Post disaster resilience: Racially different correlates of depression symptoms among hurricane Katrina-Rita volunteers.

The present analyses examined the differential risks of and protective factors against depressive symptoms of African American and Non-Hispanic White American student volunteers, respectively after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (H-KR). A total sample of 554 student volunteers were recruited from mental health professional programs at five universities located in the Deep South, namely areas severely impacted by H-KR during fall semester 2005. The response rate was 91% (n = 505). African American respondents (n = 299) and Non-Hispanic White Americans (n = 206) completed the survey questionnaires. Respondents retrospectively provided information on peritraumatic emotional reactions and previous trauma that were recalled by H-KR and H-KR stressors. African American respondents reported higher levels of depressive symptoms (65.2%) than their Non-Hispanic White counterparts (34.8%). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that disaster related stressors affected African Americans (p < 0.001), but not Non-Hispanic Whites. However, African Americans who experienced peritraumatic positive emotions had lower depression levels. Lower rates of recollection of prior traumas during H-KR were reported by African American respondents, whereas previous trauma recollections predicted symptoms among Non-Hispanic White Americans (p < 0.05). Exhibiting more optimism had lower depression levels among Non-Hispanic White Americans. Peritraumatic negative emotion was the only shared risk for depressive symptoms of both groups. Findings underscore racially different levels of depressive symptoms that may contribute to varying degrees of resilience among student volunteers. Future research and practice may address these racial differences by understanding the risk factors for depressive symptoms to develop appropriate interventions for racial groups, and cultivating the protective factors that contribute to resilience from traumatic experiences.

Cultural issues in disclosures of child sexual abuse.

Cultural norms affect the likelihood that child sexual abuse will be discovered by an adult or disclosed by a child. Cultural norms also affect whether abused children's families will report child sexual abuse to authorities. This article explores the ways ethnic and religious culture affect child sexual abuse disclosure and reporting, both in the United States and internationally. Guidelines for culturally sensitive child abuse interviewing are provided to facilitate disclosures of abuse from culturally diverse children in formal settings.

Cultural protective and risk factors: professional perspectives about child sexual abuse in Kenya.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore perspectives on cultural risks and protective factors among professionals in Kenya. METHOD: An exploratory/descriptive survey of Kenyan professionals working to prevent or intervene with child sexual abuse was undertaken to determine their perspectives on how tribal culture impacts vulnerability to sexual abuse. Participants at a conference workshop, were grouped according to tribal affiliation and asked to list key factors that they believe increase or decrease risk to children of sexual abuse in that tribe. Participants from seven ethnic groupings (Somali, Miji Kendas, Luo, Kamba, Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Kisii) identified factors which were then categorized by themes using qualitative examination. RESULTS: Participants identified a number of cultural factors that protect children from sexual abuse as well as those that create risk for sexual abuse. Strong similarities were identified across groups; however in some cases factors viewed as risks by some were viewed as protective by others. CONCLUSIONS: In this exploratory study in Kenya, professionals identified many culturally supported practices that protect against or create potential risks for child sexual abuse. Awareness of traditions and practices may inform creation of interventions for preventing child sexual abuse. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Cultural/community level factors must be considered in designing prevention and intervention programs, particularly in more collective societies.

Time perception in children with ADHD: the effects of task modality and duration.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the performance of children with and without ADHD in time reproduction tasks involving varying durations and modalities. Twenty children with ADHD and 20 healthy controls completed time reproduction tasks in three modalities (auditory, visual, and a unique combined auditory/visual condition) and six durations (1 second, 4 seconds, 12 seconds, 24 seconds, 48 seconds, and 60 seconds). Consistent with our predictions, we found main effects of group (participants with ADHD were significantly less accurate than those without ADHD), duration (accuracy decreased as temporal duration increased), and modality (responses in the combined condition were more accurate than those in the auditory condition, which in turn were more accurate than those in the visual condition). Furthermore, predicted interactions between group and duration (the discrepancy in performance between the two groups grew as temporal duration increased), and group and modality (the modality effect was of greater for participants with ADHD) were supported. A marginal, nonsignificant interaction between group, modality, and duration was also found. These findings are discussed in relation to current theory on the nature of cognitive deficits evident in individuals with ADHD, and methodological limitations are noted.

The effect of child sexual abuse allegations/ investigations on the mother/child relationship.

In alleged sexual abuse cases, the mother's efforts to provide a protective environment, including detecting signs of abuse and providing support subsequent to abuse, are critical to the child's well-being. This qualitative study, using two focus groups with 10 participants, examines changes in the mother/child relationship after disclosures of sexual abuse of preschoolers. Mother/child relationships were affected by suspicions and discovery of child sexual abuse in the following categories: interference of investigators, behavior problems in the child, parental exhaustion from increased demands, and parenting insecurity. Suggestions for further research and intervention implications are discussed.

System intervention problems in child sexual abuse investigations: the mothers' perspectives.

On learning that her child was sexually abused, a mother must interact with professionals charged with the implementation of investigations, treatment, and legal remedies. This qualitative study, based on data from three focus groups (n = 19) and open-ended survey questions (n = 40), documents mothers' experiences with these professionals. Mothers report a lack of support from many professionals including receiving poor services, being criticized, insensitivity to their concerns, and being accused of false allegations and state that they have difficulty seeing the "system" as a positive future resource. Mothers reported appreciation for helpful professionals, whom they most often identified as therapists. Determining which mothers are reporting system problems and the effect of negative maternal-system interactions on mother and child outcomes are recommended as follow-up research.

The discovery process: what mothers see and do in gaining awareness of the sexual abuse of their children.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore how mothers discovered that their children had been sexually abused. The exploration included learning from whom or in what ways mothers learned about the abuse, whether there were prior suspicions, if actions were taken to determine likelihood of abuse, and the barriers to recognizing abuse. METHOD: An exploratory survey of 125 non-abusive mothers of sexually abused children in three clinical sites was used. The sample included primarily Caucasians and African-Americans in a Midwestern state. A focus group study was used to develop the instrument. The survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Mothers first came to learn of sexual abuse from a verbal report (42%) or behaviors (15%) of their victimized child. Almost half of the mothers had a sense that something was "not quite right" prior to knowing about the abuse. Mothers took many actions to try to clarify what was occurring including talking with their child (66%) or watching things more closely (39%). Evidence most convincing mothers of the abuse included child's disclosure (74%), child's behavior (66%), and child's emotions (60%). Factors increasing uncertainty included denial by the abuser (21%). CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study provides initial data on how mothers come to learn of and believe the sexual abuse of their children. Educating mothers about effective ways to explore suspicions and weigh the evidence for or against abuse may enhance maternal protection and expedite investigations.

Non-abusive mothers of sexually abused children. The role of rumination in maternal outcomes.

This study of 125 mothers examined the role of rumination in maternal emotional and behavioral outcomes subsequent to discovery of the sexual abuse of their children. Abuse severity, a maternal history of child abuse experiences, and life hassles were examined as predictors of negative outcomes. The central finding was that these factors, many of which are not controllable, were less likely to predict poor maternal outcomes than was rumination, a cognitive process that may be alterable. Rumination was the strongest correlate with each outcome. Further, the effects of most predictors on outcomes in this study were mediated by a ruminative cognitive style. Abuse severity, income, ethnicity, and education lacked significant relationships with maternal outcomes. This study asserts that rumination is a central component for understanding maternal outcomes in the post-discovery phase of sexual abuse cases. It recommends that rumination be routinely assessed both for research and treatment purposes.