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Background. Adults in their twenties appear to be at high risk for suicidal behaviors (SBs) and there is substantial evidence suggesting that certain personality traits may increase individual vulnerability to suicide.Method. We investigated relationships of personality traits with two SBs in a cohort (n=1140) of 21- to 24-year-old adults, representative of the general population of Quebec. Subjects were assessed using a series of structured diagnostic and personality trait questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify personality trait correlates of suicide-attempt history and serious suicidal ideation in the context of other known risk factors, such as psychopathology and experiences of childhood sexual and physical abuse.Results. Traits of conduct problems contributed to both suicide attempts [odds ratio (OR) 1·03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·01–1·06] and suicidal ideation (OR 1·04, 95% CI 1·02–1·07), while identity problems (OR 1·10, 95% CI 1·07–1·13) and gender-moderated impulsivity contributed exclusively to suicidal ideation.Conclusions. Personality traits may make independent contributions to current suicidal ideation and previous suicide attempts in certain subgroups of suicidal individuals. In order to further explore their utility as markers of suicide risk and targets of intervention further investigation in clinical samples and other cultural and age groups is necessary.

The aim of this study was to assess and contrast dissociation and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a group of sexually abused school-aged girls compared with a matched group. Results from bivariate analyses show that the two symptom constellations represent distinct constructs. Logistic regression analysis indicates that sexual victimization significantly increases the odds of presenting with a clinical level of dissociation and PTSD symptoms, respectively, by eightfold and fourfold. On the basis of a multivariate design, abuse severity indicators, namely, penetration, relationship to perpetrator (intrafamilial versus extrafamilial abuse), and chronicity, did not prove predictive of dissociation symptoms. The least and the most severe forms of childhood sexual abuse both increase dissociative symptoms. The data indicate also that intrafamilial abuse and chronicity do not predict PTSD. However, abuse involving intrusive acts (penetration) does predict PTSD symptoms. Implications for intervention and further research are discussed.

Purpose Bullying has become a significant public health issue, particularly among youth. This study documents cyberbullying, homophobic bullying and bullying at school or elsewhere and their correlates among both heterosexual and sexual-minority high school students in Quebec (Canada). Method A representative sample of 8194 students aged 14–20 years was recruited in Quebec (Canada) high schools. We assessed cyberbullying, homophobic bullying and bullying at school or elsewhere in the past 12 months and their association with current self-esteem and psychological distress as well as suicidal ideations. Results Bullying at school or elsewhere was the most common form of bullying (26.1%), followed by cyberbullying (22.9%) and homophobic bullying (3.6%). Overall, girls and sexual-minority youth were more likely to experience cyberbullying and other forms of bullying as well as psychological distress, low self-esteem and suicidal ideations. The three forms of bullying were significantly and independently associated with all mental health outcomes. Conclusions The results underscore the relevance of taking into account gender and sexual orientation variations in efforts to prevent bullying experience and its consequences.

Purpose: To examine whether there is a direct or a mediated association between dysfunctional parental behavior in later childhood and involvement in dating violence in a sample of low socioeconomic-status boys during mid-adolescence. Methods: Subjects were 717 boys who participated in a longitudinal study. Data collected at six time periods, beginning at age 10 years and covering a span of 8 years, were analyzed. Dysfunctional parental behavior patterns were defined as perceived harsh parenting practices, laxness of monitoring, and interparental conflict witnessed by the subject. Perpetrated psychological and physical abuse in dating, measured at ages 16 and 17 years, and delinquency, measured at age 15 years, served as dependent measures. All instruments were self-report questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis was used in data analysis. Results: Only two variables contributed independently to dating violence. Boys who perceived laxness of monitoring from their parents in their late childhood and reported antisocial behavior at age 15 years, such as delinquency and substance abuse, were at risk of becoming involved in violent dating relationships at age 16 years. Harsh parenting practices from ages 10 to 12 years were also predictors of dating violence. Conclusions: A direct relationship was found between harsh parenting and antisocial behavior and later dating violence. No support was found for the mediation hypothesis of antisocial behavior, but an indirect influence was noted in association with monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse is clearly associated with multiple difficulties during adulthood, such as posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal ideations and suicide attempts (Fergusson, McLeod & Horwood, 2013). Prior studies also suggest that children who have disclosed sexual abuse may show PTSS (Hébert, Langevin & Daigneault, 2016) and behavior problems (Hébert, 2011) in the short term. However, very few studies have investigated suicidal ideations among young victims.

