"The attention of my teacher helped me to survive” – School as a place of resilience

Gerke, Jelena; Fegert, Jörg M.; Rassenhofer, Miriam

doi:10.1024/2235-0977/a000257

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Especially in the first years of life, children might be missing important and trustful adults outside their family, who they have regular contact to, e.g. kindergarten or nursery teachers, and could somehow disclose to (Gerke et al, 2019b). To clearly reveal sexual abuse, children need knowledge and words to express themselves as well as trustful adults as contact persons who know how to react.…”

Section: Sexual Abuse In Early Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Prevention of Maternal Sexual Abuse

Gerke

Dietz

2021

Childhood Vulnerability

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Child sexual abuse has been discussed thoroughly; however, marginalized groups of victims such as victims of child sexual abuse in early childhood and victims of maternal sexual abuse have rarely been considered. This essay combines these two relevant perspectives in child protection and aims to pin out future directions in the field of child abuse and specifically maternal sexual abuse and its early prevention. In the course of the 7th Haruv International PhD Workshop on Child Maltreatment at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, in 2019 the topics of maternal sexual abuse and early prevention of child maltreatment in Germany were discussed and intertwined. Problems concerning the specific research of maternal sexual abuse in early childhood and prevention were identified. Both, maternal sexual abuse as well as sexual abuse in early childhood, i.e. before the age of three, are underreported topics. Society still follows a “friendly mother illusion” while recent cases in German media as well as research findings indicate that the mother can be a perpetrator of child sexual abuse. Similarly, sexual abuse in early childhood, namely abuse before the age of three, is existent; although the recognition of it is difficult and young children are, in regards to their age and development especially vulnerable. They need protective adults in their environment, who are aware of sexual abuse in the first years of life. Raising awareness on marginalized or tabooed topics can be a form of prevention. An open dialog in research and practice about the so far marginalized topics of maternal sexual abuse and sexual abuse in early childhood is crucial.

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Section: Sexual Abuse In Early Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Prevention of Maternal Sexual Abuse

Gerke

Dietz

2021

Childhood Vulnerability

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“…teachers), can serve as important attachment figures, provide support and help their pupils to re-learn trust in others. Therefore, schools can serve not only as practical locations to implement and provide interventions and mental health care services, but also as places of resilience ( Gerke et al, 2019 ). For example, in a German survey of people who had suffered sexual violence and contacted a helpline for sexual abuse, participants reported that their well-being was positively affected by their teachers’ reactions and support following disclosure, and that an ongoing interest in their experience was perceived as helpful ( Gerke et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School-Based Interventions for Child and Adolescent Victims of Interpersonal Violence

Wichmann

Pawils

Richters

2022

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Background: Interpersonal violence against children and adolescents can affect their mental health and functioning in the long term. To reduce mental health problems in children and adolescents, school-based mental health interventions have been shown to be beneficial. A review of school-based interventions designed to mitigate posttraumatic symptoms after interpersonal violence is lacking to date. Methods: We searched for original studies published in English or German until November 2019 in 6 electronic databases. Supplementary search strategies to reduce publication bias were implemented. Peer-reviewed original studies assessing school-based interventions for children and adolescents under the age of 21 after interpersonal violence were included. Relevant data was extracted, synthesised and assessed qualitatively. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed. Results: Of 5,021 unduplicated publications, 15 studies met eligibility criteria. The included studies were almost exclusively conducted in the USA; over half utilised a randomised-controlled design. Studies mainly focussed on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or depression. In all studies, implemented interventions partially or fully mitigated posttraumatic symptoms. Nine school-based interventions, five of which were based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), were identified. School staff were often involved in intervention implementation besides mental health professionals. Conclusions: School-based interventions can be beneficial to reduce mental health problems in children and adolescents after interpersonal violence. Trained school staff aided by mental health professionals can implement trauma-informed practices at school. While school-based interventions may be a feasible way to provide children and adolescents with accessible mental health care, further research on school-based trauma interventions outside the USA is necessary.

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