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Marie-Jeann Roland IS C0Nsidered) the first French woman autobiographer in the modern sense; a distinction earned by the unusual openness to sexual revelation exhibited in her Memoiresp&rticuliers' (Private memoirs), written [...]

Between 1945 and 2005, nation-states around the world revised their criminal laws on sexual activities. This global reform wave--across countries and domains of sexual activity-followed from the reconstitution of world models of society around individuals rather than corporate bodies. During the post-World War II period, this process rearranged the global cultural and organizational underpinnings of sex, eroding world-level support for criminal laws aimed at protecting collective entities--especially the family and the nation--and strengthening world support for laws aimed at protecting individualized persons. To make our case, we use unique cross-national and longitudinal data on the criminal regulation of rape, adultery, sodomy, and child sexual abuse. The data reveal striking counter-directional trends in sex-law reforms, which simultaneously elaborated regulations protecting individuals and dissolved laws protecting collective entities. World-level negative-binomial regression analyses and country-level event-history analyses confirm our main propositions. The findings demonstrate a sweeping revolution in criminal-sex laws, rooted in the intensified global celebration of flee-standing personhood. Keywords globalization, criminal law, sex, individualization, reform DOI: 10.1177/0003122410388493

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2010.01.006 Byline: Philip V. Scribano (a)(b), Gail Hornor (a), Dale Rhoda (b), Sherry Curran (a), Jack Stevens (b) Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Examination; Anxiety Abstract: Given the commonly held belief that physical examinations for child sexual abuse (CSA) are very distressing, our primary objective was to evaluate anxiety during these assessments using the Multidimensional Anxiety Score for Children (MASC-10). A second objective was to compare self-reported anxiety to parental report using the MASC-10 and to medical provider's rating of emotional distress using the Genital Examination Distress Scale (GEDS). Author Affiliation: (a) Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA (b) The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA Article History: Received 27 November 2007; Revised 21 January 2010; Accepted 27 January 2010

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2010.01.007 Byline: Kihyun Kim (a), Penelope K. Trickett (b), Frank W. Putnam (c) Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Parenting; Non-offending mothers; Intergenerational cycle Abstract: The primary goal of this study was to explore the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and parenting practices among non-offending mothers of sexually abused girls. Guided by a developmental-ecological perspective of parenting, several models with different potential pathways starting from the mothers' childhood experiences of sexual abuse and culminating in their parenting practices (e.g., direct, spurious, indirect effect) were hypothesized and explored in the context of the mothers' past and current psychosocial risks and resources. Two dimensions of parenting were considered: providing positive structure (i.e., ratings of how consistent, fair, easygoing), and using punitive discipline. Author Affiliation: (a) Sungkyunkwan University, Department of Social Welfare, Soosun Hall #61608, 53 Myongryun-Dong, Jongro-Gu, Seoul 110-745, Republic of Korea (b) University of Southern California, School of Social Work, Los Angeles, CA, USA (c) Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati, OH, USA Article History: Received 14 May 2008; Revised 7 January 2010; Accepted 7 January 2010 Article Note: (footnote) [star] This program of research was supported by a Dissertation Fellowship Award granted by the University of Southern California Urban Initiative to the first author as well as federal and foundation research grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, 90CA1549 and R01 MH48330 (Trickett, P.I.); the DHHS Children's Bureau; ACYF 90CA1686 (Trickett, P.I.); the WT Grant Foundation; the Smith Richardson Foundation; and the COYDOG Foundation.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.05.004 Byline: Cynthia J. Najdowski, Sarah E. Ullman Keywords: Sexual assault; Child sexual abuse; Revictimization; PTSD; Problem drinking Abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and problem drinking are common and often co-occurring sequelae experienced by women survivors of adult sexual assault, yet it remains unclear whether survivors drink to cope with PTSD symptoms or whether PTSD symptoms are exacerbated by drinking. Thus, we used a cross-lagged panel design with a large (N =555), ethnically diverse sample of women assault survivors to determine whether PTSD prospectively led to problem drinking or vice versa. We also examined whether cumulative sexual victimization experiences related to greater PTSD and problem drinking. Structural equation modeling revealed that child sexual abuse was associated with greater symptoms of PTSD and problem drinking and intervening sexual victimization was associated with greater symptoms of PTSD and problem drinking 1 year later. We found no evidence, however, that PTSD directly influenced problem drinking over the long term, or vice versa. Rather, experiencing revictimization during the study predicted survivors' prospective PTSD and problem drinking symptoms. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed. Author Affiliation: University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7137, United States