Maltreated children show poor emotion regulation competencies compared to non-maltreated children. Emotion regulation has been found to mediate the association between maltreatment and behavior problems in children. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships among child sexual abuse (CSA), emotion regulation (ER), and internalized and externalized behavior problems in preschoolers using conditional process analyses. ER competencies were assessed in 127 children aged 41-79 months (62 abused, 65 non-abused) by their parents (N=124) and early childhood educators (N=88) using the Emotion Regulation Checklist (Shields & Cicchetti, 1995, 1997). Behavior problems were evaluated by parents using the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000, 2001). ER was found to completely mediate the relation between CSA and internalized behavior problems and partially mediate the relation between CSA and externalized behavior problems. Parents' and educators' evaluations of ER were also found to differ as a function of child gender. The discussion focuses on the relationships among CSA, ER, behavior problems, and child gender. The clinical implications of these findings are also examined. Promoting the optimal development of ER could prevent the emergence and exacerbation of behavior problems in these at-risk children and, in turn, foster resilience.

BACKGROUND: The advent of new technologies and social media offers a host of possibilities for teenagers to consolidate social networks. Unfortunately, new technologies also represent a potential setting for experiences of victimization. METHODS: The present study explores the prevalence of cyberbullying victimization in a representative sample of 8 194 teenagers in Quebec and the adverse associated consequences. RESULTS: Results indicate that 18% of boys and close to 1 out of 4 girls report at least one incident of cyberbullying in the past 12 months. Cyberbullying victimization contributes to the prediction of low selfesteem and psychological distress over and above other experiences of bullying in schools or other settings. CONCLUSIONS: Cyberbullying appear as one important target for the design of prevention and intervention services designed for youth. Language: en

This study examined maternal perceptions of their child's response to the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse. A total of 50 mothers were interviewed 6 months after a visit to a Child Protection Clinic for a medical evaluation of alleged sexual abuse. The mothers answered a questionnaire on their child's reactions to the medical visit. More than 60% of children were perceived as being reassured about physical integrity. The degree of psychological distress was independent of perpetrator's identity and severity of the abuse. Mothers considered that a hypothetical second visit would generate in their child a level of anxiety that increased with perceived intensity of fear of the examination and decreased with perceived kindness of the physician. These results suggest that the physician's behaviour during the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse has an influence on the child's degree of distress that is independent of type and severity of abuse. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Cette etude avait pour but d'examiner comment les meres percevaient la reaction de leur enfant a une evaluation medicale pour suspicion d'un abus sexuel. 50 meres ont ete rencontrees 6 mois apres la visite de leur enfant dans une clinique specialisee pour une evaluation medicale de l'abus sexuel. Les meres ont repondu a un questionnaire sur les reactions de leur enfant a cette visite. Plus de 60% des enfants ont paru rassures sur leur integrite physique. Le niveau de detresse psychologique etait independant de l'identite de l'agresseur et de la severite de l'abus. Dans l'hypothese d'une seconde visite medicale, les meres considerent que la crainte face au premier examen et l'attitude du medecin sont les facteurs qui contribuent a predire l'anxiete de l'enfant. L'attitude du medecin lors de l'evaluation medicale d'une situation d'abus sexuel a donc une influence sur le niveau de detresse de l'enfant, independamment du type et de la severite des sevices sexuels.

