Quiz Week 5 & 6

Chapter 6: Abused and Abusive Adolescents

Lecture Outline

I. Parental Abuse of Adolescents

a. Definitions of parental abuse of adolescents

i. Broad spectrum of behaviors that is harmful to children, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect

ii. Agencies have paid scant attention to parental abuse of adolescents

1. societal perceptions that adolescents’ difficult behavior makes them complicit in the abuse

2. attempts to maintain parental control

3. adolescents may appear to be less physically vulnerable or in danger of bodily harm

b. Types of parental abuse of adolescents

i. Medical neglect

ii. Neglect/Deprivation of Necessities

iii. Physical Abuse

iv. Psychological/Emotional Abuse

v. Sexual abuse

vi. Polyvictimization

c. Timing of parental abuse of adolescents

i. some cases the abuse begins in childhood and continues through adolescence

ii. other cases the abuse begins during adolescence

1. only late childhood abuse doubled the odds of delinquency in early adolescence

2. only abuse during adolescence increased the odds of delinquency in early adolescence by more than 4 times

3. abuse only during adolescence increased the odds of delinquency in late adolescence by nearly 3 times

4. abuse during childhood and adolescences increased the odds for delinquency during late adolescence but not during early adolescence

iii. Consequences of parental abuse of adolescents

1. Psychiatric Disorders

a. adolescent physical abuse victims are at increased risk for a number of the same psychiatric disorders found in younger victims

b. adolescent victims are at risk for depression, disruptive behavior disorders, conduct disorder, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and drug abuse

2. Trauma related to parental abuse of adolescents

3. predictors of trauma included polyvictimization and either sexual assault by a known perpetrator or emotional bullying

iv. Psychopathology related to parental abuse of adolescents: presence of low socioeconomic status, delinquent friends, and heightened physical punishment were associated with higher psychopathology scores at age 24

v. Genetics of abused adolescents

1. taxon (i.e. a distinct genetic unit) for serious antisocial behavior in children

2. disinhibition and negative affectivity served as mediators for the effects of parental psychopathology (Borderline Personality Disorder)

3. childhood trauma constitutes one etiological correlate of Borderline Personality Disorder

4. relationship between variability in childhood experiences of abuse and adult individual differences in battering

vi. Findings from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being-Adolescents who were in contact with CPS:

1. 83% reported being in good health, but 56.6% were overweight or obese

2. significantly more depressed; some had trauma symptoms and dissociative experiences

3. scores in the clinical range for internalizing and externalizing behavior problems

4. academic achievement was extremely low with significantly low scores on separate comprehension, calculations, and applied problem scores

5. 75% were sexually active, but less than 50% used a condom during last sexual encounter

6. 26.7% were married/living with a boy/girlfriend; 37.4% had had children; 29% were raising a child

7. 61.8% of the young mothers were living in poverty

8. 55% used corporal punishment; about 50% were psychologically abusive

9. 16.7% had been arrested, and more than 25% of the women experienced domestic violence

10. 58.1% were employed full or part-time

11. 59% had incomes below the poverty level; females were significantly poorer than males

vii. Gender Differences

1. girls’ behavior is more adversely affected than boys

2. boys’ base rate of violence is customarily higher than girls

viii. Homelessness

1. link between childhood abuse and adolescent running-away and homelessness

2. homeless girls and boys frequently turn to prostitution as a way of earning a livelihood

3. adolescents first left home about 13 yrs old

4. approximately 40% had been beaten up at home

5. 23% to 34% had been sexually abused before leaving home

6. 60% of participants had attempted suicide

7. approximately 30-40% boys had gotten someone pregnant, and approximately 32-52% girls had gotten pregnant

II. Sexual Abuse of Adolescents

a. Definitions of sexual abuse of adolescents

i. sexual abuse—sexual assault referring to a series of repeated acts

ii. sexual violence—refers to rape, unwanted sexual contact

iii . sexual victimization—includes non-contact acts which may include exhibitionism, voyeurism, and sexual photography

iv. sexual harassment—unwelcome sexual advances, sexual favors, inappropriate sexual comments, and any hostile environment

b. Context of adolescent sexual abuse

i. adolescents were significantly more likely than adults to have been assaulted at or after a party

ii. adolescents were significantly less likely than adults to have had consensual sex before being assaulted

iii. adolescents were significantly less likely than adults to have been assaulted after going to a bar

iv. adolescents tended to have been assaulted by a current partner

c. Teen Pregnancy

i. teen mothers usually come from homes typified by interparental violence, physical and/or sexual violence toward the children, poverty, low educational attainment of the parents, and low school achievement by the children

ii. family of origin homes of teen mothers usually were typified by a lack of stable housing, a lack of economic support, alcohol/drug problems, difficult family relationships, mental health problems, and relationship abuse

d. Practice, Policy, & Prevention for Adolescent Maltreatment

i. Practice Approaches for maltreated adolescents

1. individual and group cognitive behavioral therapy was able to decrease trauma symptoms among abused children/adolescents

