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Adolescents are often reluctant to disclose experiences of sexual abuse in forensic interviews. In these situations, there is consensus that interviewers should respond supportively, yet they appear to have considerable difficulty doing so. In the current study, we sought to provide practical guidance on how interviewers can adopt a supportive approach when interviewees are reluctant. Twenty-one expert interviewers were asked how they engage and support adolescents who are reluctant to share information when sexual abuse is suspected. The findings indicate that the expert interviewers approach reluctance by leaning into and exploring the interviewee’s perspective, and tailor their response based on an awareness of the unique needs of the interviewee. Several key support strategies were identified to facilitate this approach. The findings of this study provide practical guidance for how interviewers can approach reluctant interviewees, while also generating novel directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Criminal Narrative Experience (CNE) is a framework developed within Invest-igative Psychology, which combines the emotions and narrative roles experienced by the offender during the commission of their offense, to understand their personal experience of crime. Previous research proposes four distinct themes within CNE; The Elated Hero, The Calm Professional, The Distressed Revenger, and The Depressed Victim , however little attention has yet been paid to the potential differences in themes across various offense types. The current study explored the CNE model within a sample of sexual offenders. Results found evidence of two CNE themes; The Intrepid Professional-Adventurer and The Dejected Revenger-Victim, this has implications stretching further than theorical, and are particularly poignant for therapists and treatment managers, who may be providing intervention to groups of sexual offenders at any one time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study examined predictors of sexual victimization among autistic and non-autistic college students. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether autistic students are more likely than non-autistic students to experience unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault, controlling for co-occurring diagnoses. We also aimed to determine whether students with other disabilities, specifically ADHD, learning disability (LD), and psychological disorders, are more likely than students without these disabilities to experience unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault. Methods. Autistic students (n=270) and non-autistic students (n=270) who had participated in a nationwide survey were matched on demographic characteristics and co-occurring diagnoses. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to address the research questions and evaluate predictors of unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault. Results. Autistic students were as likely as non-autistic students to have experienced unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault, controlling for co-occurring diagnoses. Regardless of autism diagnostic status, students with ADHD were more likely than students without ADHD to have experienced unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault. Conclusions. Although autism diagnostic status was not a significant predictor of unwanted sexual contact or sexual assault, other factors associated with increased risk of sexual victimization, such as co-occurring ADHD, are likely to be found in autistic populations. This study highlights the importance of educational, social, and institutional supports to decrease sexual victimization among college students with neurodevelopmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intended to explore possible variations among youth adjudicated for sexual offenses based on personal criminogenic factors, offense, and victim characteristics. Utilizing a data set collected from the juvenile court files in Turkey (n = 460), the Latent Class Analysis revealed that the study sample included three different subgroups with distinct features: "non-delinquent, peer victim-targeting," "non-delinquent, younger victim-targeting," and "delinquent, versatile" youth adjudicated for sex offenses. The first two of these groups were similar in terms of having low levels of delinquency, while the third group included the lowest number of youth with significantly broad delinquent activity patterns. These findings were in line with the results of previous studies, and the implications were discussed for future research and policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thousands of youth are sexually trafficked each year in the United States. In order to address this concern, anti-trafficking advocates often emphasize the importance of uniform screening protocols to assist with the identification of survivors. Unfortunately, an oft-overlooked component of sex trafficking identification is what to do once a victim has been identified, and how to best meet survivors' complex needs. In this article, the authors provide social work practitioners and other advocates with best practice guidelines for how to design and evaluate anti-sex trafficking advocacy programs for children and youth. These guidelines include considerations related to direct services with clients, community partnerships, and organizational capacity, as well as recommendations for how to begin and then evaluate programming. Regardless of the form selected for the program, all anti-sex trafficking programs should be designed to provide effective, client-centered follow-up and advocacy once a positive identification is made in the community. The recommendations included in this paper are based upon extant literature, the authors' practice experience with survivors, and insights from anti-sex trafficking program evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interdisciplinary Note is a creative form of writing that engages in post-research reflexivity through a process that it terms 'cross-threading'. Using the trope of a cloak, which it links back to the author's childhood imaginings of having an invisibility cloak, it cross-threads through the medium of this cloak a series of thoughts and feelings about a recently concluded research project (led by the author) exploring some of the ways that victims-/survivors of conflict-related sexual violence demonstrate resilience. Drawing on empirical data from Bosnia-Herzegovina, it illustrates the utility of the cloak as a thinking practice in relation to some of the stories that interviewees told, and it highlights the relevance of the cloak as a way of thinking about resilience. It also discusses the cloak as an identity, and in so doing it draws attention to an important aspect of the research process that is rarely talked about – the feelings, emotions and anxieties that researchers might experience when a major study or project ends. This Note concludes by underlining the potential benefits to researchers of having an acoustic cloak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South African adolescents experience a high prevalence of violence victimization alongside the health and economic burdens of HIV/AIDS and poverty. Polyvictimization is a useful theory and framework that allows for a nuanced understanding of lived adolescent experience patterns. Polyvictimization examinations are further enriched by person-centered analytical approaches. This study used latent class analysis to differentiate a sample of South African adolescents from highly deprived communities by their polyvictimization profiles and contextual violence risk and protective factors. Adolescents were sampled twice (2010/2011; 2011/2012), and data reflected their lifetime (sexual abuse) or recent (all other forms of assessed abuse/violence) violence victimizations, as well as individual, household, and community characteristics. Model fit indices supported a seven-class model with adolescents in high, moderate, and low polyvictimization classes. Adolescents in the high polyvictimization classes experienced a heavy burden of poverty and multiple forms of violence across contexts and were distinguished by HIV/AIDS and disability. Adolescents in the low polyvictimization class experienced relatively little violence, despite living in violent communities, and low household and individual burdens of HIV/AIDS and disability. Findings