Objective: The effects of the sexual child abuse prevention program ESPACE were evaluated by means of a Solomon-type design with first and third grade children. ESPACE is an adaptation of the American Child Assault Prevention Program (CAP). Possible side effects of the program were also examined. Method: A total of 133 children (64 first-graders and 69 third-graders) participated in the study. Children completed a knowledge questionnaire and a video vignette measure designed to evaluate preventive skills towards abusive and potentially abusive situations. A follow-up measure (2 months) was administered to verify whether knowledge and skills were maintained. Results: Results indicated that children participating in the prevention program showed greater preventive knowledge and skills relative to children not participating. Follow-up data showed that knowledge gains were maintained while the preventive skill gains may attenuate. However, while global skill scores decreased between post-test and follow-up, children still showed greater preventive skills at follow-up than before the program. In terms of unanticipated side effects, results revealed that almost half of the parents noted positive reactions following children’s participation in the ESPACE program. Furthermore, the majority of parents did not identify negative reactions in their children following their participation in the workshop. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Quebec adaptation of the CAP program was effective intraining children in abuse prevention concepts and skills.

Empirical studies on child sexual abuse have shown that victims exhibit a wide range of adjustment difficulties. Among those consequences, researchers have highlighted the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In order to refine the classical PTSD model to explain the sequelae associated with CSA, Wolfe (1999) and Wolfe and Birt (1995) have proposed a revised type I and type II PTSD model. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate the adjustment of a group of sexually abused children according to the revised PTSD model at two times (following the disclosure and six months later). Three groups of 50 children aged between seven and twelve participated in the study: a sexual abuse (SA) group, an orthopedic sample and a group of children from the community. The PTSD type I symptoms were measured by a subscale composed of 20 items of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (Achenbach, 1991). PTSD type II symptoms were assessed by three CBCL standard sub-scales and by th...

This qualitative exploratory study uses discussion groups with 24 Canadian teens aged 14 to 19 to cast new light on aggression in teen dating relationships. Data collected confirm that violence is present in numerous ways and that the teens' explanatory models still attribute part of the responsibility to victims. The teens suggested individual, couple, and social factors, such as the influence of peers and pornography. Findings indicate that future research should study forms of abuse specific to teens and that prevention programs should address nonconsensual violence as well as the consensual use of violence in sexual relationships.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the mediator role of coping strategies and social support on the adaptation of children following CSA. Empirical studies indicate that short-term consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) are multiple and varied Kendall-Tackett et al 1993 , Wolfe and Birt 1995 . While abuse-related characteristics were first studied to explain the variability of CSA outcome, more recently, the influence of other variables such as coping strategies and social support have been considered. Method: Fifty sexually abused children aged between 7 and 12 participated in this study. The Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991) and the Perceived Competence Scale for Children (Harter, 1985) were used to measure victims’ adjustment. Coping strategies were evaluated by the Self-Report Coping Scale (Causey & Dubow, 1992) and the children completed the Perceived Social Support (Harter, 1985) . A French version of the History of Victimization (Wolfe, Gentile, & Bourdeau, 1987) was used to gather abuse-related characteristics from medical records. Results: Results indicate that sexually abused children exhibit internalizing and externalizing behavior problems following CSA. Coping strategies and social support exert direct effects on victims’ adjustment instead of the mediator influences originally expected. Among abuse-related variables, only the perpetrator’s identity is directly related to internalizing symptoms. Conclusions: The absence of mediational effects of coping and social support is discussed in light of the measures used and the cross-sectional nature of the study. Results highlight the importance of parental implication and the consideration of coping strategies in designing therapeutic interventions with this population.

La presente etude s'intercsse e l'influence des caracteristiques personnelles dans l'acquisition des connaissances et des habiletes chest les eleves participant e un programme visant e prevenir les abus commis envers les enfant, soit le programme ESPACE. L'etude a ete realisee aupres d'enfanis (n = 107) de quatrieme annee. Ils ont complete des mesures de connaissances et d'habiletes preventives et des mesures evaluant les caracteristiques individuelles soit le concept de soi, la perception de controle et le sentiment d'efficacite personnelle. Les resultats soulignent l'importance de certaines variables, notamment le genre, le sentiment d'efficacite personnelle et la perception de la competence athletique dans l'acquisition de certaines habiletes preventives.