2. Multisystemic Therapy treatment was best of all because of intervention strategies

a. coordinated

b. community

c. parent

d. adolescent

3. modules within health education classes discussed healthy nonviolent relationships and found a reduction in aggression

4. risk adolescents will be criminalized instead of treated

5. number of welfare services available to young adults abused as children is insufficient

a. 33% had no health insurance, 67.1% of those in need of mental health services did not receive them

b. 91% received help in education, jobs, housing, daily living, and managing finances

c. 4.8% of males received food stamps

d. 70.7% of females with children received more extensive nutrition benefits

e. 26.6% of females enrolled in TANF

ii. Prevention of adolescent maltreatment

1. Treatment retention ion prevention programs is a problem

2. Classroom programs, such as modules in health programs were effective for both treatment and prevention

3. Abused adolescents should be treated not criminalized

III. Abuse of Parents by Adolescents

a. Definition: parent abuse is any act perpetrated by a child/adolescent that inflicts injury on a parent and/or threatening and controlling acts aimed at a parent

b. Prevalence of adolescent abuse of parents

i. 9% to 14% abused a parent

ii. 16% of female juvenile offenders assaulted a parent

iii. 10% of all juvenile offenders assaulted a parent

iv. 18% of two-parent families and 29% of one-parent families suffered child-to-parent violence (CPV)

c. Risk Factors for adolescent abuse of parents

i. single parents are more at risk than partnered parents

ii. physical aggression against a parent is more frequently perpetrated by males

iii. most victims were 35 to 44 years of age and most offenders were 14 to 16 years of age

iv. Murder of family members by other family members

1. Is rare; less than 2% of all homicides

2. Types of family murders include

a. Parricide—killing of one’s parent(s)

b. Patricide—killing of one’s father

c. Matricide—killing of one’s mother

d. Filicide—killing of one’s child

e. Fratricide/Siblicide—killing of one’s sibling(s)

3. Perpetrators of family murders

a. severely abused adolescents—only way to end the abuse

b. severely mentally ill adolescents

c. dangerously antisocial adolescents

4. most mothers are killed by their adult sons

5. daughters under 18 are the least likely to kill their mothers

d. Explanations of adolescent abuse of parents

i. the parent has previously physically/sexually abused the adolescent

ii. the adolescent has low attachment to parents

iii. the adolescent has witnessed interparental abuse

V. Sibling Physical and Sexual Abuse

a. Definitions

i. sibling abuse refers to the physical, emotional/ psychological, and/or sexual abuse of a brother or sister

ii. repeated pattern of aggression directed toward a sibling with the intent to inflict harm, and motivated by an internal emotional need for power

iii. psychological sibling abuse involves ridicule that expresses contempt, degradation

iv. there is a debate about the normalcy and acceptability of sibling abuse

b. Prevalence of sibling abuse

1. sibling abuse is far more prevalent than parent-to-child abuse

2. men were significantly more accepting of sibling violence than women

3. sibling incest ranged from 42% to 89% of one sample

i. most common form of incest; brothers engaged in intercourse significantly more often than the fathers/stepfathers

ii. 15% of females and 10% of males reported some type of sexual experience involving a sibling

iii. 29% engaged in some type of sexual activity with a sibling

c. Consequences

i. Victims

1. depression or anxiety

2. bruises or cuts

3. poor academic achievement

ii. Mothers

1. mothers are covictims, rather than conspirators

2. most mothers of child victims support and believe their children when told about sexual victimization

3. family members of abuse victims are secondary victims because they can experience a number of psychological difficulties associated with the abuse

d. Explanations for sibling abuse

i. Learning theory

1. violent adolescents have seen parent-to-child abuse and witnessed interparental violence

ii. Feminist theory

1. males feel they have the prerogative to dominate females regardless of age differences