emphasize the importance of considering adolescent violence through a contextually sensitive polyvictimization lens to understand the complex web of violence that adolescents experience. This work supports previous research in low-resource South African settings highlighting the interconnected nature of violence, poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS. Future research should explore these complex violence patterns and their effects, while program and policy actions must target and prevent adolescent violence especially for those impacted by poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imprescriptibility of sexual crimes against minors is an issue of great relevance due to the extreme vulnerability of this population. The article aims to critically analyze the quality of existing research in this area, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and evaluating the methodology used to guide future reforms that guarantee justice for victims. Through an exhaustive bibliographic review, both the solid aspects and the methodological deficiencies of the reviewed studies are highlighted. Problem areas and future research directions are also identified to strengthen knowledge in this field. It is concluded that imprescriptibility is a powerful legal tool, justified by the Law, but that requires more robust support from other disciplines, especially in its empirical foundation. This underlines the urgent need for multidisciplinary investigations that support and refine the current approach, ensuring comprehensive protection for victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This work sought to assess relationships between sexually aggressive behavior occurring through the use of technology and social media, perceived social norms of sexually aggressive behavior, and face-to-face sexual aggression and coercion. Participants: Participants were 663 undergraduate students (73.1% Female). Methods: Participants completed measures assessing perceived social norms of sexually aggressive strategies, personal sexual strategies used, alcohol use, cyberbullying, sexual victimization, personal wellbeing, and socially desirable responding. Results: Thirty percent of participants reported engaging in some form of sexually aggressive behavior offline; 15.6% endorsed engaging in sexual cyberbullying. However, 100% of participants endorsed the belief that their peers were engaging in some form of sexually aggressive behavior either online or offline. Conditional process modeling revealed a significant indirect effect of perceived social norms of sexually aggressive behavior on face-to-face sexual aggression via sexual cyberbullying (b =.0015, p <.001, 95% CI [.0030,.0110]), indicating mediation. Conclusions: The present work highlights the importance of further research in the domain of sexual cyberbullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an increasingly prevalent problem in most parts of the world, including Nigeria. Very little is known about why persons who experience IPV sometimes decide to remain in the abusive relationships. In this study, we investigate whether the need for closure (NFC) may play significant roles in the association of IPV and the decision to stay in abusive relationships (traumatic bonding). Specifically, we tested if NFC would mediate the relationship between IPV and traumatic bonding (TB) among victims of IPV in Nigeria. Participants were 345 women, purposively selected from female clients who visited the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SART) in Awka, Anambra State (n = 145) and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Lagos (n = 200). Their age ranged from 18–61 years (M = 35.79; SD = 8.6 years). They responded to the Composite Abuse Scale, the Need for Closure Scale, and the Stockholm Syndrome Scale. Results of data analysis using the Hayes regression-based PROCESS macro showed that IPV was not significantly associated with traumatic bonding while NFC was positively associated with increased traumatic bonding. Estimates of indirect effects indicated that NFC mediated the relationship of IPV and TB serving as a pathway through which IPV was linked to dimensions of TB. This shows that NFC may engender tendencies that increase the likelihood of traumatic bonding. The implications of these findings were discussed across policy, research and psychotherapeutic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the association between drugs and alcohol intake and sexual abuse in adolescents, otherwise defined as Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA). We considered the survivors who accessed care at the Centre "Soccorso Violenza Sessuale" (SVS – Sexual Violence Relief Centre) in Turin (Italy), between May 2003 and May 2022. We found that 973 patients aged 13–24 among which 228 were victims of DFSA. Epidemiological and anamnestic aspects of the episode of sexual violence were examined, with a specific focus on investigating the alcohol and/or drug intake as reported by the victim, along with the results of the toxicological analysis. the study further accounts for the variations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on DFSA-related accesses. Our findings show that 23% of adolescents accessing care at SVS were subjected to DFSA. Six out ten adolescents knew their aggressor, at times a partner (10%) oran acquaintance (43%). In 12% of cases violence was perpetrated by a group of people (12%). Almost 90% of young victims described alcohol consumption, while 37% reported drug use at the time of the assault. Alcohol taken alone or in combination with other substances was the most detected drug in our sample throughout the period considered. Given the large use of psychoactive substances among adolescents, it is imperative to implement harm reduction strategies alongside educational activities aimed at fostering awareness about consent. Health personnel should be trained to manage the needs of victims of DFSA clinically and forensically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive public health issue that harms victims. Bystanders' interventions are crucial in preventing the risks of GBV; however, numerous barriers impede their willingness and behaviors to intervene. As a part of efforts to thwart these barriers, this study used a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify such barriers and assess their impact on bystanders' engagement to intervene. The researchers explored academic databases and included 38 studies in the analysis; we extracted and coded the identified barriers (e.g., lack of responsibility, rape myth) and allocated them to six domains: failure to notice, failure to perceive risk, failure to take responsibility for engaging, lack of bystander efficacy/competency, failure to take an action, and failure of previous intervention attempts. We calculated the overall and domain-specific effect sizes (ES) and performed moderator analysis. The overall ES of the barriers identified in the review were small but statistically significant. The most potent bystander intervention barrier domain was failed previous intervention attempts ; the greatest specific barriers therein were negative emotions and feelings of uncertainty after engaging in bystander behaviors. University/college populations were more vulnerable to barriers to intervention than community members. Moreover, the barriers were more prohibitive in incidents of violence against women and sexual assaults than in intimate partner violence. Bystander-focused programs that address negative emotions and feelings arising from prior intervention experiences are needed to foster continued bystander engagement and assistance in GBV; moreover, tailored program content should also be provided for groups most vulnerable to intervention barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory and research on disclosure of interpersonal victimization, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, has produced rich scholarship promoting a greater understanding of the challenges and implications of disclosure for survivors. However, in the last decade, social media platforms have opened new online disclosure opportunities that diverge from and overlap with offline disclosure. This highlights the need for adaptation and elaboration of theorizing in this growing area of study. Thus, the study aimed to systematically review the studies published in scientific literature. The following databases were accessed Criminal Justice Abstracts, Medline PsychInfo, Social Work Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science database, and Google Scholar. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria of peer-reviewed status and focused on the disclosure process. A thematic analysis revealed that online disclosure of interpersonal victimization is a multi-phase (decision-making and disclosure aftermath) and multifactorial (individual, interpersonal, social, and technological) experience for survivors. Specifically, survivors' motivation was related to therapeutic goals, social support, and a desire to advocate for social change. Survivors faced numerous facilitators (e.g., inspiration from other online disclosures) and barriers (e.g., fear of triggering other survivors) to disclosure. The impact of online disclosure was divided into benefits (e.g., empowerment) and risks (e.g., undermining survivors' security). The conceptual and empirical limitations of the current research are discussed, including a need for quantitative methods with larger samples and longitudinal designs to better understand how survivors can best benefit from processes of online disclosure, while avoiding harm or re-traumatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) is a recently studied form of violence and abuse perpetrated using technology. This systematic review aims to examine and systematize studies exploring factors associated with IBSA (e.g., victimization, perpetration, and propensity to perpetrate). Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, 17 articles were included. Results: The results of this study highlighted conceptual and methodological limitations in the literature on IBSA. Aside from these limitations, this systematic review identified factors associated with IBSA, focusing on four macro-areas: victimization, perpetration, propensity to perpetrate IBSA, and IBSA implications. The results demonstrated the role of psychological, relational, and social variables, although the effect sizes observed in the quantitative studies were small or in few cases moderate. Conclusions: These results suggest further research should be carried out to explore the multidimensionality of IBSA and its associated factors, which may assist in guiding interventions to promote preventive and rehabilitative methods to lower the prevalence of this crime and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key digested message Sextortion is currently the highest reported form of image-based sexual abuse, a form of online blackmail which has been growing in prevalence since 2021. Research highlights sextortion to have severe psychological consequences, with over a dozen cases of suicide among victims. This paper used two transcripts from the media of victims' experiences, as well as qualitative survey responses from an additional 99 victims, to explore in detail how sextortion affects victims psychologically. A main theme was low self-esteem leading to depression, within which feelings of hopelessness and negative thinking of oneself were prominent. Another main theme was paranoia causing anxiety, which was characterised by a loss of trust and feeling of not being able to escape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a dearth of scientific knowledge regarding suicidal ideation (SI) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Haiti. We conducted a community survey with a convenience sample of 673 residents from Haiti's Cité Soleil (January - June 2021) to address these gaps. Participants answered questions on SI, on ACEs from the ACE international questionnaire (ACE-IQ) section 5 abuse-related items, on adult experiences of non-partner sexual violence, on use of alcohol to manage stress and on trauma responses. Latent Class Analysis identified a five-class-model of poly-victimization ranging from Class 1 (no abuse) to Class 5 (combination of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse). SI prevalence was 65.3%. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to report SI (95% CI = 1.08–2.74). Class 1 comprised 25% of participants. Class 5 members were almost four times more likely to endorse SI than Class 1 members (95% CI = 1.52–9.10). Class 4 members were roughly four times more likely to endorse SI than Class 1 members. (95% CL = 1.83–7.81). Class 3 members were nearly twice as likely to endorse SI as Class 1 members (95% CI = 1.03–3.35). Participant survivors of NPSV were three times more likely to report SI than non-victims (95% CI = 1.61–5.67). Alcohol use to manage stress increased odds of SI by 1.59 (95% CI = 1.01–2.52). Hypervigilance increased the odds of SI by 3.21 (95% CI = 1.84–5.58). Limitations include recall bias, non-generalizability, use of self-reported data, and ACE-IQ's limitations. Early identification and prevention of SI, ACE, NPSV, alcohol use, and trauma are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

#MeToo sought to combat sexual violence but evolved into a polarizing movement in the United States. Using a random sample of 5,153 tweets with #MeToo posted between 2017 and 2019 to explore the language and themes individuals use to polarize conversations around sexual violence, we find that MeToo supporters used rights-and-justice-focused language to advocate for survivors. In contrast, MeToo detractors employed legal and violent language to victimize the alleged perpetrators and villainize victims of sexual violence and their supporters. This demonstrates how "linguistic hijacking" unfolded online, with movement opponents co-opting key terms (like "victim") to undermine movement supporters' goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently validated among a sample of young adults in the United States, the Trauma Bonding Scale for Adults© is a much-needed instrument for assessing trauma bonding, which refers to the emotional attachment that often develops between perpetrators and victims of violent and exploitive crimes and is common among survivors of sex trafficking. To assess its utility with other populations, this study aimed to validate the Trauma Bonding Scale for Adults© with a sample of young adults in Kenya. An anonymous survey containing demographic items, the Trauma Bonding Scale for Adults©, and 12 items from an open-source measure of posttraumatic stress disorder was administered to 538 young adults aged 18 to 29 in Kenya using Qualtrics XM. Findings from an analysis of psychometric properties suggest that the Trauma Bonding Scale for Adults© is a valid and reliable measure of trauma bonding that may be useful in a global context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review explores key aspects arising from recent research on child sexual exploitation (CSE) within the European context. CSE represents a form of sexual violence occurring across all regions and countries, impacting the most vulnerable children and adolescents. The exploiter or exploiters respond to the victim's unmet basic needs and lead them to believe that they are engaging in a consensual exchange and relationship. This social issue affects between 1% and 2.5% of European boys and girls, with these figures being notably higher among specific high-risk groups. Preventing situations of CSE, identifying them and intervening effectively with their victims is only possible if Europe acknowledges and addresses the reality of this serious issue of personal and social vulnerability that affects a significant number of boys and girls within our borders. It has been invisible for far too long. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell on five counts of sex trafficking illuminated a wilful blind spot in sexual abuse discourse—the existence of women who perpetrate sex crimes. This article unpacks why sexually aggressive women make us so uncomfortable, by examining how the law treats women who transgress traditional ideas of femininity. To deny the reality of feminine agency, the law treats violent perpetrators who are women as victims, mad or bad. The publicity of Maxwell's sentencing hearing, however, meant that the harms of her perpetration could not be swept under the rug of a traumatised victim narrative, forcing us to not only confront our discomfort with women who are perpetrators, but also women who are perpetrators and victims. This article explores ideas about feminine agency, culpability and wickedness through a construction of Maxwell as equal parts victim and perpetrator. Situating Maxwell within Claudia Card's moral grey zone framework provides opportunity for a nuanced analysis of the intersections of abuse, psychological trauma and wilful infliction of harm. By re-working how we understand sexual abusers who are women, we also re-work our understanding of atrocity as fundamentally human, allowing for a redrafting of the gendered coordinates of sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite vast levels of underreporting, sexual assault remains an issue at scale in the UK, necessitating the presence of statutory and voluntary organisations in the support of victims. Understanding the experiences of all parties within this context is important for the resilience of support that can be provided at a systems level. This study examines the barriers faced by service providers when working with victims of sexual assault. Methods: Semi-structured interviews took place with eleven professionals working in or in conjunction with a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Southeast England, which were subsequently analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Five themes were identified exploring SARC staff's experiences with (i) communication breakdowns with external services; (ii) delivering support in an underfunded system; (iii) tailoring support to survivors' needs; (iv) the Criminal Justice System fails victims of sexual assault; and (v) reckoning with burnouts and vicarious trauma. Conclusion: Significant gaps in UK service provision for sexual assault victims are identified, particularly within the criminal justice system, where legal and investigative processes are cited as retraumatizing. The results emphasize the urgency of enhanced training, coordination, resources, and trauma-informed practices across organizations to better serve victims and support overwhelmed providers. Prioritizing systemic improvements is crucial to address the complex needs of both victims and service professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against women in Peru is a problem that has a high incidence and is increasing, despite the policies undertaken by past governments and the creation of the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations in 1996, causing that one in two women have been abused at some point in their lives. However, the treatment of abused women is still insufficient even though there are more Women's Emergency Centers (WEC) each year, where victims can ask for professional support and treatment quickly and effectively. The chatbot provides an alternative to eliminate the distance between the abused woman and the WEC; therefore, a mobile application called AyudaMujer is proposed that includes a chatbot, news, a map of nearby WECs, and the connection with specialists for the treatment of violence against women. The chatbot identifies, automatically and through a natural dialogue, the type of violence and its level of risk. Additionally, it assigns a specialist to provide personalized professional treatment. The testing of AyudaMujer with 20 abused women from Lima, Peru, shows that the risk of violence is reduced by an average of 19.43% after three weeks of use. The results show that this tool can contribute to the treatment of abused women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a highly prevalent issue, both in North America and globally, with well-recognized adverse impact on survivors' physical, emotional, and economic well-being. The objective of this systematic review is to collect and synthesize empirical work on the effects of SGBV victimization on educational trajectories, goals, attainment, and outcomes. The review summarizes what is known about factors associated with victimization that affect survivors' educational trajectories and highlights gaps in the literature pertaining to the effects of victimization on education. Five databases were searched for this review: Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts, PubMed, APA PsycInfo, and ERIC. For inclusion, the articles must present research on the academic impact of any form of SGBV experienced in higher education and must have been conducted in the United States or Canada. The 68 studies that met these criteria presented research on six key areas of educational outcomes: impacts on academic performance and motivation; attendance, dropout, and avoidance; changes in major/field of study; academic disengagement; educational attitudes and satisfaction; and academic climate and institutional relationships. Research also revealed factors mediating the relationship between SGBV exposure and educational outcomes such as mental health, physical health, social support, socioeconomic status, and resiliency, which we summarize in a pathway model. The research reviewed had significant limitations, including weak study designs, limited generalizability, and diversity concerns. We offer recommendations for future research on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Note utilises the idea of 'smellwalks' as a novel way of engaging with qualitative data. Based on a larger study of victims-/survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, it argues that smelling data – and allowing ourselves to viscerally imagine the odours and scents that the data evoke for us – can foster deeper insights into interviewees' embodied experiences; in this case, embodied experiences of war and armed conflict. Within the data – consisting of 63 semi-structured interviews with victims-/survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), Colombia and Uganda – there were frequent references to food and cooking. This Note follows the scent trails within two particular interviews – one from BiH and the other from Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the lived experiences of investigative police officers in managing rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) in Nigeria, a developing country with a conservative patriarchal system and deep-rooted rape culture. A qualitative study involving 24 sexual crime-investigating police officers of six states' police commands in southwest Nigeria was conducted, and a thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Findings indicated police efforts at addressing RASSO are constrained by inadequate resources, deficiencies in personnel skilled in RASSO investigation, lack of specialist training, and low motivational incentives. Participants reported problematic interactions with RASSO victims and made comments that communicated their acceptance of rape myths, including beliefs surrounding victim culpability and false reporting. The study suggested the reimagining of police strategies at improving rape investigations by deploying specialist approaches to policing RASSO. Deploying specialism will require engaging officers with knowledge and skills in investigating rape cases, better engagement with the victims, specialist training, and addressing rape script acceptance among sexual crime detectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based prevention strategies (e.g. bystander programs) have the potential to reduce sexual violence against women, but have mainly been implemented in high-income countries and geared towards specific contexts, such as university campuses. Based on local priorities for sexual violence prevention, a community-informed bystander intervention training program, "El que ve y ayuda" ("Who Sees and Helps;" WSH), was developed in Ayacucho, Peru: a post-conflict community. This study reports on the pilot evaluation of the WSH program, conducted with a sample of 155 participants, using a pre- and post-intervention survey. After the program, participants reported a significant increase in their willingness to intervene in potential situations of sexual violence (t [133]=-7.10, p < .000) and a significant reduction in their acceptance of rape myths or victim-blaming beliefs (t [116]=4.72, p < .001). This community-engaged approach, reflective of the local priorities on sexual violence prevention, fostered research and capacity-building benefits despite some limitations. This study contributes to the ongoing efforts in crafting culturally accessible tools that enhance community involvement in prevention measures which may potentially lead to long-term reductions in the occurrence of sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The literature on menstruation defines period poverty as the inability to access sufficient period products, education, and sanitary facilities needed to manage menstruation healthily and effectively. While research has identified shortcomings of healthcare in the