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2009.01503.x Byline: Michelle A. Fortier (1), David DiLillo (2), Terri L. Messman-Moore (3), James Peugh (4), Kathleen A. DeNardi (5), Kathryn J. Gaffey (5) Abstract: Child sexual abuse (CSA) has consistently been associated with the use of avoidant coping; these coping methods have been associated with increased trauma symptoms, which have, in turn, been linked to increased risk for adult sexual revictimization. Given these previous findings, the purpose of the current study was to test a model that conceptualized the relationships among these variables. Specifically, CSA severity was conceptualized as leading to the use of avoidant coping, which was proposed to lead to maintenance of trauma symptoms, which would, in turn, impact severity of revictimization indirectly. This comprehensive model was tested in a cross-sectional study of a large, geographically diverse sample of college women. Participants were 99 female undergraduates classified as having experienced CSA who completed measures of abuse history, coping style, current levels of trauma symptoms, and adult sexual revictimization. Multivariate path analysis indicated that the data fit the hypothesized model for verbally coercive, but not physically aggressive, revictimization. Specifically, increased CSA severity was associated with the use of avoidant coping, which, in turn, predicted greater levels of trauma symptomatology and severity of sexual coercion in adulthood. Although cross-sectional in nature, findings from this study suggest that coping strategies and trauma symptoms may represent modifiable factors that place women at increased risk for verbally coercive sexual revictimization. Author Affiliation: (1)University of California-Irvine, Children's Hospital of Orange County (2)University of Nebraska-Lincoln (3)Miami University (4)University of Virginia (5)Miami University Article History: Initial submission: March 10, 2008Initial acceptance: January 18, 2009Final acceptance: March 10, 2009 Article note: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Michelle A. Fortier, Children's Hospital of Orange County, 505 S. Main St., Suite 940, Orange, CA 92868. E-mail: mfortier@choc.org

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.02.004 Byline: Patrick J. O'Leary (a)(b) Keywords: Adult male victims; Child sexual abuse; Psychopathology; Posttraumatic stress; Community comparison; Coping strategies Abstract: Coping strategies of men who were sexually abused in childhood were examined to ascertain their relationship to clinical diagnoses. Time elapsed since the abuse occurred was examined for its relationship to psychological functioning. Clinical psychopathology of this primary sample of sexually abused men was compared to a community sample of men. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK (b) School of Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Magill, Australia Article History: Received 14 April 2008; Revised 20 February 2009; Accepted 23 February 2009

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.04.002 Byline: Mireille Cyr (a), Michael E. Lamb (b) Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Forensic interviews; Structured interviews; Interviewer prompts; Children's informativeness Abstract: The study was designed to assess the effectiveness of the flexibly structured NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol for child sexual abuse (CSA) investigative interviews by police officers and mental health workers in Quebec. The NICHD Protocol was designed to operationalize 'best practice' guidelines and to help forensic interviewers use open-ended prompts to facilitate free recall by alleged victims. Author Affiliation: (a) Departement de psychologie, Universite de Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3C 3J7 (b) Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Article History: Received 6 April 2007; Revised 2 April 2008; Accepted 17 April 2008 Article Note: (footnote) [star] This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada through a grant to the first author. This work was done under the auspices of the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur les problemes conjugaux et les agressions sexuelles (CRIPCAS).

