Transgressive women don't deserve protection: Young men's narratives of sexual violence against women in rural Papua New Guinea

Sexual violence against women and girls is commonplace in Papua New Guinea (PNG). While the experiences of women are rightly given central place in institutional responses to sexual violence, the men who perpetrate violence are often overlooked, an oversight that undermines the effectiveness of prevention efforts. 

This paper draws on interviews conducted with young men as part of a qualitative longitudinal study of masculinity and male sexuality in a rural highland area of PNG. It explores one aspect of male sexuality: men's narratives of sexual violence. Most striking from the data is that the collective enactment of sexual violence against women and girls is reported as an everyday and accepted practice amongst young men. However, not all women and girls were described as equally at risk, with those who transgress gender roles and roles inscribed and reinforced by patriarchal structures, at greater risk. 

To address this situation, efforts to reduce sexual violence against women and girls require an increased focus on male-centred intervention to critically engage with the forms of patriarchal authority that give license to sexual violence. Understanding the perceptions and experiences of men as perpetrators of sexual violence is a critical first step in the process of changing normative perceptions of gender, a task crucial to reducing sexual violence in countries such as PNG.

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By:  Kelly-Hanku A1,2, Aeno H1, Wilson L3, Eves R4, Mek A1, Nake Trumb R1, Whittaker M5, Fitzgerald L5, Kaldor JM1, Vallely A2.

• 1 Sexual and Reproductive and Maternal Health Unit , Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research , Goroka , Papua New Guinea.
• 2 Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia , Sydney , Australia.
• 3 School of Political Science and International Studies , University of Queensland , St Lucia , Australia.
• 4 State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program , Australian National University , Canberra , Australia.
• 5 School of Public Health , University of Queensland , Herston , Australia.
• Cult Health Sex. 2016 Jun 2:1-14. 

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Sexual Coercion, Trauma, and Sex Work in Justice-Involved Women with Substance Use Disorders

Sexual victimization is strongly associated with mental health problems, traumatic responses, earlier onset of substance use and criminal justice involvement. It is well known that multiple forms of sexual victimization and aggression have been experienced by most incarcerated women. 

Two hundred women with a substance use disorder and involvement with the criminal justice system within the previous two years (parole, probation, arrest, or incarceration) were recruited from multiple sites in metropolitan Chicago. 

We examined whether empowerment moderates the relationship between trauma symptoms, trading sex and the experience of being forced or coerced to have sex. There was a significant three-way interaction between sexual coercion, trading, and empowerment scores on trauma symptoms. 

For individuals who have not traded sex, lower levels of empowerment were associated with a larger difference in trauma symptomatology between individuals who have been coerced and those who have not been coerced. For individuals who had been coerced to engage in sexual activity, lower levels of empowerment were associated with a larger difference in trauma symptomatology between those who have traded and those who have not traded. 

The promotion of empowerment beliefs and attitudes in women disproportionately impacted by violence and sexual trauma may reduce the harm that results from being victimized. Furthermore, providing specific interventions that educate women regarding gender roles and cultural values may help women avoid situations that result in exploitation and coercion.

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By: Salina DD1, Ram D2, Jason LA2.

• 1Northwestern University.
• 2DePaul University.
• J Aggress Maltreat Trauma. 2016;25(3):254-268. Epub 2016 Apr 6.

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Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption

IMPORTANCE:

Rape on college campuses has been addressed recently by a presidential proclamation, federal legislation, advocacy groups, and popular media. Many initiatives assume that most college men who perpetrate rape are serial rapists. The scientific foundation for this perspective is surprisingly limited.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether a group of serial rapists exists by identifying cohesive groups of young men, indicated by their trajectories of rape likelihood across high school and college.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:

Latent class growth analysis of the 2 largest longitudinal data sets of adolescent sexual violence on college campuses using 2 distinct groups of male college students. The first group was used for derivation modeling (n = 847; data collected from August 1990 through April 1995) and the second for validation modeling (n = 795; data collected from March 2008 through May 2011). Final data analyses were conducted from February 16, 2015, through February 20, 2015.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:

Rape perpetration assessed using the Sexual Experiences Survey.