carceral setting, period poverty behind bars has remained largely absent from criminal legal discourse. Objectives: The current study examines the interplay of period poverty and carceral control to introduce the novel concept of menstrual victimization, defined as the physical, emotional, and financial victimization that results from period poverty perpetuated through carceral control. Methods: The study uses qualitative content analysis to systematically gather and code journalistic accounts pertaining to the menstrual experiences of incarcerated and previously incarcerated females, criminal justice practitioners, and journalists. The analysis uses literary pieces (n = 99), which were coded deductively and guided by concepts related to structural violence and radical feminist criminology. Results: The findings shed light on the unique structural harms incarcerated menstruators face and reveal the dearth of needed empirical research on period poverty in carceral spaces. The narratives in the sample revealed how manufactured scarcity of period products within carceral spaces is used as a means of oppression by institutional agents. The emergent themes highlight how the intersection of period poverty and carceral control led to menstrual victimization characterized through shame, humiliation, control, and coercion. Conclusion: Potential outcomes associated with understanding menstrual victimization in the carceral setting are discussed, including reducing menstrual stigma, disseminating health education, minimizing health disparities, and ultimately, shifting modes of holding accountability away from oppressive, retributive, and controlling tactics. Plain Language Summary: Exploring how access to period products is used to harm people who menstruate in correctional facilities using an analysis of journalistic accounts Period poverty is defined as the inability to access sufficient period products, education, and sanitary facilities needed to manage menstruation healthily and effectively. Research reveals the shortcomings of healthcare in prisons and jails but period poverty in prisons is largely unexplored. The current study uses published media and research reports discussing menstruation in correctional facilities to examine how the control of period products, access to washrooms, and medical care impacts is used to harm people who menstruate experiencing incarceration. The findings suggest correctional staff leverage access to menstrual health resources to control, coerce, shame, and humiliate incarcerated menstruators. In conclusion, we offer potential reforms are discussed including reducing menstrual stigma, providing health education and care, and ultimately, holding staff accountable and shifting away from oppressive, punitive, and controlling tactics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In 2014, the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland published its Safeguarding National Policy and Procedures (HSE, 2014). Under this policy, all agencies providing services through the social care directorate must ensure a robust culture of safeguarding is in place. Concurrent to this has been a move in social policy, practice and research to include the voice of the service user, both in terms of planning and reviewing services. (e.g. HIQA, 2012; Flanagan, 2020) This article examines whether service users with intellectual disabilities want to be involved in safeguarding plans and, if so, how that can be supported. Using focus groups service users demonstrated their knowledge of safeguarding as a concept, how they felt about the issues raised, and, crucially what they felt they would like to see happen next in addressing a safeguarding incident or concern. The focus groups took place in a large organisation providing residential services, day services, independent living supports and clinical supports. Engaging service users in planning and responding to safeguarding concerns is a fundamental principle of human rights legislation, both nationally and internationally. This study aims to highlight that it is both possible and desirable to engage fully with service users using a range of simple communication tools. For this to be implemented as routine practice in services providing support for people with intellectual disabilities, authentic leadership is required. Services will need to devote time, human resources and will need champions to get on board with the necessary culture shift. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative research examined peoples' "lived experiences" and knowledge of safeguarding. Focus groups were used with thematic analysis highlighting common themes throughout, as guided by Braun and Clarke (2006). There were two objectives: Objective 1: measuring participant's understanding of the safeguarding process. Objective 2: compare the potential differences between safeguarding plans devised by the participants in the focus groups, versus plans devised by trained designated officers responsible for safeguarding within the service. Findings: Four principal themes emerged – 1. participants understanding of safeguarding; 2. restorative justice; 3. consent; and 4. high levels of emotional intelligence and compassion. Participants demonstrated that they could and did want to be involved in safeguarding planning and showed little variation in the plans compared to those completed by trained staff. Research limitations/implications: The study was completed with a small sample size in a single service in one area. It may not represent the lived experiences and knowledge of safeguarding in other services and indeed other countries. The video may have led to some priming; for instance, the Gardai in the footage being called may have resulted in the participants stating that contacting Gardai should be part of the plan. After the video was shown, there was a heightened awareness of safeguarding. This may indicate that participants are aware of safeguarding but unsure of the terminology or how to discuss it out of context. Practical implications: For this to be implemented as routine practice in services providing support for people with intellectual disabilities, authentic leadership is required. Services will need to devote time and human resources and will need champions in the safeguarding arena to get on board with the shift in culture required. Social implications: While there did not appear to be many barriers to listening to participants, to progress this as a standard practice a very real shift in culture will be needed. It is important for practitioners to ask: Is the vulnerable person aware that this concern has been raised? What is known of the vulnerable person's wishes in relation to the concern? To truly engage with service users in safeguarding plans these questions need to be more than a "tick box" exercise. This process needs to be fully embedded into a culture that promotes a person-centred, rights-based, inclusive approach as a standard rather than a one-off project. Some structural changes will be needed regarding the time given to designated officers, and what resources they can access (such as speech and language therapy). However, the real difference will be made by services operating authentic leadership that champions engagement on this scale, to fully answer the question posed by the researchers at the beginning of this report, "Whose safeguarding is it anyway?" Originality/value: There appears to be little evidence of service user engagement in terms of planning and processing safeguarding responses, either in research or anecdotally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately one in three women in the United States have experienced sexual trauma. The impact of sexual trauma is of significant concern as women account for a majority of social workers (NASW, 2020). This research addresses the unique experiences of social work students as they relate to sexual trauma and self-care practices and perceptions. Following sexual trauma, students report their self-care perception as a journey that spans practices including substance use, grounding activities, and physical activity. Findings signal an opportunity for support from higher educational institutions to address wellness amongst students with sexual trauma histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to explore the disability-specific context within which sexual violence against women with albinism occurs. Drawing from feminist and disability theories, the violence, perceived