Many students with academic difficulties are not identified by schools as needing assistance. The traditional learning disabilities category appears to be less and less suitable given recent developments in special education that favor inclusion. Thus it is necessary to rethink procedures to identify students needing support and the implications of this for research and practice. This research was designed to examine the relationship between three procedures to identify students with academic difficulties in Quebec schools: teacher ratings, curriculum-based achievement tests, and identification of LD (learning disabilities) by the school. Results reveal that agreement between school identification and teacher rating is low. This agreement increased with subjects who had the lowest achievement test results. On the other hand, school identification and achievement scores are moderately associated. Finally, although achievement scores and teacher ratings are significantly correlated, only 50% of students with the lowest achievement test results are recognized by their teachers as having academic difficulties. The article concludes that further research is necessary to conceptualize in a new way the identification of students who need academic support.

This study aims to document the evolution of dissociative symptoms over time in preschoolers who disclose sexual abuse. Specifically, this study explores the frequency of dissociative symptoms as a function of child gender. A follow-up evaluation was conducted 1 year after initial disclosure among a sample of 48 sexually abused children, and their results were contrasted with those of a control group composed of 71 non abused children. Children's dissociative symptoms were evaluated by non-offending parents. Data showed that children reporting sexual abuse displayed a greater frequency of dissociative symptoms than non-sexually abused children at both evaluation times. Further analysis indicated that the evolution of dissociative symptoms in sexually abused children may be gender related. Although a decline in dissociation symptoms over time was evident for sexually abused girls at follow-up, sexually abused boys displayed greater dissociative symptoms. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for interventions for sexually abused children.

L’adolescence est une période charnière pour le développement des relations amoureuses et sexuelles. Or, les corrélats de la qualité de vie sexuelle durant cette période demeurent sous-documentés. La présente étude vise à explorer le rôle médiateur de la communication des besoins sexuels dans la relation entre l’attachement amoureux et la qualité de vie sexuelle. Quatre-vingt-seize couples s’identifiant comme hétérosexuels et âgés de 15 à 21 ans ont participé à cette étude. Les résultats montrent que les adolescents qui rapportent davantage d’évitement de l’intimité ont moins tendance à communiquer leurs besoins sexuels, ce qui est associé, en retour, à une moindre qualité de vie sexuelle. Cette étude souligne l’importance de cibler les insécurités d’attachement et la communication des besoins sexuels dans les interventions visant à accroître la qualité de vie sexuelle des jeunes., Adolescence is a pivotal period for the development of romantic and sexual relationships. The present study aimed to document the correlates of sexual quality of life among adolescent. More precisely, this study explored the role of communication of sexual needs as a mediator in the association between romantic attachment and sexual quality of life. Ninety-six heterosexual couples aged between 15 and 21 were recruited. The results suggest that teenagers who report more attachment avoidance communicate less their sexual needs, which in turn is associated with lower sexual quality of life. These findings highlight the importance of targeting attachment insecurities and communication of sexual needs to optimize youths’ sexual quality of life.

The assessment of intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) has garnered increased attention in recent years. However, uncertainty about which measure best captures experiences of IPSV remains. The present study focused on the direct comparison of two widely used measures of IPSV: the revised Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) and the revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2). A secondary aim of the study was to extend the scope of IPSV acts by evaluating the presence of pornographic acts and experiences of forced sexual relations with other individuals. The current sample consisted of 138 battered women using the services of shelters. Results indicated that 79.7 % of women reported at least one incident of IPSV on either the CTS2 or the SES. The concordance rate between both measures was 76.8 %, with the highest concordance being for severe sexual violence. The Sexual Violence scale of the CTS2, which is more concise than the SES, identified 16.7 % more cases of IPSV. In addition, 26.1 % of women reported at least one incident involving pornography and 9.4 % had been forced to engage in sexual activities with other individuals. Women who reported experiences associated with pornography were 12–20 times more likely to be victims of severe sexual violence on the two measures. Such findings confirm the high prevalence of sexual violence among this population and indicate how rates can vary depending on the measures used. This study also underscores the relevance of investigating diverse types of violent acts to better understand how IPSV manifests itself.