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.09.006 Byline: Thea van Roode, Nigel Dickson, Peter Herbison, Charlotte Paul Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Sexual behavior; Sexual outcomes Abstract: To determine the impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) on adult sexual behaviors and outcomes over three age periods. Author Affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 913, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand Article History: Received 4 October 2007; Revised 24 August 2008; Accepted 3 September 2008 Article Note: (footnote) [star] The study was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

The aim of this research project was to explore how men and women constructed a sense of self through narrative following an early sexual experience with an adult. Using narrative inquiry methodology, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted in New South Wales, Australia, with 13 women and 9 men ages between 25 and 70. All participants had an early sexual experience at the age of 15 or younger with someone 18 or older. Narrative analysis was used to examine the co-constructed stories that emerged. Participants told four evolving narratives about their experiences: narratives of silence, of ongoing suffering, of transformation, and of transcendence. The gender differences between these narratives have been examined in the light of the literature relating to childhood sexual abuse, the victim and survivor discourses, and the social construction of gender. Keywords: child sexual abuse; narrative; gender

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.01475.x Byline: Daniela P. Ligiero (1), Ruth Fassinger (2), Moira McCauley (3), Jessica Moore (4), Nina Lyytinen (5) Abstract: The purpose of this study was to articulate a model of how Latinas cope with childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and the ways in which personal and cultural variables influence their coping strategies. Nine women who identified as Latina and as survivors of CSA participated in an in-depth interview. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory methodology. Results suggested that participants' coping efforts were influenced by a variety of cultural factors and that they engaged in a wide range of coping behaviors, all of which served two main functions: (1) seeking relief from negative emotions and (2) protecting one's self from further abuse. Author Affiliation: (1)UNICEF, Brazil (2)California State University, Stanislaus (3)Private Practice (4)Clinica del Pueblo (5)University of Helsinki, Finland Article History: Initial submission: July 20, 2007Initial acceptance: July 13, 2008Final acceptance: October 22, 2008 Article note: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Daniela Ligiero, UNICEF Brazil, SEPN 510 Bloco A 2 andar, Brasilia, DF BRAZIL, 70377-010. E-mail: daniela_ligiero@yahoo.com

Traumatized samples have relative difficulty in generating specific autobiographical memories on a cue word task, compared to nonexposed controls. Simultaneously, trauma is associated with highly specific intrusive trauma memories in day-to-day life. Possibly, day-to-day intrusions and memories generated to cue words rely on different retrieval processes, with the former dependent on close associations between retrieval cues and specific memory representations (direct retrieval), and the latter on iterative retrieval cycles through a hierarchical memory system (generative retrieval). This study investigated this distinction using two versions of the cue word task. designed to promote generative and direct retrieval. respectively, in participants with or without a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). The data demonstrated that CSA participants were less specific than nonabused controls to generative retrieval cues, but this difference disappeared with direct retrieval cues. This interaction was stronger in CSA participants with relatively greater posttraumatic stress and remained significant when participants with past or current major depressive disorder were excluded and also when only those participants with corroborated CSA were included. Keywords: autobiographical memory specificity, childhood abuse, depression, intrusions, trauma

Crimes against Children: Sexual Violence and Legal Culture in New York City, 1880-1960. By STEPHEN ROBERTSON. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005. Pp. 352. $59.95 (cloth); $22.50 (paper). [...]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of change in attributions for childhood sexual abuse (CSA) over a 6-year period and whether such patterns were related to abuse severity, age, gender, and subsequent symptoms of depression and PTSD. Methodology: One-hundred and sixty children, 8-15 years old, were interviewed within 8 weeks of the time the CSA was reported to child protective services (i.e., the time of abuse discovery). Follow-up interviews were conducted 1-year later on 147, and 6 years later on 121 of the original participants. Abuse-specific attributions were obtained using two methods. Participants first responded to an open-ended interview question about why they believed the CSA had happened to them and then completed a rating scale about the extent to which possible attributions for the CSA applied to them (e.g., 'Because I was not smart enough'). Results: Over time, perpetrator-blame attributions were consistently more common than self-blame attributions for CSA (using both interview and rating measures). Youth were more likely to report self-blame attributions on the rating measure than the open-ended interview question. The interview method indicated that youth often felt confused about why the abuse happened up to a year following discovery but this response diminished by the third assessment. On average, ratings of perpetrator-blame attribution remained high over time (p < .05), whereas ratings of self-blame decreased (p < .01). Penetration was related to more self-blame (p < .05) and less perpetrator-blame (p < .05), and the use of force was related to more perpetrator-blame. The initial level of self-blame attribution ratings predicted subsequent symptoms of depression (p < .05) and intrusive experiences (p < .05) after controlling for age at abuse discovery, gender, and self-blame attributions for common events. Perpetrator-blame attributions were not related to symptoms. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that assessing responses to open-ended interview questions about the perceived reasons for the abuse and ratings of attributions are important for understanding how youth make sense of their abuse. Abuse-specific self-blame attributions at abuse discovery have a persistent effect on internalizing symptoms and should be assessed and the target of treatment as soon as possible after CSA has been reported to the authorities. Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Self-blame; Perpetrator blame