vulnerabilities, post-assault reactions, and reporting behaviour of sexually assaulted women with albinism were examined. Findings indicate targeted sexual harassment and assault against women with albinism based on their perceived vulnerabilities and negative social perception. Victims were found to be either ignorant or averse to reporting their victimisation to the appropriate authorities, while they resort to self-help rather than seek therapeutic or counselling interventions. The study advocates special recognition and intervention of government, police officers, social workers, and other professionals in addressing the spate of targeted sexual violence against women with disability, specifically albinism. Practice impact statement The study highlights the need for existing models and theories of sexual violence and disability to consider, more explicitly, the wider context within which perpetration and victimisation take place. Sexual violence vulnerabilities, experiences, coping strategies, and the reporting behaviour of victimised women with albinism were found to reflect the social and cultural interpretation of albinism and disability within the Nigerian context. Therefore, the need for interventions to consider the uniqueness of sexual victimisation of women with disabilities in formulating and implementing policies is emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) students report higher alcohol consumption, emotion regulation difficulties, and sexual assault victimization severity than cisgender, heterosexual individuals. A sample of 754 undergraduate students completed an online survey assessing alcohol use, emotion regulation, and sexual victimization. Regression analyses indicated that, among SGM students with higher emotion regulation difficulties, typical weekly drinking was positively associated with sexual assault victimization severity, but among cisgender, heterosexual students and SGM students with lower emotion regulation difficulties, there was no association between drinking and victimization severity. Thus, SGM students benefit from interventions targeting alcohol use and emotion regulation difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether components of sexual narcissism are associated with different types of sexual aggression (e.g., verbal pressure or force) among students because this is a prevalent problem on college campuses. College students (N = 508) were recruited for a cross-sectional online study. Results showed that components of sexual narcissism were related to different strategies of sexual aggression, with sexual entitlement being associated with not providing the victim an opportunity to object and exploiting intoxication. Gender moderated some of the associations, with women showing a stronger relationship than men. These findings suggest that sexual narcissism represents a risk factor for sexual aggression in men and women and highlight the need for gender-inclusive and tailored interventions to prevent sexual aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual violence (SV) against women is common in higher education settings, causing serious harm to the health, well-being, and academic outcomes of victim/survivors. There have been numerous systematic reviews of the quantitative evidence on this topic, highlighting the prevalence, health impacts, and barriers and facilitators to help-seeking after SV. To date, however, qualitative research exploring the lived experience of women higher education students has not been synthesized. This scoping review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies aims to map the global evidence on women higher education students' experiences of SV and explore how they understand and make sense of their experiences. We searched five databases (CinAHL, Academic Search Complete, Medline, PsychInfo, and SocIndex) in January 2023 for relevant articles. Eligible articles needed to be published in English and describe qualitative or mixed-methods primary research on the lived experiences of women higher education students who were victim/survivors of SV. In all, 34 articles describing 32 studies met these inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis of data extracted from the included studies suggests that, for women higher education students, the experience of SV is characterized by profound shame, with often-irreversible impacts on hopes and plans for the future. Yet, at the same time, SV is normalized and expected as a part of the "student experience." Furthermore, an imagined "specter" of "real violence" is held up as a constant comparison that serves to minimize and trivialize their experiences. These findings have important implications for higher education providers seeking to improve programs to address SV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Health Academics / Sağlık Akademisyenleri Dergisi is the property of Journal of Health Academics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Saberes Plurais is the property of Saberes Plurais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A small body of research has identified a positive relationship between food insecurity and victimization risk, including intimate partner violence and sexual violence victimization as well as experiencing and witnessing childhood violence in the home. The question remains whether food insecurity is related to sexual victimization among college students, and if so, what mechanisms link the two. We use data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment, a national sample of college students, to investigate these relationships. We find that low and very low food security increases the odds of sexual victimization, and that both are tied to increased odds of experiencing moderate to severe stress, depression, anxiety, binge drinking, and drug use. Institutions of higher learning may benefit from programs to address food insecurity. Doing so may have the corollary benefit of influencing mental health and health risk behaviors in ways that could reduce sexual victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth experiencing homelessness are vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). Structural racism disproportionately entraps marginalized youth into CSE while simultaneously obscuring their identification as victims. Adaptation and tailoring of effective interventions to mitigate associated sequelae and inequities is warranted. Support To Reunite, Involve, and Value Each Other (STRIVE) is a strengths-based dyadic intervention with demonstrated efficacy in reducing delinquency, substance use, and high-risk sexual behaviors among marginalized adolescents experiencing homelessness. The adapted STRIVE+ was piloted to explore potential for reducing youth risk factors for CSE. The current article reports findings from interviews exploring participants' experiences with STRIVE+. Youth and caregivers reported increased empathy, communication, and emotional regulation post-STRIVE+ and found relevance and meaning through participating in the adapted intervention. Feasibility of recruitment, engagement, and retention of minoritized adolescents and their caregivers were also demonstrated. Findings warrant larger scale implementation trials of STRIVE+ among minoritized youth at highest risk for CSE. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(1), 27–35.