RESULTS:

Across samples, 178 of 1642 participants (10.8%) reported having perpetrated at least 1 rape from 14 years of age through the end of college. A 3-trajectory model best fit both the derivation and validation data sets. Trajectories reflected low or time-limited (92.6% of participants), decreasing (5.3%), and increasing (2.1%) rape patterns. No consistently high trajectory was found. Most men who perpetrated a rape before college were classified in the decreasing trajectory. During college, the increasing trajectory included 14 men (15.2%) who reported having perpetrated a rape, the decreasing trajectory included 30 men (32.6%), and the low or time-limited included 48 men (52.2%). No participant in the low or time-limited trajectory reported perpetrating a rape during more than 1 period. Most men (67 [72.8%]) who committed college rape only perpetrated rape during 1 academic year.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Although a small group of men perpetrated rape across multiple college years, they constituted a significant minority of those who committed college rape and did not compose the group at highest risk of perpetrating rape when entering college. Exclusive emphasis on serial predation to guide risk identification, judicial response, and rape-prevention programs is misguided. To deter college rape, prevention should be initiated before, and continue during, college. Child and adolescent health care professionals are well positioned to intervene during the early teenage years by informing parents about the early onset of nonconsensual sexual behavior.

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By:  Swartout KM¹, Koss MP², White JW³, Thompson MP⁴, Abbey A⁵, Bellis AL¹.

¹Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta.

²Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson.

³Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro.

⁴Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.

⁵Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.

JAMA Pediatr. 2015 Dec;169(12):1148-54. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0707.

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Sexual Risk Behaviors and Substance Use among Men Sexually Victimized by Women

OBJECTIVES:

To investigate whether forced sex of men by women was associated with sexual risk behaviors, and whether this association was mediated by substance use.

METHODS:

Data from US men aged 18 years or older at interview in the National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2010 (n = 8108) who reported sexual behavior history. Outcome variables were condom use at most recent sex and number of lifetime sexual partners. Sexual activity covariates included age at first consensual sex and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. Alcohol and drug use were the mediating factors.

RESULTS:

Six percent of men reported forced sex by a woman at a mean age of 18 years. On average, victimized men had 3 more lifetime sexual partners than nonvictimized men (P < .01). Furthermore, victimized men who reported drug use had, on average, 4 more female sexual partners (P < .01) than nonvictimized men. Marijuana (P < .05) and crack cocaine use (P < .05) partially mediated the association between forced sex and number of female partners. Neither condom use nor number of male partners differed between victimized and nonvictimized men.

CONCLUSIONS:

A nontrivial fraction of men experience forced sex by women; some of them have elevated sexual risk behaviors. 

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By:  Cook MC1, Morisky DE1, Williams JK1, Ford CL1, Gee GC1.

• 1Mekeila C. Cook is with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles, CA. Donald E. Morisky, Chandra L. Ford, and Gilbert C. Gee are with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences. John K. Williams is with the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. 
• Am J Public Health. 2016 Apr 14:e1-e7.

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Recidivism Following Mental Health Court Exit: Between & Within-Group Comparisons

Over the past decade, Mental Health Courts (MHCs) have spread rapidly across the U.S. These courts aim to reduce recidivism among adults with mental illnesses through diversion into community-based treatment. 

Extant research suggests that MHCs can be effective in reducing recidivism, but also demonstrates that effectiveness varies as a function of characteristics of the participants (e.g., criminal history) and the program (e.g., coercion). Less is known regarding the extent to which process-related factors (e.g., length of participation, time between referral and receipt of services) impact effectiveness. 

Prior research also is limited by a focus on recidivism during MHC as opposed to postexit. To address these knowledge gaps, we examined recidivism 1 year postexit for a group of MHC participants (n = 57) and offenders receiving treatment as usual (TAU; n = 40), total N = 97. We also investigated the influence of individual characteristics and process factors on changes in jail days 1 year preentry to 1 year postexit for MHC participants. 

Overall, results provide some evidence supporting the effectiveness of MHCs. MHC participants had significantly fewer jail days, but not charges or convictions, relative to TAU participants. Among MHC participants, graduation from the MHC, presence of co-occurring substance use, and longer length of MHC participation were associated with greater reductions in jail days. Other process factors were unrelated to reductions in recidivism. 

