April R. Bradley

Sexual assault prevention with college-aged women: A bibliotherapy approach

The present research evaluated the efficacy of a skills-based bibliotherapy approach to sexual assault prevention for college-aged women. One hundred and ten participants were followed prospectively for 16 weeks. A self-help book, written by the authors, was compared to a wait-list control on several self-report measures. Results revealed significant differences between groups, with bibliotherapy participants reporting decreased participation in risky dating behaviors and improvement in sexual communication strategies across a variety of dating situations. However, results suggested that the self-help book was no more effective than the wait-list control in reducing rates of sexual victimization. Limitations of the study and directions for future sexual assault prevention research with women are discussed.

Assertiveness and Attributions of Blame toward Victims of Sexual Assault

This study investigated the influence of assertiveness on womens attributions of blame toward a victim of sexual assault. Women (N = 211) completed questionnaires assessing general and sexual assertiveness, viewed a video vignette of an acquaintance rape, and were asked to rate the degree of the womans responsibility for the assault at three points during the video. Results indicated that the raters level of assertiveness predicted the amount of blame she assigned to the victim of a sexual assault when the victim engaged in unassertive nonverbal resistance and assertive verbal resistance. Implications for prevention programming and forensic psychology (e.g., jury selection) are discussed.

Composite Trauma and Mental Health Diagnosis as Predictors of Lifetime Nonsuicidal Self-Injury History in an Adult Online Sample

Some research indicates that trauma history might be related to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), but the exact nature of this relationship is unknown. Therefore, we created and tested a structural equation model for the relationships between composite trauma, NSSI, mental health diagnosis, and gender in a community sample of 296 U.S. adults recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Composite trauma and mental health diagnosis were significantly predictive of an NSSI history. The pathway between NSSI and gender was not significant. It is important to consider multiple domains of trauma, in the form of composite lifetime trauma, as risk factors for NSSI.

Juvenile competency to stand trial in criminal court and brain function

Current estimates indicate that approximately 200,000 juveniles are transferred to the (adult) criminal court system each year and it is often required that the juveniles ability to function in adult criminal proceedings be assessed by a mental health professional. We review the literature on the assessment of juvenile competency to stand trial in criminal court, adolescent brain development, and related cognitive skills. We conclude that integrative developmental theories are needed to guide research and provide theoretical pathways to apply neuropsychological information to juvenile competency behaviors and the assessment of these behaviors.

Child Custody Evaluations

Publisher Summary This chapter examines several issues relevant to child custody evaluations in the United States, including state laws, ethical guidelines, data collection, tests used, and interpretation of results. Recommendations for conducting child custody evaluations have been provided. Most states in the United States have legislated a Best Interests of the Child (BIC) standard through which placement decisions are made. It is important that the custody evaluator know and understand the ethical guidelines for conducting child custody evaluations. Presently, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) have published guidelines for conducting child custody evaluations. Clinical interviews should be conducted with both caregivers and with each child separately. As it is important that the same information be gathered from each parent, structured interviews are preferred over non-structured interviews. Parent-child observations should be conducted in multiple settings and long enough for the examinees to habituate to the presence of an observer.

Examining Concordant and Discordant Sexual and Romantic Attraction in American Adults: Implications for Counselors

abstract The present study examined self-reported sexual and romantic attractions in a sample of 414 American adults. Forty-four (10.6%) participants reported discordant sexual and romantic orientations. The most commonly reported type of discordant attraction was bisexual sexual attraction but romantic attraction to only one sex, followed by romantic attraction to both sexes but sexual attraction to either one or neither sex. There were no significant gender, age, or relationship status differences between individuals with concordant and discordant orientation. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Truth, Lies, and Recantation

Survey data indicate that, globally, 20 % of women and up to 10 % of men report experiencing sexual abuse during childhood (Stoltenborgh, van IJzendoorn, Euser, & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2011). In 2012, US rates of sexual abuse reports were approximately 63,000 or 9.3 %. This is likely a low estimate given the stigma often associated with child sexual abuse (CSA) and reluctance to report abuse. It is clear that CSA occurs at a significant rate in both the United States and around the world. It poses a serious risk to children and adults, with the accompanying negative psychological effects and impact on health.