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: To compare rates of aggression victimization for autistic vs. non-autistic U.S. college students. Participants: n=1,411 autistic and n=218,430 non-autistic students from 78 colleges. Methods: We used a three-way interaction term to examine moderation of the relationship between autism and sexual, physical and emotional aggression victimization by depression and sense of belonging. Results: Autistic students were nearly twice as likely as non-autistic students to report past-year emotional victimization (44% vs. 26%, p<0.001), and more likely to report physical victimization (8.4% vs. 5.7%, p<0.001). Autistic students who experienced sexual assault were 2.23 times more likely than non-autistic students to report it affected academic performance (80.4% vs. 36.0%, p<0.001). At both low and high levels of depression, sense of belonging was protective against physical and sexual victimization for autistic students more than for non-autistic students. Conclusions: Institutions of higher education should prioritize preventing and responding to interpersonal aggression against autistic students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term Red Zone refers to a period of time thought to be high risk for sexual victimization upon entering college in the United States, although empirical evidence for a defined Red Zone has not been established. This article critically reviews empirical research from the last 20 years that investigates the temporality of sexual assault reported by undergraduate women. A keyword search of three major sociopsychological databases was conducted, and articles were included if they reported original empirical results of the timing of sexual assault on campuses, if they directly compared different class years, or if they reported on sexual assault by class year. Ten articles meeting criteria were evaluated in light of methodological, definitional, and measurement issues to assess whether support for a Red Zone of risk exists. We posit that the current extant literature does not provide clear empirical support for the concept of a Red Zone at the beginning of a woman's entry into college and lasting for the first month or two. However, extending the potential time frame for a Red Zone to include college women's first and second years has some merit, although the usefulness of considering half of a woman's college career as high risk for sexual violence is questioned. Importantly, investigations into the temporality of campus sexual assault (CSA) would benefit from the inclusion of multiple other risk factors as potential mediators/moderators to understand whether identifying a particular time frame is useful or whether social contexts and risk factors explain the significance of an identified time frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a number of high-profile sexual exploitation/grooming cases, such as that which culminated in the trial of nine men in Rochdale, UK in 2012, and accusations against Jimmy Savile and other celebrity figures, the sexual abuse of children has been recognised as an issue of major public concern. These cases received considerable news coverage, but there has also been a proliferation of dramas covering both "real life" events and fictional stories. In this article I take a narrative approach to explore the construction of victims in two such dramas both aired on UK television in 2017 and later broadcast worldwide: Three Girls, a docudrama based on the Rochdale case, and Unforgotten, a fictional drama that resonates with the Savile case. In drawing on a singular narrative of childhood sexual abuse and the ideal victim these dramas, I argue, leave many stories untold, and help to consolidate a new victim hierarchy—based not on what is done to a person, but on who they are or might (have) become. The dangers of this or any other singular story, I argue, go beyond the UK context of these two dramas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following federal and state law, institutions of higher education (IHE) have implemented mandatory reporting (MR) policies, requiring some employees to report sexual violence they learn about to university officials regardless of victim/survivor consent (i.e., compelled disclosure). Proponents argue thatMR policies are beneficial (e.g., provide survivors with support), while critics argue that MR policies that limit survivor autonomy can be harmful. Given the tension between purported goals of MR policies and potential risks to survivors, the current work provided a comprehensive analysis of IHE MR policies in the United States. First, we reviewed laws shaping MR policies. Second, we analyzed MR policies from a nationally representative sample of Title IV eligible IHEs in the United States. Third, we discussed the findings in connection to extant research on MR policies, identifying key patterns and remaining gaps. Our analysis suggested that federal and state policymaking has increasingly expanded reporting mandates for IHE employees. The majority of IHEs designated all or nearly all employees as mandatory reporters, but there was more variability in the breadth of MR policies compared to the previous research. The content of MR policies mostly offered minimal instructions for employees (e.g., to whom to report) and rarely mandated trauma-informed responses (e.g., how to respond to disclosures). In light of empirical evidence, which finds that those who are most knowledgeable about survivors' needs and the process of reporting to the university (including survivors) are less supportive of MR policies, our findings further indicate that currentMRpolicies focus on compliance over victim/survivor support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The objectives of this study were to determine the association between the vulnerability factors linked to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infection among the young women who sell sex (YWSS) group (15–24 years) and adult sex workers, engaged in consensual sex for money (AFSW). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among AFSW involved in commercial sex transactions. Prevalence ratios (PR) analysis was carried out using log-binomial regression model. Results The prevalence of HIV-1 was 29.4% among YWSS compared to 19.6% among female sex worker (PR = 1.43 [1.07–1.91]). Consistent condoms use last 3 months were very low at 22.3% and 41.2%, respectively (PR = 0.52 [0.37–0.74]), the low education level among YWSS versus AFSW (PR = 0.55 [0.40–0.76]); YWSS having been a victim of sexual violence in the last 12 months (PR = 2.00 [1.52–2.63]), were also more likely to be HIV positive. Conclusions The YWSS had a high prevalence of HIV, experienced other socioeconomic vulnerabilities and remain a key population for comprehensive HIV programs. To reach all YWSS, programs need to consider many outreach programs and address the shared determinants of HIV risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Women are being victimized sexually everywhere today, whether it is at home or office. Women are targeted for molestation, eve-teasing, and rape and sometimes they are murdered after rape. The objective of the present study is to understand the trend of sexual abuse in the socio-cultural context of India. The study aims to examine the relationship between the victim woman and the perpetrator and the impact of sexual abuse on the well-being of women. Design/methodology/approach: The study applies the content analysis method for collecting data and conducting research. The data for this study were collected from June 2020 to November 2020. The sample cases for the current study were gathered manually by reading each and every news section that was published on sexual abuse in the various newspapers and magazines that were referenced in the introduction. Findings: The study has found that women are mostly targeted for sexual abuse by known persons. The study has also found that girls between 6 and 15 years of age have suffered most from sexual abuse. Moreover, the study has pointed out that sexual abuse has a negative impact on women such as sometimes women commit suicide after sexual abuse, face psychological problems and sometimes they are, and their family members are threatened. Incidents of sexual abuse are affecting the mental happiness of women and an environment of fear is being created for women in society. Originality/value: This is an original work of the author. The research work is based on content analysis that examines the nature and impact of sexual abuse among women in society by using socio-cultural perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politically expedient approaches to difficult knowledge about sexual violence have included educational practices that create conditions for 'safe' spaces, such as announcing content in advance, trigger warnings and other pedagogical practices that make care allowable and smooth out the sharp edges of violence that can knowingly invoke trauma. This paper is about the power of curricular materials charged with violence in educational practices that cannot guarantee safety. I draw from feminist new materialisms to analyse the thing-ness of clothing in an art installation that was curated as a sexual violence prevention curriculum at my university. I consider the clothing as mattering as the substance of affect and thought. The starting point is that pedagogies of affectively charged encounters in education produce relations of danger and repair with important implications for victims' and survivors' knowledge, memory and trauma. The goal is to question the hope for pedagogical guarantees