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.04.007 Byline: Theodore P. Cross (a), Lisa M. Jones (b), Wendy A. Walsh (b), Monique Simone (b), David Kolko (c) Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Forensic investigations; Child interview; Children's advocacy centers; Multidisciplinary coordination Abstract: Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) aim to improve child forensic interviewing following allegations of child abuse by coordinating multiple investigations, providing child-friendly interviewing locations, and limiting redundant interviewing. This analysis presents one of the first rigorous evaluations of CACs' implementation of these methods. Author Affiliation: (a) RTI International, Waltham, MA, USA (b) Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA (c) University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Article History: Received 2 March 2006; Revised 28 March 2007; Accepted 18 April 2007 Article Note: (footnote) [star] For the purposes of compliance with Section 507 of PL 104-208 (the 'Stevens Amendment'), readers are advised that 100% of the funds for this program are derived from federal sources (this project was supported by Grant No. 1999-JP-FX-1101, 01-JN-FX-0009, 2002-J W-BX-0002 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice). The total amount of federal funding involved is $1,923,276. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.

This article approaches cyberspace as a socially constructed space in which gendered power relations are replicated and examines how cyberspace has been expropriated to escalate child sexual abuse and other sexual offenses. Making connections between different forms of abuse of women and children demonstrates that feminist perspectives provide an essential framework for understanding how new information and communication technologies are reinforcing attitudes that degrade and dehumanize women and children. Analyzing the relationship between gender and other oppressions challenges the hegemony of discourses that emphasize freedom and the democratizing potential of cyberspace and shows how cyberspace is a site for increased violence and exploitation of women and children. Keywords: child abuse images; cyberspace; law enforcement and child protection

Objective: The potential path from sexual abuse as a child to the current risk of physical abuse by mothers was assessed. Ontogenic variables including the experience of the parent's sexual abuse as a child and current depression or substance abuse were expected to have a greater impact on the risk of child abuse than microsystem and exosystem variables such as family functioning, domestic violence, income, community safety, and social support. Method: A path analysis using secondary data was conducted to examine these systemic impacts. The sample consisted of 265 women, the majority of whom were African-American with a high school education or GED. The majority of these women were employed, lower socio-economic status, and over 50% of the sample had never been married. Results: Sexual abuse as a child was found to impact maternal depression. Maternal depression and locus of control impacted risk of physical abuse. These two variables accounted for 22% of the variance in the dependent variable. Conclusion: These findings indicate that it may not be the experience of sexual abuse itself that has an impact on a mother's risk of physical abuse, but rather whether she is able to resolve that trauma. Her locus of control appears to be important in this resolution. The majority of these women were low-income, urban African-American women; it may be important to focus on locus of control for this population. Keywords: Sexual abuse; Physical abuse; Child abuse; Systems theory

Although recent statistics hint that rates of reported rape and child sexual abuse began to decline in the 1990s, little is known about changes in the characteristics of victimizations over time or about the implications of these changes for policy and services. This investigation uses data from a general population survey to examine sexual assault trends in two ways: by age cohort and by historical era in which a first sexual assault experience occurred. Findings suggest that the lifetime prevalence of sexual assault has not significantly changed across cohorts of women in their 20s to 50s. Characteristics of women's experiences across cohorts may be shifting, however, with early childhood experiences of sexual victimization showing a slight decline, accompanied by increases in assault rates during adolescence. Additionally, although help-seeking among victims has increased, women's perceptions of their community's responsiveness have worsened slightly. Research and intervention implications are discussed. Keywords: sexual abuse; assault; rape