2. permissible for older siblings and male siblings to aggress against younger siblings and female siblings

iii. Conflict theory

1. family members resort to violence to resolve conflict

e. Practice, Policy, & Prevention for Abusive/Abused Siblings

i. Practice-Treatment for the Juvenile Offender

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy

a. preferred mode for intervening with adults and adolescents

b. goal is to help the client unlearn behaviors and attitudes and replace them with more acceptable behaviors and attitudes

c. learn to improve their social skills and take a class in sex education

d. treatment for trauma-related symptoms

2. Multisystemic Treatment

a. intensive therapeutic services delivered in the juvenile’s home and community

b. work with the individual offender, his family, his peers, and his school

c. therapist and the family are accountable for the juvenile offender’s improvement

3. Good Lives Model

a. centers on the construction of a positive self-image for offender

ii. Practice – Treatment for Sibling Abuse Victims

1. Cognitive Processing Therapy

12-week format in which women group members discuss issues such as family relationships, reactions to abuse disclosure, and current relationship with their brother

iii. Policy Issues Concerning Sibling Abuse

1. CPS Case management

2. lack of adequate training and the hiring practices of CPS agencies make it a near-certainty that some abused sibling will receive no intervention

3. Police arrests

a. CPS and the legal system are reluctant to accept and respond to sibling abuse reports that are filed b. police were significantly more likely to arrest an adult than a juvenile

VI. Effects of Family Abuse on Adolescent Interpersonal Relationship

a. Juvenile Delinquency

i. relationship between child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency

ii. accounted for 16% of all violent crime, 10% of all murders, and 47% of all arson

iii. victims of substantiated child maltreatment have a delinquency rate that is 47% higher; 62% of the sample experienced abuse

iv. African American: 69%, White: 19%, Hispanic: 12%.

v. older children are more apt to be delinquent than younger children

vi. males with two or more recurrences of substantiated maltreatment are 1.78 times more likely to be delinquent than those with only one report.

vii. 25% of the children experienced at least one out-of-home placement

viii. polyvictimization exhibited the highest rates of aggression, delinquency, and interpersonal problems

ix. 31% had a parental history of incarceration

c. Violent Teen Girls

i. steep rise in violence by teenage girls

ii. police arrest policies changed, and girls were not becoming more violent

iii. prior victimizations in the home, community, or school are the most likely precursors to girls’ violent behavior

iv. girls who mature early are at greater risk for delinquent behavior than their counterparts

d. Adolescent Bullying

i. Types of adolescent bullying

1. connections between bullying, gender-based harassment, and adolescent dating violence

2. male-to-male: humiliating and shaming adopted by boys to achieve these goals

3. female-to-female: hurtful aggression that incorporates spreading rumors about a girl and excluding her from important activities

ii. Consequences of adolescent bullying

1. high school bullying victimization can be extremely serious: leaving school, feeling impelled to kill oneself or someone at school

iii. Cyberbullying by adolescents

1. provide bullies with anonymity

2. willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text

3. 7.9% of adolescents 14–17 years of age reported Internet harassment

4. 64% of students harassed on line were not concurrently bullied at school

5. over 32% of boys and over 36% of girls reported online victimization

6. 18% of the boys and 16% of girls reported Cyberbully offending

7. no gender differences in Cyberbullying

8. anti-bullying school programs have shown promise in reducing unacceptable behavior

9. supervising/monitoring adolescents’ online activities can reduce the possibility of detrimental choices on the

10. no federal legislation banning the practice

VII. Adolescent Dating Violence

a. Definitions

i. physical, sexual, or psychological violence with a dating relationship

ii. physical abuse—occurs when a teen is pinched, hit, shoved, or kicked

iii. emotional abuse—threatening a teen or harming his/her sense of self-worth

iv. sexual abuse—forcing a teen to engage in a sex act (e.g., fondling and rape)

v. perpetration of physical, emotional, or threat abuse by at least one member of an unmarried dating couple

vi. it is a risk factor for adult intimate partner violence (IPV)

b. Prevalence of adolescent dating violence (DV)

i. about 10% of students nationwide suffered an injury caused by a boyfriend or girlfriend

ii. police reports clearly reveal that teenage boys perpetrate more dating violence than girls

iii. boys are more likely than girls to engage in violent tactics like beating, while girls are more prone to hit slap or kick

iv. girls suffer more frequent and severe injuries from DV than boys

v. boys commit by far the largest number of sexual assaults

vi. girls report more fear and self-defensive violence, while boys report a greater incentive to control a partner

vii. boys may judge themselves as less culpable for relationship violence than adolescent girls and thus not report their violence

viii. Males may lie, minimize, or underreport DV

ix. Prevalence of Adolescent Same-Sex Violence

1. girls reported perpetrating more physical violence and psychological aggression than boys reported