concerning difficult knowledge and understand what more precarity might mean for pedagogical responsibility in sexual assault curricula. The paper concludes by considering the curricular possibilities of difficult affective knowledge for a kind of queer healing and collective attention to sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-based violence is a widespread phenomenon that significantly impacts many women around the world. Among the different forms that it might take, image-based sexual abuse represents one of the most common forms nowadays. According to the literature, sexting—the sharing of sexually explicit messages or images—is one of the most important risk factors for image-based sexual abuse because sexts can be forwarded or published without the authorization of the originator. Nevertheless, sexting can play a role in sexual and relational development and serve as a first step in experimenting with sexual contact in real life. In this study (N = 603 from the general population), we examined the relations between people's beliefs about sexting, attitudes toward it, and sexting behavior on the one hand, and reactions to a situation of nonconsensual dissemination of sexts on the other hand. Results showed that social pressure exerted by peers and partners to sext was associated with both positive attitudes toward sexting and sexting behaviors. Attitudes toward sexting, then, have a spillover effect on the reactions toward a victim of nonconsensual dissemination of sexts, in terms of empathy, victim blaming, and affective reactions. Implications for both research and policymaking regarding this form of gender-based violence are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has consistently found high rates of victimisation among autistic children. There is emerging evidence that disproportionate victimisation continues into adulthood, however the extent, nature and impact and the mechanisms that underlie high rates of interpersonal violence are not well understood. Here we investigate the nature and impact of violence experiences using qualitative methods. Twenty-two autistic adults who had experienced interpersonal violence during adulthood participated in semi-structured interviews. We analysed the data using a thematic analysis to identify key themes. Violence was commonplace in their own lives and in the lives of other autistic people that they knew, to the extent that violence had become normalised. They spoke of the impacts of these experiences on their mental health, self-concept and subsequent relationships and of how these impacts were exacerbated when their disclosures were dismissed by others. They reported that certain autistic characteristics might make them more vulnerable and of how such characteristics were often shaped by repeated experiences of invalidation and pressure to conform within a neurotypical world. These findings demonstrate the importance of developing ways to improve the personal safety of autistic people which must include the broader social factors that at least partly contribute to these distressing experiences. Research has consistently shown that autistic children are more likely to be victimised than non-autistic children. More recently, studies have also found that autistic adults report experiencing more violence than non-autistic adults however the circumstances surrounding these incidents and the reasons for this are not clear. We wanted to learn more about violence during adulthood for autistic people including what led up to these incidents and what happened afterwards. We spoke to 22 autistic adults who had experienced violence and analysed what they told us to look for common themes. They told us that violence was commonplace in their own lives and in the lives of other autistic people that they know, so much so that they had even come to expect it to happen. They also talked about the negative effect these experiences had on their mental health, the way they felt about themselves and their ability to trust people. This was made worse if people did not believe them when they disclosed what had happened to them. They told us that certain autistic characteristics might make them more vulnerable like being too trusting or going along with people just to please them. They thought that some of these characteristics had been shaped by their experiences, especially being told that that their thoughts, feelings or behaviours were wrong and being pressured to change the way they behaved to 'fit in'. These findings are important in helping us to understand how to improve the personal safety of autistic people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men's experiences with sexual violence (SV) remain underrecognized in advocacy work, public discourse, academic research, and clinical practice, largely because SV is gendered as a feminine experience. To increase our understanding of this topic, the present thematic synthesis of qualitative studies sought to explore how socially constructed tenets of hegemonic masculinity contextualize men's experiences with SV in adulthood. Relevant materials for the thematic synthesis were identified via a search of literature published in nine databases up to August 2021 following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Of the 2,815 works identified, 41 studies were analyzed based on our inclusion criteria (i.e., empirical study using qualitative methods, examining men's first-person experiences with SV in adulthood, references masculinity, based on Westernized countries). Four overarching themes were identified which help capture the influence of masculinity on men's gendered experiences with SV: (a) sexual victimization tactics used against men, (b) men's cognitive and emotional processing of SV experiences, (c) men's behavioral responses after SV, and (d) influence of masculinity constructs on help-seeking. Codes were stratified by gender of perpetrator (man or woman) and sample population (military, college, men who have sex with men, and general population) to better understand unique experiences of survivors in different contexts. Our findings are discussed using the gender role strain paradigm to situate men's experiences with SV within conceptual frameworks used in the broader field of masculinity studies. Public Significance Statement: This study demonstrates that societal beliefs and expectations about masculinity can, in certain ways, confer risk for men experiencing sexual violence and negatively impact their recovery process. Our findings suggest more work is needed across domains (e.g., public discourse, academic research, clinical practice) to challenge harmful tenets of gender socialization which may invalidate men's experiences with sexual violence and obstruct their willingness and ability to seek help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sexual and reproductive healthcare services (SRHS) are an environment where medical care relevant to sexual violence and abuse (SV) is available. However, barriers to disclosure need to be overcome to allow timely access to this care. There is limited research identifying and explaining how interventions remove barriers and create a safe and supportive environment for disclosure. The purpose of this review was to develop and refine theories that explain how, for whom and in what context SRHS facilitate disclosure. Methods: Following published realist standards we undertook a realist review. After focussing the review question and identifying key contextual barriers, articles pertaining to these were identified using a traditional systematic database search. This strategy was supplemented with iterative searches. Results: Searches yielded 3172 citations, and 28 articles with sufficient information were included to develop the emerging theories. Four evidence-informed theories were developed proposing ways in which a safe and supportive environment for the disclosure of SV is enabled in SRHS. The theories consider how interventions may overcome barriers surrounding SV disclosure at individual, service-delivery and societal levels. Conclusions: Benefits of SRHS engagement with health promotion and health activism activities to address societal level barriers like lack of service awareness and stereotypic views on SV are presented. Although trauma informed practice and person-centred care were central in creating a safe and supportive environment for disclosure the review found them to be poorly defined in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]