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and self-concept in a nonclinical sample of female college students. Participants with a history of CSA had lower scores than participants without a history of CSA on four domains of self-concept: familial, affect, competence, and physical. History of CSA was not associated with lower self-concept in the social and academic domains. The primary conclusions to be drawn from this study are that CSA may he differentially associated with various domains of self-concept, and thus multidimensional assessment of self-concept can yield useful information that cannot be gathered from global measures which yield a single composite score. Keywords: child sexual abuse; self-concept; adult survivors

The purpose of this study was to advance knowledge of dating violence behaviors among adolescent victims of child sexual abuse (CSA), first, by determining the prevalence of psychological and physical dating violence and the reciprocity of violence, and second, by investigating the influence of certain CSA characteristics to dating violence. Respondents included 126 females ages 13 to 17 years. More than 45% reported experiencing some sort of physical violence in their dating relationships. Psychological violence was reciprocal in more than 90% of the cases. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant contribution of CSA characteristics. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the duration of the sexual abuse and the presence of violence or completed intercourse during the abuse could significantly contribute to dating violence above and beyond other known risk factors. Discussion underscores the need to gain a better understanding of CSA and other risk factors that might influence violent dating behaviors. Keywords: dating; violence; teenagers; child sexual abuse; sexual abuse characteristics; predictors

Objective: The present study explores the link between reported sexual and/or physical abuse and psychological defense styles, as well as the association of both with psychological distress in adulthood. In two patient samples that differ in psychological distress and somatization, we examine whether the adversities reported and immature defense styles are associated with psychopathological symptoms. Method: We examined 266 consecutive inpatients in the psychosomatic department and 109 consecutive inpatients who had been treated for low-back pain in the orthopedic department of a German university hospital. Psychological defense styles were assessed by a two-factor solution of the German modified adaptation of the Defense Mechanism Inventory (DMI), childhood adversities by a structured interview, psychological distress by the SCL-90-R, and somatization by the Screening for Somatoform Disorders (SOMS). Results: Both samples demonstrated a significant link between immature defense styles and the extent of overall psychological distress as well as somatization. Reported sexual and/or physical abuse of patients in both patient samples was directly associated with somatization. Conclusion: Recollections of sexual and/or physical abuse in childhood and immature defense styles have an association with psychopathology in adulthood. This finding suggests that immature defense styles may act, in part, as mediators between the adversities investigated and adult psychopathology. Keywords: Defense style; Physical maltreatment; Psychological distress; Sexual abuse; Somatization

Despite continuing improvements in risk assessment for child protective services (CPS) and movement toward actuarial prediction of child maltreatment, current models have not adequately addressed child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse cases present unique and ambiguous indicators to the investigating professional, and risk factors differ from those related to physical abuse and neglect. Incorporation of research on risk factors specifically related to sexual offender recidivism into existing CPS risk assessment models may improve the ability to assess the risk of future sexual maltreatment to children. This article reviews the literature on risk factors for sexual offense recidivism and discusses their relevance and application to CPS assessment models. An evidence-based model for assessing risk in child sexual abuse cases is proposed.

This 4th report from a longitudinal study of U.S. lesbian families presents data from 78 families in which the children were conceived by donor insemination. Results indicate that the prevalence of physical and sexual abuse in these children was lower than national norms. In social and psychological development, the children were comparable to children raised in heterosexual families. Children of unknown donors were indistinguishable from those with known donors in psychological adjustment. In total, 57% of the children were completely out to their peers, and 43% had experienced homophobia. The children demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of diversity and tolerance. Keywords: lesbian mothers, lesbian families, same-sex couples, children of lesbian mothers, donor insemination

This study examined the association between violence exposures and HIV risk behaviors among 409 adolescents and whether such associations are gendered. Results indicated that adolescents exposed to either childhood sexual abuse or family or community violence were almost 3 and 4 times more likely, respectively, than peers not exposed to such violence to report a higher number of HIV-related risk behaviors. In addition, boys exposed to family violence were almost 3 times more likely than girls to report multiple partners and use of drugs during sex. Findings suggest a complex relationship among violence, gender, and HIV risks among adolescents. Keywords: childhood sexual abuse, family violence, community violence, adolescents, gender. HIV risks

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.04.004 Byline: Margaret O'Dougherty Wright (a), Joan Fopma-Loy (b), Stephanie Fischer (c) Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Adult survivors; Resilience Abstract: There has been relatively little attention given to positive adaptation following childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and typically such resilience has been explored primarily in the intrapersonal domain. This study explored questions about later resilience following CSA within a multidimensional framework by assessing resilience across intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intrafamilial domains. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Psychology, 136 Benton Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA (b) Department of Nursing, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA (c) Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA Article History: Received 19 May 2003; Revised 16 March 2005; Accepted 9 April 2005 Article Note: (footnote) [star] Portions of this paper were presented at the 8th International Family Violence Conference, July 2003, Portsmouth, NH.

