241284029. PMID: 39372488
“This review emphasizes the need for standardized reporting mechanisms, economic investment in public health, and intersectoral collaboration. It recommends targeted support for at-risk families, specialized care for vulnerable children, and the development of predictive screening tools. Continuous research on regional and cultural factors and the pandemic's impact is crucial for future resilience. Addressing child abuse and neglect requires a comprehensive approach involving prevention, early detection, intervention, and policy reform to safeguard the well-being of children.”
Yu JJ, Zhang Z.
Long-term impact of adverse childhood experiences and perceived social support on depression trajectories. J Affect Disord. 2024 Sep 27;369:255-264. PMID: 39341289
From a large national study of US 7th--12th graders, “childhood maltreatment and physical violence victimization were positively associated with an increase in depression from adolescence to young adulthood. Conversely, social support and school belongingness showed a negative association with depression, indicating their protective effects over time…with females showing increased vulnerability to the negative relations between early stressful environments and depression. Conversely, they seemed to benefit more from school belongingness and social support in mitigating depression.”
Buchanan M, Newton-Howes G, Cunningham R, et al.
The role of social support in reducing the long-term burden of cumulative childhood adversity on adulthood internalising disorder. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024 Dec;59(12):2165-2175. PMID: 38687359
From a long-term New Zealand study, social support reduced the dose-response impact of childhood adversity on adult mental health, including major depression and any anxiety disorder, “and is therefore a target for future work examining potential interventions following childhood adversity”. Social support was measured by both the total number of male and female friends the participant had, and also how many people would provide various types of support in certain circumstances, such as being home ill in bed for an extended time.
Helle S, Tanskanen AO, Coall DA, et al.
Investment by maternal grandmother buffers children against the impacts of adverse early life experiences. Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 21;14(1):6815. PMID: 38514748
Using English and Welsh population data, “When children had faced multiple adverse early life experiences, the investment of maternal grandmothers reduced, but could not fully erase, their emotional and behavioral problems. No such result was observed in the case of the investment of other grandparent types. These findings indicate that in adverse environmental conditions the investment of maternal grandmothers can improve child wellbeing.”
Abate BB, Sendekie AK, Tadesse AW, et al.
Resilience after adversity: an umbrella review of adversity protective factors and resilience-promoting interventions. Frontiers in psychiatry. 2024;15:1391312. PMID: 39429523
“The findings of this umbrella review revealed that people who experienced early adversity can develop resilience later in life. The study highlights the need to consider adversity protective factors, such as availability of support (family, friends, and school), cognitive ability, community cohesion, positive self-perception, religious involvement, and self-regulation; and resilience-promoting interventions, including CBT interventions, mindfulness-based interventions, and mixed interventions.”
Alfano CA, Rech ME, Harmouch S, Gallagher MW, Zhang Y.
Sleep and adjustment in foster environments for toddlers and preschoolers (SAFE-T): Efficacy of a trauma-informed sleep intervention for young children in foster care. Child Abuse Negl. 2024;157:107083. PMID: 39405652
“From a randomized controlled trial of Sleep and Adjustment in Foster Environments for Toddlers and Preschoolers (SAFE-T), a telehealth-delivered, trauma-informed sleep intervention for children in or adopted from foster care…Results indicated improvements in multiple sleep outcomes at post-intervention and three months later, including nighttime sleep duration, nighttime awakenings, and overall sleep problems…Several secondary outcomes, including child emotional and behavior problems and parenting stress, also improved considerably.”
Chen Y, Zhong D, Roby E, Canfield C, Mendelsohn A.
Pediatric Mental Health Prevention Programs in Primary Care. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2024;71(6):1087-99. PMID: 39433380
“The authors reviewed 6 innovative methods in pediatric care that have helped address issues and amplify intervention efforts focused on children's mental health…For better prevention outcomes, future clinical practice should incorporate a broader engagement of family members, especially the father, and integrate strategies addressing perinatal maternal mental health, such that children’s mental health risks can be mitigated before birth.”
Hiscock H, Kabir A, Honisett S, et al. Identifying Service, Research and Policy priorities for preventing the impacts of family adversity on children's mental health. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2024;48(5):100184. PMID: 39217838
“The objective of this study was to develop Service, Research and Policy priorities to prevent the impact of family adversity on child mental health…Service priorities included establishing intersectoral hubs for children and families and early childhood nurse home-visiting programs.”
Kinsey J, La Charite J, Russ S, Schickedanz A.
Perinatal interventions to prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): A scoping review. PLoS One. 2024;19(10):e0307441. PMID: 39446908
From a research review on prevention of ACEs during the perinatal period, “Interventions with the strongest evidence based on study quality and reported outcomes were co-parenting programs designed to improve the quality and function of the co-parenting relationship, home visiting interventions, and integrative health interventions incorporating baby massage and/or yoga. Half of effective interventions were secondary prevention focused.”
Kitano M, van der Does FHS, Saito T, et al.
Self-compassion as a protective factor against post traumatic stress symptoms induced by ACEs. J Psychiatr Res. 2024;180:204-12. PMID: 39442323
For 752 new recruits of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, self-compassion was significantly negatively associated with PTSD symptoms, and ACEs were negatively associated with self-compassion. “Further research should explore educational interventions to enhance self-compassion among individuals with ACEs to mitigate PTSD symptoms.”