Findings suggest that MHCs may be particularly effective for high-risk participants and that time spent in a MHC has positive effects on recidivism, regardless of graduation status.

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By:  Lowder EM1, Desmarais SL1, Baucom DJ1.

• 1Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University. 
• Law Hum Behav. 2016 Apr;40(2):118-27. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000168. Epub 2015 Nov 23.

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Level of Young People Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Utilization and Its Associated Factors among Young People in Awabel District, Northwest Ethiopia

Background

Currently in Ethiopia, young people’s sexual and reproductive health services are limited and there is a growing issue of confidentiality and affordability of these health services. Moreover, the available services provided are not sensitive to the special needs of young people. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess young people’s sexual and reproductive health service utilization and its associated factors in Awabel district, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 781 randomly selected young people using a pre-tested structured questionnaires in Awabel district, Northwest Ethiopia. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 software.

Results

The mean age of respondents were 17.80 (+ 2.65) years. About 41% of young people had utilized sexual and reproductive health services. Young people from families of higher family expenditure, lived with mothers, participated in peer education and lived near to a Health Center were more likely to utilize sexual and reproductive health services. Furthermore, those who had a parental discussion on sexual and reproductive health (AOR (95% C.I): 2.23 (1.43, 3.46)) and ever had sexual intercourse (AOR (95% C.I): 1.88 (1.30, 2.71)) were more likely to utilize the service than their counterparts. On the other hand, those young people lived with their father and had a primary level of educational attainment was less likely to utilize the service.

Conclusion

Utilization of sexual and reproductive health services is low which needs a great attention where; if not intervened, young people might engage in risky sexual activities. Therefore, it needs a concerted effort from all the concerned bodies to improve their service utilization and thereby reduce the burden of young people’s disease and disabilities associated with sexual and reproductive health.

Below:  Situations how first sexual intercourse was started among young people in Northwest Ethiopia, 2015 (n = 474).

Below:  Reasons of young people for not utilizing SRH services in Northwest Ethiopia, 2015 (n = 439)

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/KrHnht

By:  Atitegeb Ayehu,1 Teketo Kassaw,2,* and Getachew Hailu2

¹Students Clinic, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia

²Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia

National Institute of Health, ITALY

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Child Brides, Forced Marriage, and Partner Violence in America: Tip of an Iceberg Revealed

Forced marriage is a violation of human rights and thwarts personal safety and well-being. Child brides are at higher risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) and often are unable to effectively negotiate safe sex, leaving them vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus, and early pregnancy. The prevalence of forced marriage and child marriage in the United States is unknown. The intersection of forced marriage and child marriage and IPV is equally unknown. 

When 277 mothers who reported IPV to shelter or justice services were asked about a forced marriage attempt, frequency and severity of IPV, mental health status, and behavioral functioning of their child, 47 (17%) reported a forced marriage attempt with 45% of the women younger than 18 years of age at the time of the attempt. Among the 47 women, 11 (23%) reported death threats, 20 (43%) reported marriage to the person, and 28 (60%) reported a pregnancy. 

Women younger than 18 years reported more threats of isolation and economic deprivation associated with the attempt as well as pressure from parents to marry. Regardless of age, women experiencing a forced marriage attempt reported more intimate partner sexual abuse, somatization, and behavior problems for their children. Forced marriage attempts occurred to one in six women (17%) reporting IPV and are associated with worse functioning for mother and child. 

The frequent occurrence and associated effect of forced marriage attempts to maternal child functioning indicates routine assessment for a forced marriage attempt as part of comprehensive care for women reporting IPV.

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By:  McFarlane J1, Nava A, Gilroy H, Maddoux J.

• 1Texas Woman's University, College of Nursing, Houston, Texas.
• Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Apr;127(4):706-713. 

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From First Love to Marriage & Maturity: A Life-Course Perspective on HIV Risk among Young Swazi Adults

This paper uses a life-course approach to explore the sexual partnerships and HIV-related risk of men and women in Swaziland throughout their adolescence, 20s and 30s. 