This analysis provides a historical context for the debate about 'true' and 'false' childhood sexual abuse memories; discusses selected literature about conventional understandings of memory and their relevance to this debate; presents an integrative, phenomenological approach to memory in the recovery and rehabilitation of women child sexual abuse survivors; and uses the insights gained to draw conclusions about the authenticity of delayed childhood sexual abuse memories. Edward Casey's phenomenological concepts of reminding, reminiscing, recognition, body memory, place memory, and commemoration are used to illuminate the complexity of traumatic memories and recovery and rehabilitation needs of the survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Keywords: childhood sexual abuse; delayed recall; phenomenology; recovery; traumatic memory

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.10.013 Byline: Simon D. Williams (a), Judy Wiener (a), Harriet MacMillan (b) Keywords: BAP technique; Childhood sexual abuse Abstract: This exploratory study examined the discriminant validity of 10 human-figure features commonly used by many proponents of the draw-a-person (DAP) projective technique as evidence of childhood sexual abuse. Two exploratory features were also examined. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., Canada (b) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., Canada Article History: Received 3 July 2003; Revised 12 October 2004; Accepted 12 October 2004 Article Note: (footnote) [star] Dr. Williams was supported by the Jean Piggot Post Doctoral Fellowship, McMaster University. Dr. MacMillan was supported by the Wyeth-Ayerst Canada Inc. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Clinical Research Chair in Women's Mental Health and the CIHR Institutes of Gender and Health; Ageing; Human Development, Child and Youth Health; Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction; and Population and Public Health; and the William T. Grant Faculty Scholar Award.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.10.012 Byline: Monica M. Fitzgerald (a), Kimberly L. Shipman (a), Joan L. Jackson (a), Robert J. McMahon (b), Honora M. Hanley (b) Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Incest; Parenting; Parenting efficacy; Parent-child interactions Abstract: Although women with histories of child sexual abuse (CSA) perceive themselves as less competent mothers and report greater parenting difficulties than nonabused women, few investigators have actually observed the parenting behaviors of CSA survivors. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether incest history was related to maternal perceptions of parenting efficacy and interactional patterns with their children. The secondary aim of this study was to explore the constructs of internal working models of relationships and maternal psychological adjustment as potential mediators of the relation between incest history and parenting. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-3013, USA (b) Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Article History: Received 3 October 2003; Revised 12 October 2004; Accepted 24 October 2004

Objective: This report describes the cascade of stressful events and secondary life changes experienced by parents in a case of alleged sexual abuse at a day care program. The study evaluated parents' Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and general psychological responses to the stressful events 4 years after the alleged abuse, and explored predictive factors of parental distress. Methods: A total of 39 parents were interviewed about stressful events, life changes, and social support. Current distress reactions, psychological wellbeing, and locus of control were assessed with a battery of standardized measures. Results: Hearing about the sexual abuse, testifying in court, hearing the verdict, and being exposed in media reports were all rated by the parents as distressing events. The majority of the parents experienced secondary life changes after the alleged sexual abuse. Four years after the alleged sexual abuse, one-third of the parents reported a high level of PTSD Intrusive symptoms and one-fourth reported a high level of PTSD Avoidance symptoms. There was a significant positive correlation between a measure of psychological wellbeing and PTSD. Secondary life changes and locus of control significantly predicted PTSD. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the alleged sexual abuse of children in day care and the resulting events in the legal system and the media constitute significant and chronic stressors in the lives of the children' s parents. These findings underscore the need to expand the focus of trauma-related sequelae from the child victim to their parents and family. Keywords: Child sexual abuse; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Day care; Parental distress