Keith L. Kaufman

Comparing Female and Male Perpetrators' Modus Operandi Victims' Reports of Sexual Abuse

Although a sizable percentage of all sexual abuse in the United States is perpetrated by females, until recently the subject of sexual offending by this population has been largely overlooked. In this study, reports of child sexual abuse by 53 victims of female perpetrators were compared with reports by a group of 53 victims of male perpetrators. Victims were matched for age, race, and sex. The purpose of this investigation was to gain information about similarities and differences in the modus operandi of female and male offenders. Females were more often involved with males in co-offender situations. They were also more likely to exploit their victims than males. Male offenders were reported to be more sexually invasive in their abuse and were more likely to use bribes to obtain victim cooperation than females.

Empirical Research on Child Abuse Treatment: Report by the Child Abuse and Neglect Treatment Working Group, American Psychological Association

Reviewed empirical research on the short- and long-term effects of four major types of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect). Outcome research for a variety of treatments for child victims of abuse and for adults abused as children suggests that treatment is effective; however, comprehensive and carefully designed studies have not been done. Likewise, outcome research for treatment efforts with parents and caregivers who engage in child maltreatment is limited, but evidence supports treatment efficacy. Thirteen recommendations are offered pertaining to improvement of conceptualization, treatment, and research in the area of child maltreatment.

Changing the Social Ecologies of Adolescent Sexual Offenders: Implications of the Success of Multisystemic Therapy in Treating Serious Antisocial Behavior in Adolescents

Current treatment models for adolescent sexual offenders are individually oriented and have limited empirical support. These models may not be effective in reducing recidivism because they do not address the multiple factors (i.e., individual, family, peer, school) related to sexual offending. Multisystemic therapy (MST), an ecologically based treatment model that addresses multiple determinants of behavior, has proven effective with chronic, violent nonsexual offenders in several randomized trials. Preliminary research also indicates promise for MST with sexual offenders. This article: (a) presents empirical support for use of an ecological approach with adolescent sexual offenders based on a multidetermined etiology, (b) provides a theoretical and clinical description of MST, and (c) describes a recent adaptation of MST that maintains the ecological emphasis of MST and integrates important conceptualizations from the literature on adolescent sexual offending.

The Hand as a Target Organ In Child Abuse

The authors reviewed the abuse reports submitted by the staff of The Childrens Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, to determine the incidence and types of injuries inflicted to childrens hands. The authors did not study hand injuries in children who were not reported as physically abused. The authors examined two time periods to ascertain changes in injury severity. Of the 631 abuse reports submitted from 1980 to 1982, there were 52 injuries (8.2%) involving the hands. From July 1987 to July 1988 there were 42 hand injuries (13.4%) among 313 reports. In the 94 total cases, 19 (2%) children sustained injury to the hand only, including eight with burns, two with bruises, two with human bites, two with erythema, two with fractures, and one with a laceration. Children with burns to the hand alone were significantly younger than those with other types of injuries. Of the 94 children with hand and other injuries, 18 (20%) required hospital admission. Of the 19 with injuries to the hand only, five required hospital admission. A variety of instruments were used to injure these children. The hand is a delicate organ, and it is frequently the primary or incidental target of child abuse. Familiarity with the patterns and types of hand injury suffered in child abuse is essential for early recognition, reporting, and child protection.

Future directions in the treatment of physical child abuse

The incidence of physical child abuse has continued to increase over the past 15 years. During this time, studies have identified a myriad of serious acute and long-term consequences for its victims. Early approaches to treatment varied on a number of dimensions but failed to consistently demonstrate their effectiveness with perpetrators of physical abuse. Despite an obvious and pressing need, intensive efforts to identify the most efficacious treatment approaches appear to have been abandoned in favor of prevention, early intervention initiatives and in general, the area of child sexual abuse. This article examines the shift in priorities, selectively examines treatment approaches, discusses key research and programmatic issues, and offers suggestions for future directions.

Self-regulation treatment to reduce the aversiveness of cancer chemotherapy

In an A-B design, the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention for reducing chemotherapy-associated nausea and emesis in an 11-year-old cancer patient was evaluated. A highly structured, time-limited, self-regulation treatment was implemented that consisted of patient and parent instruction in self-hypnotic methods, cue-controlled relaxation, and guided imagery. Practice of the self-regulation methods at home and in vivo (clinic setting) in the absence of chemotherapy infusion were emphasized to promote skill acquisition and cross-setting generalization. Dependent variables included self-reported nausea intensity and parental report of duration of the patients sleep and vomiting frequency. Data were obtained before, during, and following chemotherapy for baseline and self-regulation treatment phases across five cycles of chemotherapy that occurred over a 5-month period. During the intervention phase, a marked and clinically significant reduction in self-reported nausea and parent-observed vomiting were noted as well as a concurrent increase in sleep duration. The integrity of patient self-report and parental observations were supported by clinic staff anecdotal data. Treatment limitations and cost-effectiveness are discussed as well as the use of this intervention with adolescent patients.

Preventing juvenile sexual offending through parental monitoring: a comparison study of youth’s experiences of supervision

ABSTRACT The parental monitoring literature has long observed a link between parental monitoring and juvenile antisocial behaviour. This study extends this line of research to juveniles who commit sexual abuse. The present study investigates whether juvenile reports of parental monitoring differ between juvenile sexual offenders (n = 338), juvenile delinquents (n = 346), and non-incarcerated juvenile controls (n = 256). Results indicate that both incarcerated groups reported significantly less parental knowledge compared to juvenile controls. Further, both juvenile sexual offenders and juvenile controls reported significantly more parental control compared to juvenile delinquents. With regard to parental solicitation, the results were mixed for sexual offenders. They reported high levels of solicitation for some items (e.g. what the youth was doing, who they were with), and lower levels for other items (e.g. where the youth was, whether an adult would be present). When repeating these analyses with the exclusion of non-parent caregivers, a similar pattern of results emerged; however, item-level analyses revealed that parents of juvenile delinquents reported certain types of solicitation and control behaviours more frequently (e.g. asked where the youth was going, made sure the rules were followed) compared to findings from the main sample. Potential explanations for these findings as well as practical implications for prevention are discussed.

THE HAND AS A TARGET ORGAN IN CHILD ABUSE

The authors reviewed the abuse reports submitted by the staff of The Childrens Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, to determine the incidence and types of injuries inflicted to childrens hands. The authors did not study hand injuries in children who were not reported as physically abused. The authors examined two time periods to ascertain changes injury severity. Of the 631 abuse reports submitted from 1980 to 1982, there were 52 injuries (8.2%) involving the hands. From July 1987 to July 1988 there were 42 hand injuries (13.4%) among 313 reports. In the 94 total cases, 19 (2%) children sustained injury to the hand only, including eight with burns, two with bruises, two with human bites, two with erythema, two with fractures, and one with a laceration. Children with burns to the hand alone were significantly younger than those with other types of injuries. Of the 94 children with hand and other injuries, 18 (20%) required hospital admission. Of the 19 with injuries to the hand only, five required hospital admission. A variety of instruments were used to injure these children. The hand is a delicate organ, and it is frequently the primary or incidental target of child abuse. Familiarity with the patterns and types of hand injury suffered in child abuse is essential for early recognition, reporting, and child protection.