Attitudes among judiciary and junior clerks toward the survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Berber, G. C. M.; Karapirli, Mustafa; Kantarci, Nabi; Kandemir, Eyüp; Varkal, Mihriban Dalkiran; Şahin, Esat; Emül, Murat

doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2012.11.006

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…These findings are in line with a study by Finkelhor [ 22 ] in (non)victims of childhood sexual abuse, where more than 65% of victims and non-victims stated that childhood sexual abuse has great permanent effect. Interestingly, in contrast to previous studies who found greater social distance toward survivors of childhood sexual abuse [ 19 , 20 ], in the current study childhood sexual abuse provoked the least desire for social distance. One possible explanation is that the aforementioned studies were conducted among professional groups with professional contact to survivors of childhood sexual abuse, whereas the current study was conducted in the general population.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…However, to our knowledge, there are no comprehensive population-based studies examining public stigma towards survivors of CT, and the available studies do not differentiate between different types of trauma. Studies among students [ 19 ] and among judiciary clerks [ 20 ] examining the desire for social distance toward survivors of childhood sexual abuse found more than half of respondents reluctant to engage in various every-day situations. Other studies examined perceived blame attributed towards the society or the family [ 21 ] or differences in attitudes between victims and non-victims of childhood sexual abuse [ 19 – 22 ] either of these studies examined attitudes to different types of childhood trauma.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stigma as a barrier to addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma survivors: A study in the general population

et al. 2021

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Victims of childhood trauma report shame and anticipation of stigma, leading to non-disclosure and avoidance of help. Stigma is potentially aggravating the mental health consequences of childhood trauma. So far there is no comprehensive study examining stigma toward adult survivors of various forms of childhood trauma, and it is unclear whether stigma interferes with reaching out to affected individuals. In a vignette study based on a representative sample of the German general population (N = 1320; 47.7% male) we randomly allocated participants to brief case vignettes pertaining to past childhood sexual/physical abuse or accidents, and adult physical abuse. Stigma was elicited by applying the Social Distance Scale, assessing respondents’ attitudes/stereotypes toward the persons in the vignette and their reluctance to address the specific trauma in conversation. While one aim was to establish the prevalence of stigma toward persons with CT, we hypothesized that attitudes differ according to type of trauma. Of the respondents, 45% indicated they were unlikely to reach out to a victim of childhood sexual abuse, 38% to a victim of childhood physical abuse, 31% to someone reporting a childhood accident and 25% to someone reporting adult physical abuse. Contrary to our expectations, childhood sexual abuse did not consistently elicit more stigma than childhood physical abuse in Krukall-Wallis tests. Equally, childhood interpersonal trauma did not consistently elicit more stigma than childhood accidental trauma. Structural equation modeling revealed social distance as mediator of the relationship between negative stereotypes and reluctance to address childhood trauma in conversation. Our analyses further revealed an ambiguous role of negative stereotypes in addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma victims, which has yet to be examined. There is evidence for stigma associated with having survived childhood trauma, which is interfering with offering help.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stigma as a barrier to addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma survivors: A study in the general population

et al. 2021

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“…The Social Distance Scale has been shown to have good construct validity when compared with other measures of stigma (Interian et al, 2010). The Social Distance Scale has been used to assess stigma in other nonwestern regions such as China (Chung, Chen, & Liu, 2001; Yang et al, 2012), India (Bell et al, 2010), and Turkey (Berber et al, 2013; Emul et al, 2011; Kandemir et al, 2012), often with local adaptations. Similar social distance scales have been used in Nigeria (Dogra et al, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cronbach’s alpha was 0.81 (Penn et al, 1994). The Skill Assessment Scale has been used in other nonwestern regions such as Turkey, specifically addressing questions about stigma among health professionals and trainees (Arikan et al, 2000; Berber et al, 2013; Emul et al, 2011; Kandemir et al, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Former Child Soldiers and LRA Victims With Posttraumatic Stress Among Health Professionals and Lay People in Northern Uganda

Pfeffer

Erdal

2015

International Perspectives in Psychology

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In the aftermath of the war in northern Uganda, former soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) face many challenges reintegrating into their communities. Former LRA soldiers often return home with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may exacerbate the social stigma of being in the LRA. Health professional and lay community members’ ( N = 119) attitudes toward former LRA soldiers with symptoms of PTSD were examined and compared with attitudes toward civilian victims with the same symptoms, both depicted in vignettes. It was hypothesized that there would be a greater negative bias toward former soldiers due to the dual stigma of involvement with the LRA and mental illness, particularly among lay participants who lacked education regarding the prognoses and treatment of the mentally ill. Contrary to our hypotheses, there was no significant difference in participants’ attitudes toward the vignettes of LRA soldiers and civilian victims. Lay participants were less stigmatizing than health professionals and trainees on both measures of stigma: social distance and skill assessment. These findings suggest that the relationship between health education and stigma is complex in Uganda and different from what is found in most western research. Implications for research, treatment, and reintegration are discussed as Uganda moves forward.

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Professionals’ Attitude Toward Reporting Child Sexual Abuse in Saudi Arabia

Alsaif

Alenezi

Saleheen

et al. 2017

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

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Child sexual abuse (CSA) requires specialized knowledge and training that includes forensic interview skills. The aim of this study was to determine variations in professionals' attitudes toward CSA by measuring three aspects of forensic attitudes (sensitivity, specificity, and skepticism) and evaluating disagreements concerning the assessment of CSA cases in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional, web-based study, in which the Child Forensic Attitude Scale was used to measure professionals' attitudes, was conducted. Professionals who dealt with suspected cases of CSA as part of their jobs or were in professions that necessitated involvement with such cases, were selected as participants. Of 327 participants, 53% were aged ≤40 years, and 54% were men. In addition, 24% were doctors/nurses, 20% were therapists/psychiatrists, 24% were social workers, 17% were educators, 9% were law enforcement professionals, and 5% were medical examiners. Attitude subscale scores differed significantly according to participants' sex, specialty, and training. Women, healthcare professionals, and those who had participated in more than five training courses were more concerned about the underreporting of abuse (high sensitivity) relative to other professionals. In comparison, men, medical examiners, law enforcement officers, and undertrained professionals tended to underreport suspected sexual abuse cases (high specificity). High specificity in attitudes toward suspected cases of CSA could affect professionals' judgment and contribute to low reporting rates. Certain strategies, including increasing self-awareness of personal bias, specific CSA recognition courses, and team approaches to case assessment and management, should be implemented to control the influence of subjective factors.

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Attitudes among judiciary and junior clerks toward the survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Cited by 3 publications

References 32 publications

Stigma as a barrier to addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma survivors: A study in the general population

Stigma as a barrier to addressing childhood trauma in conversation with trauma survivors: A study in the general population

Perceptions of Former Child Soldiers and LRA Victims With Posttraumatic Stress Among Health Professionals and Lay People in Northern Uganda

Professionals’ Attitude Toward Reporting Child Sexual Abuse in Saudi Arabia

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