2. boys were more likely to physically injure a date

3. boys reported more physical victimization and perpetration against their male peers than girls reported against female peers

c. Risk Factors for adolescent dating violence (p. 285)

i. use of violence to resolve conflicts

ii. poor anger management

iii. association with violent peers

iv. acceptance of dating violence

v. alcohol/drug use

vi. poor social skills

vii. school problems

viii. witnessing abuse at home

d. Consequences of adolescent dating violence: increased risk for binge drinking, suicide attempts, physical fights, sexual activity, injuries, on-going abuse, revictimization, school drop-out, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety

e. Adolescent Responses to Dating Violence

i. Actions

1. sought help from an informal source 43%

2. broke-up or threatened to break up: 37%

3. fought back: 35%

4. took no action: 32%

5. sought help from a professional:8%

ii. Goals for helping teens cope with DV

1. help teens identify behaviors that are abusive

2. provide knowledge about where to seek help

3. need facts about appropriate actions

4. bystander intervention programs

f. Characteristics of DV-Violent Adolescents

i. largely reciprocal or gender neutral

ii. individuals who are hypersensitive to rejection by the important people in their lives are more likely to aggress against a date

g. Explanations for Adolescent Dating Violence

i. Family of origin behaviors

1. Social Learning Theory

i. juveniles with childhood histories of physical abuse are more likely

ii. involvement in sibling abuse connected to later dating violence

2. linked harsh parenting to shame-proneness among adolescents

i. negative impacts of family dysfunctions, such as divorce, alcoholism, mental illness, inadequate parental monitoring of adolescent’s behavior, and possible genetic contributions

3. quality of childhood attachment extends into adulthood and profoundly affects the nature of an individual’s later intimate relationships

ii. Socialization of Adolescents

1. Girls

i. gender-related themes (i.e., male control and female dependency)

ii. romanticism (the idea that “love conquers all”)

2. Males

i. violent families send negative opinions about women and the development of male adolescent sexual promiscuity which generate sexual assault

3. Peer Influences on adolescent dating violence

i. adolescent peer-group support for aggressive behavior encourages DV

4. Media Influences on adolescent dating violence

i. viewing violence on television stimulates aggression and/or desensitizes viewers

ii. violent media can increase thoughts of violence in teenagers

iii. violent video games contribute to adolescents’ suspiciousness and argumentativeness

iv. teens who play violent video games act aggressively soon after playing

v. sexually explicit media have negative effects: more than one sexual partner, more sexual partners overall, more substance abuse, had anal sex, more sexually permissive

iv. Legal Issues Related to Adolescent Dating Violence

1. Juvenile Victims

a. Violence Against Women Act of 2000 for the first time extended many provisions protecting adult women to teenage women

b. House submitted H .R.789: Teen Dating Violence Prevention Act of 2009

i. The bill is pending in the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security

c. 13 states have no laws acknowledging dating violence as a basis for a protection order

d. 6 states specifically exclude same-sex couples from obtaining protective orders.

e. other states are simply silent in regard to same-sex teens

f. in 30 states, laws require a parent, guardian, or other adult to be involved in obtaining a protective order for a teen

2. Juvenile Abusers

a. Interpretation of laws is left up to the judge

b. some judges are failing to require abusive minors to undergo batterer treatment/counseling, anger management, or substance abuse counseling

e. Dating/Intimate Sexual Assault

i. Statistics on adolescent sexual assaults

1. assaults: 17.1% by boys and 3% by girls

2. forced sexual intercourse victimization: 11.3% girls; 4.5% boys

ii. Consequences of adolescent sexual assault

1. victimization by DV is a strong risk factor for sexual in young adolescence is mental health problems

2. PTSD

a. general disturbance

b. emotional reaction (e.g., terror)

c. cognitive changes (e.g., feeling confused)

d. physical health (e.g., alcohol consumption)

e. social health (e.g., avoiding certain locations)

f. resource health (e.g., disruption of school performance)

g. resilience (e.g., decreased symptoms )

iii. Explanations for Adolescent Sexual Assaults

1. 46.6% of the participants suffered sexual assaults

2. girls (49%) suffered significantly more sexual assaults than boys (33%)

3. 65% of those victimized suffered another assault; average time to revictimization was 1.33 years

4. the most predictive variable for victimization by sexual assault was rejection sensitivity

iv. Legal Issues

1. legal age for consent varies across the United States from 16 to 18

2. most states have no laws regarding age of consent for same-sex individuals

3. some prosecutors only prosecute so-called consensual sexual cases of sexual assault if the offender is 2+ years older than the victim