This study aimed to understand the nature of the relationships between three forms of past victimizations (exposure to interparental violence in childhood, sexual harassment by peers since beginning high school, prior experience of dating violence), physical dating violence perpetration by adolescents, and anger-hostility and emotional distress. The sample was composed of 1,259 high school students aged between 14 and 19 years who answered self-report questionnaires. Mediation analyses were conducted according to Baron and Kenny’s approach. Logistic and linear regression analyses reveal that being victim of sexual harassment by peers and of dating violence are associated to physical dating violence perpetration via a partial mediating effect of hostility in girls. Contrary to results with girls, there is a complete mediating effect of emotional distress for boys. Results suggest that dating violence prevention and intervention strategies could be adapted according to gender and that sexual harassment should be addressed.

Few studies have explored the possible contribution of the peer group to dating violence victimization. The current study tested the hypothesis that a risky lifestyle would mediate the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and dating violence victimization among adolescent girls. The proposed mediation model was derived from lifestyles and routine activities theories. A sample of 550 girls (mean age = 15) drawn from a larger representative community sample in Quebec, Canada, completed a questionnaire on three forms of dating violence victimization (psychological, physical, and sexual). Results revealed that girls with a higher level of affiliation with deviant peers were more likely to endorse a risky lifestyle and reported higher rates of all forms of dating violence victimization. Further analyses showed that, while deviant peer affiliation is associated with dating violence victimization, this relationship may be explained, at least partially for psychological violence, and completely for physical/sexual violence, by the girls’ own risky lifestyle. Future preventive interventions for adolescent dating violence victimization should target deviant peer groups, as well as adolescent girls who display a risky lifestyle.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of childhood trajectories of anxiousness and disruptiveness with suicide attempts in early adulthood. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Public francophone schools in Quebec, Canada, from the 1986 to 1988 school years. PARTICIPANTS: Of 4488 French Canadian children attending kindergarten, a representative group of 1001 boys and 999 girls was chosen for follow-up. Of these, 1144 individuals participated in the study during early adulthood. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Suicide attempt histories by early adulthood, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) associated with membership in high- vs low-risk trajectories of anxiousness and disruptiveness, moderation (by sex), and mediation (by adolescent Axis I disorders). RESULTS: We observed 4 distinct developmental profiles of anxiousness and disruptiveness and a frequent co-occurrence of similar levels of these traits. In contrast to anxiousness trajectories (OR = 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-2.65), disruptiveness (OR = 1.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-3.13) and joint (OR = 1.88; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-3.37) trajectories made statistically significant contributions to suicide attempts. We found no support for mediation by adolescent anxiety/mood or disruptive disorders. Sex, however, moderated the effect of joint trajectories, increasing the risk of suicide attempts in women (OR = 3.60; Wald chi(2) = 10.93; P < .001) but not men (OR = 0.80; Wald chi(2) = 0.23; P = .64) displaying both anxious and disruptive traits as children. CONCLUSIONS: Anxious-disruptive girls and disruptive boys appear to be more likely than their peers to attempt suicide by early adulthood. Preventive efforts will require more research into the possible mechanisms behind this early sex difference, ie, gene-environment interplays and nonpsychiatric mediators. Language: en

Objective: A literature review on the incidence of different forms of child maltreatment revealed that rates in Australia and Quebec (Canada) were similar. This study sought to determine the prevalence and co-occurrence of various forms of violence (physical, sexual and psychological) and explore gender and age difference. Methods: A telephone inquiry was conducted with a representative sample of 1,002 adults from the province of Quebec. Results: More than one in three adults (37%) reported having experienced at least one of three forms of violence in childhood. Twelve per cent (12%) of the adults experienced two forms of violence while 4% of the respondents reported having experienced all three forms of violence in childhood. Psychological violence (22%) was the form most frequently reported, followed by physical violence (19%) and sexual violence (16%). The different prevalence rates did not vary as a function of age. However, regarding gender, women were more likely to report having been sexually victimised (rape and fondling) and less likely to report having experienced physical violence. A lower percentage of women reported having sustained no form of childhood victimisation and a higher percentage of women reported have experienced both sexual and psychological violence compared to men. Conclusion: These results, including both the global rates and those particular to each gender, are comparable to findings in similar North American studies. The co-occurrence rates noted are salient enough to necessitate particular attention to diverse clinical clientele and need to be considered in future research exploring the risk factors of violence and its subsequent repercussions. Language: en