Twenty-eight Swazi men and women between the ages of 20 and 39 discussed their life histories in 117 in-depth interviews, with an average follow-up of nine months. 

Many participants described painful childhood experiences, including a lack of positive role models for couple relationships. Women's first sexual partnerships often involved coercion or force and resulted in pregnancy and abandonment by partners, leaving women economically vulnerable. 

Most men and women reported a desire to marry and associated marriage with respectability and monogamy. Men typically did not feel ready to marry until their 30s, while women often married only after years in tumultuous relationships. A high degree of relationship instability and change was observed over the study period, with half of participants reporting concurrency within their primary relationship. 

Participants' narratives revealed significant sources and circumstances of risk, particularly multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships, violence and lack of mutual trust within relationships, as well as social ideals that may provide opportunities for effective HIV prevention.

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By:  Ruark A1, Kennedy CE1, Mazibuko N2, Dlamini L3, Nunn A4, Green EC5, Surkan PJ1.

• 1 Department of International Health , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , USA.
• 2 Independent Researcher , Mbabane , Swaziland.
• 3 Clinton Health Access Initiative , Mbabane , Swaziland.
• 4 Rhode Island Public Health Institute and Division of Infectious Diseases , Alpert Medical School of Brown University , Providence, RI , USA.
• 5 Department of Anthropology , George Washington University , Washington, DC , USA.
• Cult Health Sex. 2016 Feb 22:1-14.  

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A Family Planning Clinic-Based Intervention to Address Reproductive Coercion

OBJECTIVE:

We assessed the effectiveness of a provider-delivered intervention targeting reproductive coercion, an important factor in unintended pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN:

We randomized 25 family planning clinics (17 clusters) to deliver an education/counseling intervention or usual care. Reproductive coercion and partner violence victimization at one year follow-up were primary outcomes. Unintended pregnancy, recognition of sexual and reproductive coercion, self-efficacy to use and use of harm reduction behaviors to reduce victimization and contraception nonuse, and knowledge and use of partner violence resources were secondary outcomes. Analyses included all available data using an intention-to-treat approach.

RESULTS:

Among 4009 females ages 16 to 29 seeking care, 3687 completed a baseline survey prior to clinic visit from October 2011 to November 2012; 3017 provided data at 12-20 weeks post-baseline (T2) and 2,926 at 12 months post-baseline (T3) (79% retention). Intervention effects were not significant for reproductive coercion or partner violence. Intervention participants reported improved knowledge of partner violence resources and self-efficacy to enact harm reduction behaviors. In time point specific models which included moderating effects of exposure to reproductive coercion at baseline, a higher reproductive coercion score at baseline was associated with a decrease in reproductive coercion one year later (T3). Use and sharing of the domestic violence hotline number also increased.

CONCLUSION:

This brief clinic intervention did not reduce partner violence victimization. The intervention enhanced two outcomes that may increase safety for women, specifically awareness of partner violence resources and self-efficacy to enact harm reduction behaviors. It also appeared to reduce reproductive coercion among women experiencing multiple forms of such abuse.

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By:  Miller E1, Tancredi DJ2, Decker MR3, McCauley HL4, Jones KA4, Anderson H4, James L5, Silverman JG6.

• 1Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address: elizabeth.miller@chp.edu.
• 2Department of Pediatrics and Center for Healthcare Policy and Research, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California.
• 3Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.
• 4Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
• 5Futures Without Violence, San Francisco, CA.
• 6Division of Global Public Health in the Department of Medicine & Center on Gender Equity and Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA. 
• Contraception. 2016 Feb 15. pii: S0010-7824(16)00056-1. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2016.02.009.

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Verbal Sexual Coercion Experiences, Sexual Risk, and Substance Use in Women

Research has linked sexual assault, substance use, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk in women. Sexual assault by means of verbal sexual coercion (VSC) is more common than sexual assault by means of physical tactics, but VSC is rarely assessed independently. In addition, past work has established global connections among substance use, sexual assault history, and STI risk; however, assessing substance use during sexual behavior is less common. This study examined the relations among VSC, STI risk behavior, and substance use and attitudes. We hypothesized that women with larger numbers of VSC experiences would report more frequent sexual risk behaviors and substance use and attitudes. Participants with larger numbers of VSC experiences reported larger numbers of anal sex partners, more frequent penile–vaginal sex and sexual activity after substance use, and stronger sex-related alcohol expectancies. These findings suggest that VSC is associated with higher levels of STI risk in women.