Researchers
Brener ND, Mpofu JJ, Krause KH, et al.
Overview and Methods for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System - United States, 2023. MMWR Suppl. 2024;73(4):1-12. PMID: 39378301
“The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is a set of surveys that tracks a broad range of behaviors, experiences, and conditions that can lead to poor health among high school students.” Changes made in 2023 included: sampling design added an American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) sample, changed the survey administration mode from paper-and-pencil to electronic, and provided topics of emerging interest by adding new questions on social media use, experiences of racism at school, ACEs, transgender identity, consent for sexual contact, and unfair discipline at school. “Public health practitioners and researchers can use YRBSS data to examine the prevalence of youth health behaviors, experiences, and conditions; monitor trends; and guide interventions.”
Berring LL, Holm T, Hansen JP, et al.
Implementing Trauma-Informed Care-Settings, Definitions, Interventions, Measures, and Implementation across Settings: A Scoping Review. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Apr 27;12(9):908. PMID: 38727465
“This review shows that TIC is a complex and multifaceted framework, with no overarching structure or clear theoretical underpinnings that can guide practical implementations. TIC has been defined and adapted in varied ways across different settings and populations, making it difficult to synthesize knowledge…agreement on how to operationalize and implement TIC in international research could be important in order to better examine its impact and broaden the approach.”
Aluri J, Eisenberg D, Hoban MT, Wilcox HC, Mojtabai R.
Discrepancies in prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation and attempts in 18- to 22-year-old US college students: a comparison of three surveys. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024 Nov;59(11):1919-1929. PMID: 38900247
Authors compared the prevalence estimates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students from two campus-based surveys and one general population study. “Estimates for past year suicide ideation between the three surveys were 34.3%, 15.0%, and 10.7%, while past year suicidal attempts were 2.6%, 1.6%, and 1.7%. “The differences are likely related to question wording, survey implementation, as well as institutional and individual representation. Accounting for these differences…can help guide suicide prevention efforts.”
King-Hill S, Gilsenan A.
The Sibling Sexual Behaviour Mapping Tool (SSBMT): Supporting practitioner confidence, planning and competency when responding to sexual behaviours between siblings. Child Abuse Negl. 2024;158:107080. PMID: 39427533
“This paper outlines the development and initial pilot of the Sibling Sexual Behaviour Mapping Tool…the tool was devised with the aim of supporting frontline child-protection social workers during the initial stages of working with families where sibling sexual behaviours may be present.
Crifasi CK, Ward JA, Fitch KV, Ranapurwala SI.
The State of Firearm Policy Research in the United States. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 1:kwae298. PMID: 39358998
“Firearm-related deaths lead to the most person-years of life lost in the US. There were 48,830 deaths from homicides and suicides in 2021 alone…Yet, firearm injury is a politically contentious topic…This politicization led to nearly three decades of federal disinvestment in firearm research; reduced surveillance of firearm-related crime, injury, and death; and degraded data quality…In this commentary, we highlight some existing evidence-informed policies, explicate some limitations in the field, and identify opportunities to address the limitations of prior work to strengthen future capacity for evidence-informed prevention.”
Coleman O, Baldwin JR, Moffitt TE, et al.
Why do prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment differ? Qualitative analyses in a cohort study. Child Abuse Negl. 2024;157:107070. PMID: 39366249
“This study explores potential sources of disagreement between prospective [given by caregivers about children] and retrospective [given later by teens themselves] measures of maltreatment.” Authors felt discrepancies arose from “teens highlighting reasons for why maltreatment went undetected or was not adequately responded to prospectively; challenges with retrospective measures that highlight difficulties with openness and accuracy of self-reports; and differences in appraisals of violence or distressing childhood experiences between the two groups that might lead to new or omitted retrospective reports.”
Marsden J, Saunders L, Harman JJ.
Pilot study of parental alienation items in the adverse childhood experiences scale. J Affect Disord. 2024;367:715-44. PMID: 39245223
For 231 undergraduate students, 60% reported at least one ACE. In testing 4 possible questions regarding parental alienation, one significantly outperformed the other three on validity – “Do you have a parent or caregiver that you often feel you want nothing to do with? Or a parent or caregiver who you dislike and would rather not spend any time with, while at the same time prefer to be with your other parent?” “The new item correlated significantly with the other existing items, but not enough to indicate that it was too similar…the new PA item factored significantly with existing ACEs, suggesting the capture of an additional adverse childhood experience.”
Other of Interest
Datzberger S, Howard-Merrill L, Parkes J, Iorfa SK.
How do extreme weather events contribute to violence against children? Child Abuse Negl. 2024;158:107093. PMID: 39426208
“Studies have uncovered how increasing social, economic and emotional pressures following EWEs [extreme weather events] increase children's violence risk exposure. This may occur in their homes or in relief shelters. The violence may involve peers, or forms of hazardous labour that young people are compelled into because of the sudden need for families to rebuild or help make ends meet. More knowledge is needed to inform integrated, context-specific and culturally sensitive plans to better protect children from the consequences of EWEs.”
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