BackgroundAlthough childhood abuse is an important correlate of suicidality, not all individuals who were abused as children attempt suicide.AimsTo identify correlates and moderators of suicide attempts in adults reporting childhood physical abuse, contact sexual abuse, or both.MethodA French-Canadian, school-based cohort (n=1684) was prospectively followed.ResultsThe identity of the abuser moderated the relationship of abuse frequency and suicide attempts, with individuals abused by their immediate family being at highest risk. Although paternal education exhibited negative associations (OR=0.71, 95% CI 0.58–0.88), several externalising phenotypes had positive associations with suicide attempts: disruptive disorders (OR=3.10, 95% CI 1.05–9.15), conduct problems (OR=1.09, 95% CI 1.01–1.19) and childhood aggression (OR=1.41, 95% CI 1.08–1.83).ConclusionsCharacteristics of the abuser and abusive acts may be important additional indicators of risk for suicide attempts. Future research needs to employ developmental approaches to examine the extent and mechanisms by which childhood abuse contributes to the shared variance of suicidality, maladaptive traits and psychopathology.

CONTEXT: The co-occurrence of hyperactivity and conduct problems in childhood seems to increase the risk of early adulthood adjustment problems in males. However, little is known about this topic in females. OBJECTIVES: To describe the joint developmental trajectories of female hyperactivity and physical aggression during childhood and to examine the extent to which high trajectories of hyperactivity and physical aggression predict adjustment problems in early adulthood. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 881 females from a population-based sample were studied. Developmental trajectories were described using teachers' ratings of behavior problems from the age of 6 to 12 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age 21 years self-reports of substance use problems, criminal behaviors, aggression in intimate relationships, early pregnancy, educational attainment, and welfare assistance. RESULTS: Between the ages of 6 and 12 years, the frequency of hyperactivity and physical aggression tended to decrease for most girls. Those on a trajectory of high hyperactivity (HH) and high physical aggression (HPA) and a trajectory of HH alone were significantly more likely to report nicotine use problems (odds ratio [OR], 2.16 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.30-3.56] and OR, 2.23 [95% CI, 1.39-3.58], respectively), mutual psychological aggression in intimate relationships (OR, 2.28 [95% CI, 1.24-4.18] and OR, 2.14 [95% CI, 1.19-3.85], respectively), and low educational attainment (OR, 4.09 [95% CI, 2.33-7.18] and OR, 3.21 [95% CI, 1.84-5.59], respectively) compared with the other females at the age of 21 years. Only the HH-HPA females were significantly more likely to report physical aggression (OR, 2.48 [95% CI, 1.41-4.37]) and psychological aggression (OR, 2.54 [95% CI, 1.48-4.36]) in intimate relationships, early pregnancy (OR, 2.31 [95% CI, 1.17-4.56]), and welfare assistance (OR, 2.68 [95% CI, 1.33-5.41]) compared with the other females. CONCLUSIONS: Elementary school girls with elevated levels of hyperactivity should be targeted for intensive prevention programs. These interventions should take into account the presence or absence of HPA. Language: en

This study investigated phonological recoding in reading by highly skilled English and French bilinguals. Bilinguals with approximately equal reading rates in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages and bilinguals with significantly slower rates in L2 than in L1 participated in lexical decision and sentence verification tasks in each language with stimuli designed to assess sensitivity to the phonological properties of words. The results suggested that: (1) in general, slow L2 readers were not more dependent upon phonological recoding than were fast L2 readers; (2) for slow readers, L2 presented a heavier processing load in working memory than it did for fast readers; and (3) there exist different phonological effects specific to English and French.