…The findings that larger numbers of VSC events are associated with higher numbers of lifetime vaginal and anal sexual partners are consistent with past research (Benson et al., 2007; Messman-Moore et al., 2008), and suggest that women with a history of VSC are at higher risk of contracting STIs than women with no VSC history. Results from this research extend previous knowledge by adding a contextual examination of substance use during sexual behaviors, such that women with more VSC experiences reported more frequent sexual activity after marijuana use (Hypothesis 8) and after combined alcohol and marijuana use (Hypothesis 9). Marijuana use is related to sexual risk behaviors (Brodbeck, Matter, & Moggi, 2006; Wingood & DiClemente, 1998; Yan, Chiu, Stoesen, & Wang, 2007), as is alcohol use (Cooper, 2002; George & Stoner, 2000; Kaly, Heesacker, & Frost, 2002; Leigh, 1999). Studies have yet to examine how combined alcohol and marijuana use affects sexual risk. It is possible that alcohol and marijuana potentiate each other, such that the combination exponentially increases both STI and sexual risk, perhaps through impaired cognitive function and capacity for risk perception. However, we only assessed for sexual behavior and did not assess if event-level STI risk or sexual assault risk increased when individuals used substances during sexual behavior. Future work should assess this possibility.

The findings reported here cannot speak to why women with a history of VSC reported higher concomitant marijuana use and sexual activity. Thus, future research should evaluate women's motives and expectancies (Hendershot, Magnan, & Bryan, 2010) for using marijuana prior to sexual activity to evaluate possible differences based on VSC history. Women with larger numbers of VSC experiences reported stronger sex-related alcohol expectancies, which is also consistent with past research (Hypothesis 4; Testa & Dermen, 1999). Alcohol expectancy theory posits that individuals are more likely to behave in a manner consistent with their view of how alcohol affects them (MacAndrew & Edgerton, 1969). Therefore, if an individual has stronger sexual risk alcohol expectancies, he or she might engage in riskier sexual behavior while intoxicated than when sober…

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/PcPC5A

By:  Amanda K. Gilmore, Rebecca L. Schacht, William H. George, Kelly Cue Davis, Jeanette Norris, and Julia R. Heiman

Amanda k. Gilmore, Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;

Contributor Information.

Address correspondence to Amanda K. Gilmore, Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195. Email:ude.wu@gkadnama

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Emotion Regulation in Sexually Abused Preschoolers: The Contribution of Parental Factors

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with emotion regulation deficits in childhood. Parents play a crucial role in the development of emotion regulation in their children, especially at younger ages. 

Close to 50% of mothers of sexually abused children report having been sexually victimized themselves as children. They are consequently at risk of experiencing significant distress following the disclosure of sexual abuse of their child. Parents' distress could interfere with their ability to provide support and to foster development of emotion regulation in their children. 

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship of parental factors (history of sexual victimization in childhood and the current level of distress) to sexually abused preschoolers' emotion regulation competencies. Emotion regulation was assessed in 153 preschoolers by their parents with the Emotion Regulation Checklist; 75 of these children were abused (14 boys); 78 were not abused (21 boys) and were part of a comparison group. Parents reported their level of distress using the Psychiatric Symptom Index. 

Results indicated that parental factors contributed to some dimensions of preschoolers' emotion regulation (namely displays of underregulation of emotion) above and beyond children's victimization status and gender (Cohen's ƒ² = .15). Identifying parental distress and history of sexual victimization as positively associated with emotional dysregulation in preschool children victims of CSA has important research and clinical implications.

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By:  Langevin R1, Hébert M2, Allard-Dansereau C3, Bernard-Bonnin AC3.

• 1Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• 2Department of Sexology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• 3Child Protection Clinic, CHU Ste-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• J Trauma Stress. 2016 Feb 24. doi: 10.1002/jts.22082. 

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