Mothers are blamed for a variety of negative experiences and outcomes of their children, including child sexual abuse (CSA). According to just world hypothesis (JWH), people have a need to view the world as one where there is no such thing as an innocent victim; that is, the world is fair and just. These beliefs predict victim blaming in situations such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, and robbery. However, JWH has not been applied to the examination of mother blame, a situation in which the blame target did not directly experience the traumatic event. We examined this application in two studies: (a) a thematic analysis of focus group discussions and (b) a correlational study. Across both studies, participants identified personal characteristics of the mother that either increased or decreased blame, consistent with JWH. However, when directly asked, most participants denied holding just world beliefs, particularly as related to child sexual abuse. Our results indicate that methodological choices might affect results, and that socially constructed views of "ideal mothers" influence mother blame. We discuss implications for validity of just world theory (JWT), methodological choices, and reduction of mother blame.

The current study explores the personal stories of young women on their own experiences with adolescent dating violence and focuses on their perceptions of the relevant factors that maintained the relationship over time. To this end, we analyzed seven publicly available videos on YouTube of women explaining their experiences of adolescent dating violence, including how they perceived their relationships to be maintained over time. We identified four major sources these survivors perceived as contributing to the maintenance of adolescent dating violence: the Self, the Partner, the Relational Dynamic, and Other People.

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Research shows that nonoffending mothers are frequently held at fault for child sexual abuse (CSA), by both society and professionals, with contradictory explanations for the fault. For example, the same maternal characteristic can be used to assign blame or alleviate blame (i.e., single mothers have been held more at fault for their child’s CSA and less at fault). The purpose of this study was to assess a theoretically based model that could account for these different reasons. We tested the stereotype content model (SCM), which examines the content of stereotypes toward target groups, by focusing on perceptions of that group’s levels of warmth and competence. We sampled 136 undergraduate participants who read a vignette describing CSA, and completed the SCM with the mother of the victim as the target, and measures of mother fault. Our results showed that participants fell into three SCM groups of mother fault: (a) Moderate Contemptuous Prejudice (i.e., low competence, low warmth); (b) Admiration (i.e., moderate competence, high warmth); and (c) Very Contemptuous Prejudice (i.e., very low competence, very low warmth). Each cluster also held unique emotions toward the mother, as predicted by the SCM. Results further showed that assigned levels of fault were significant, but that fault did not vary by SCM group, lending support to the ideas that the SCM can be applied to this group and that different participants assign fault for different reasons.

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are rapidly emerging as preferred first-line drugs in the pharmacological management of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Citalopram, an SSRI with highly potent and selective serotonin reuptake inhibition, may be a useful agent for treating the intrusive, avoidance, and arousal symptoms that characterize PTSD. Fourteen adult subjects (12 with civilian-related post-traumatic stress disorder, and 2 with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder) were entered into an 8 wk, openlabel, fixed-dose trial of citalopram, commencing with 20 mg\d, and increasing to 40 mg\d after 2 wk. Eleven subjects completed 8 wk treatment and were included in the data analysis. Based on the Clinician-Administered Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Scale (CAPS-2), there was significant reduction in all core PTSD symptoms (re-experiencing, hyperarousal, and avoidance) by week 8. Nine of the 11 completers were classified as ' responders ' on Clinical Global Impression Improvement scores. Secondary measures of depression (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale) and anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Scale) also improved significantly by week 8. Citalopram was tolerated well, and there were no dropouts due to adverse effects. Data from this preliminary open trial suggests that citalopram, an SSRI, may be effective for reducing the key symptoms of PTSD, however, these findings need confirmation in double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.