This study evaluates the effects of a group intervention for women sexually abused in childhood or adulthood. The sample consisted of 41 women involved in a group intervention based on a feminist approach offered by help centers for sexual assault victims in Quebec and 11 women in a wait-list comparison group. Results reveal that the group intervention reduced psychological distress and consequences associated with sexual abuse and that gains were maintained at three-month follow- up. Analyses of potential factors related to differential gains indicated that abuse-related variables and concurrent individual interventions were not linked to outcomes. Exploratory analyses suggested that women experiencing severe physical partner violence showed greater gains with respect to self-blame/stigmatization, sexual anxiety, and anxiety related to assertiveness.

BackgroundSuicidal behaviors in young individuals represent an important public health problem. Understanding their natural history and relationships would therefore be of clinical and research value. In this study, we examined the natural histories of several suicidal behaviors and investigated two conceptual models of suicidality (dimensional and categorical) in the context of adolescent and adult-onset suicide attempts.MethodParticipants were members of a prospectively studied, representative, population-based school cohort followed since age 6 (n=3017) through mid-adolescence (n=1715) to their early twenties (n=1684). Outcome measures included suicidal ideation, attempts and completions.ResultsApproximately one in 500 individuals died by suicide. About 33% had suicidal ideas and 9·3% made at least one suicide attempt. Over half (4·9%) of the self-reported attempters made their first attempt before age 18. With the exception of current suicidal ideas, non-fatal suicidal behaviors were more prevalent in females. In general, parental and cross-sectional self-reports underestimated suicidality rates. Aikaike (AIC) and Bayesian (BIC) information criteria suggested the ordinal model, and dimensional conceptualization of suicide attempts of different onset age, to be more optimal than its multinomial/categorical counterpart (ordinal: AIC 567.55, BIC 635.67; multinomial: AIC 616.59, BIC 723.83). Both models, nevertheless, identified five common factors of relevance to suicidal diathesis: gender, disruptive disorders, childhood anxiousness and abuse, and suicidal thoughts.ConclusionsNon-fatal suicidal behaviors in adolescents and young adults are more common than suggested by cross-sectional studies and parental reports. The dimensional model may be more useful in explaining the relationship of suicide attempts of different age of onset.

Background Studying personality traits with the potential to differentiate between individuals engaging in suicide attempts of different degrees of severity could help us to understand the processes underlying the link of personality and nonfatal suicidal behaviours and to identify at-risk groups. One approach may be to examine whether narrow, i.e., lower-order personality traits may be more useful than their underlying, broad personality trait dimensions. Methods We investigated qualitative and quantitative differences in broad and narrow personality traits between one-time and repeated suicide attempters in a longitudinal, population-based sample of young French Canadian adults using two multivariate regression models. Results One broad (Compulsivity: OR = 2.0; 95% CI 1.2–3.5) and one narrow personality trait (anxiousness: OR = 1.1; 95% CI 1.01–1.1) differentiated between individuals with histories of repeated and one-time suicide attempts. Affective instability [(OR = 1.1; 95% CI 1.04–1.1)] and anxiousness [(OR = .92; 95% CI .88–.95)], on the other hand, differentiated between nonattempters and one-time suicide attempters. Conclusion Emotional and cognitive dysregulation and associated behavioural manifestations may be associated with suicide attempts of different severity. While findings associated with narrow traits may be easier to interpret and link to existing sociobiological theories, larger effect sizes associated with broad traits such as Compulsivity may be better suited to objectives with a more clinical focus.