4. statutory rape charges may necessitate an assessment of the victim in cases where the girl is mentally retarded or mentally ill

5. the criminal justice system does not often convict female adolescents of female-to-male sexual assault

6. Sexting (newer type of adolescent sexual offender)

a. Offender sends sexual pictures and messages via e-mail

b. current legal stance

i. if a 14-year-old girl sends a nude picture of herself to her current 15-year-old boyfriend, and he later e-mails it to his friends, she would face criminal charges and authorities would place both persons’ names on a sex registry

f. Same-Sex Assaults (SSA)

i. dating violence and sexual assault occur more frequently among same-sex youths

ii. same-sex adolescents rated the quality of their relationships with their fathers as lower than non-SS youth

iii. they suffered comparatively more depression and lower self-esteem

iv. identified less with their schools

v. SS adolescents may have both mental health and school problems

vi. Same sex adolescent disclosed more victimization by SSA

vii. males reported more victimization than females

viii. having acquaintances/friends who are homosexual reduces heterosexism among students (i.e. attitudes conveying that heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality and that stigmatize any nonheterosexual form of behavior)

ix. professionals also need to reach out to GLBT youths; doctors need to screen adolescents of SS violence

IX. Practice, Policy, & Prevention for Dating Violence

a. Practice issues for Adolescent DV

i. it is best to start treatment with younger adolescents in middle school because risk for DV increases with age

1. start treatment/prevention with boys when teens

2. make use of peer counselors

ii. use multidimensional perspectives both for treatment and prevention

1. developmental perspectives

2. sociocultural perspectives

3. gendered perspectives: adolescent girls need help in recognizing the signs of an abusive partner, such as jealousy

iii. legal scholars and legislators must devise and pass legislation to protect victims and to rehabilitate offenders

1. treatment/prevention programs for young men during their teenage years because vast majority of male batterers are young men

2. community batterer intervention programs

3. schools should consider preparing teens to be peer counselors for abused friends because teens are most likely to disclose abuse to their peers

b. Policy Issues Regarding Teen Violence

i. Juvenile courts

1. must ensure legal representation for juveniles charged with a felony

2. laws are not being followed uniformly

3. results of transferring juveniles who had committed serious crimes to the adult courts where adult penalties prevailed

a. adolescents receive even harsher penalties than their adult counterparts

b. higher rearrest rates and shorter times to reoffending occur for adolescents sent to adult courts

ii. American Bar Association’s Contributions

1. The bar has provided a pamphlet “We Need to Talk” that addresses teen legal problems

2. The bar has provided a tool kit to every high school in the country

3. The bar has provided a book describing opportunities for attorneys to engage in pro bono work with youth

iii. Needed Legal Policy Changes

1. States should ensure that protective order laws reflect typical teen relationships

2. States should provide a legal advocate for arrested teens

3. Domestic violence laws must cover dating/cohabiting/marital relationships of minors

4. Teens must have access to courts and legal counsel and ensure minors’ confidentiality

5. Statutes must ensure that services are accessible to minors in the community and be affordable

6. When abusers are under 18, laws must still protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable

7. Courts must also consider the perpetrating youth’s age and consider his/her confidentiality needs

iv. Public Awareness Campaigns

1. Congress has set aside the first full week of February as National Teen Dating Awareness Week

v. Medical Screening

1. Doctors should provide screening for DV on every health maintenance visit and to provide anticipatory guidance

2. Medical insurance policies should include access to mental health professionals

c. Prevention of Adolescent Dating Violence

i. There are needs for preventive services

1. Programs Should begin at the onset of adolescence

2. Programs should take a gendered approach by separating boys and girls into same-sex groups

ii. Types of DV Prevention Programs

1. Safe Dates

a. combines ongoing school activities (e.g., theater production) and community activities (e.g., support groups)

b. 25% reduction in emotional abuse and a 60% reduction in sexual abuse

2. Break the Cycle

a. works directly with young people, ages 12–14, providing innovative preventive education that is practical, teen-friendly, and effective

b. focus groups with adolescents in order to learn their needs

c. teens enjoyed the program

d. nearly 80% said they would share the new information they learned with others

e. improvement in recognizing how difficult it was to leave an abusive relationship

3. Coaching Boys Into Men

a. enlists high school athletic coaches to act as role models

b. CBIM Playbook, a manual (tips) for coaches to use in trying to change violent behavior toward women

4. Expect Respect

XI. Revictimization

a. Victimization evokes psychological repercussions, such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and PTSD

b. Any victimization in childhood is likely to increase the likelihood of continued victimization in adolescence and young adulthood