OBJECTIVES: The short-term outcomes of child sexual abuse (CSA) on academic, behavioral and social adaptation at school were examined in order to: (1) document the proportion of sexually abused (SA) girls struggling in school and define the nature of their difficulties, (2) explore whether different profiles of school adaptation could be identified, and (3) examine the different constellations of contextual, personal, and familial correlates of abuse for each profile. METHOD: The sample consisted of 100 French-speaking mother-daughter dyads. Girls (aged 7-12, M= 8.64) were administered cognitive functioning tests and completed self-report measures to assess symptomatology, perception of abuse, and support provided. Mothers and teachers completed questionnaires to assess child's emotional, social, behavioral, and academic functioning in school. RESULTS: Descriptive analyses showed that a substantial number of girls (54%) presented clinical school adaptation difficulties in at least one of the three domains evaluated. Cluster analysis revealed four distinctive school functioning profiles: (1) academic-specific, (2) acting out/withdrawn, (3) polyclinical, and (4) resilient. These were distinguished by degree of school functioning difficulties and number of domains affected. The profiles were further discriminated by elements of the CSA experience and contextual, familial, and personal factors. The number of spheres of functioning affected was proportional to the number of risk factors to which girls were exposed. DISCUSSION: Results suggest the need for a systematic and thorough assessment of SA child functioning at school and may guide mental health professionals in providing differential treatment on the basis of the emerged typology. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Sexually abused children demonstrate a wide variability of responses, rendering the elaboration of a "one size fits all" treatment rather difficult. The emerged typology underscores the complex heterogeneity of school adjustment profiles and suggest that secondary effects of abuse on child's level of school functioning require specific assessment and close monitoring. This study raises practical questions as to whether such secondary effects could best be addressed as a primary treatment objective, or in addition to a trauma-focused approach, or as the sole treatment objective. Language: en

This study aims to assess the predictive value of two sets of variables, self-attributions, and coping behaviors, on sexually abused (SA) teenagers' functioning, while controlling for abuse-related and family variables. A total of 103 female adolescents completed self-report measures to assess their psychological functioning in terms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, sexual concerns, dissociation, anger, their self-injurious behaviors, antisocial behaviors, and drug use. After controlling for SA and family characteristics, final regression models indicate that attributions and coping behaviors explained between 22% and 39% of additional unique variance for seven out of the nine measures of adolescent functioning. Attributions and coping behaviors did not significantly explain additional variance for scores of antisocial behaviors and drug use. Personal attributions of blame for negative events were the strongest predictors of adolescents' functioning. Implications for future research and interventions are highlighted.

This study evaluates the mediational role of general attributions in explaining the impact of specific attributions regarding sexual abuse (SA) on six posttraumatic symptoms. One hundred three SA female adolescents (13-17 years old) completed the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children (TSCC; Briere, 1989), the blame/guilt subscale of the Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale (CITES-R; Wolfe, Gentile, Michienzi, Sas, & Wolfe, 1991), and the Personal Attributions for Negative Events subscale of the Children's Attributions and Perceptions Scale (CAPS; Mannarino, Cohen, & Berman, 1994). Results indicate that general attributions act as a mediator between specific attributions and six posttraumatic symptoms (i.e., anxiety, depression, sexual concerns, posttraumatic stress, dissociation, and anger). Language: en

Objective Various experiences with violence during childhood and adolescence (parental violence, exposure to marital violence, sexual abuse within and outside the family, sexual harassment at school, community violence, involvement with violent or victimized peers, and previous dating violence) are examined as potential risk factors for psychological, physical, and sexual revictimization in adolescent girls’ dating relationships. Method A group of 917 teenage girls (mean age = 16.3) were recruited in 5 high schools located in low to middle socioeconomic areas. Participants were in the 10th and 11th grades, and each completed a self-administered questionnaire. Analyses were performed on the 622 participants who reported having at least one dating partner in the last 12 months. Results Prevalence rates for past victimization experiences varied from 13% to 43%. Regarding last-year dating victimization, prevalence rates varied from 25% to 37%, depending on the type of violence sustained. Results suggest that extrafamilial experiences with violence are stronger risk factors for recent dating victimization than intrafamilial experiences, especially being sexually harassed by male peers at school and being involved with violent or victimized peers during the year preceding the survey. However, it is important to differentiate between girls who are repeatedly victims of violence in a single, long-term relationship (repeat dating victimization), and girls who are revictimized by different partners (dating revictimization), the former sustaining more frequent physical and psychological violence than the latter. Conclusions Findings underline the importance of early prevention of adolescent dating violence. Prevention programs should especially address extrafamilial experiences with violence as important risk factors for victimization in dating relationships, and teach girls strategies to break up abusive relationships.