The Association of Childhood Sexual Abuse With Non-Paraphilic and Paraphilic Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents Who Have Sexually Offended.

A history of childhood sexual victimization (CSV) is one of the most commonly examined factors in research on male adolescent sexual offending. Although CSV has been extensively researched in relation to the onset and maintenance of adolescent sexual offending, few studies have investigated the association of CSV with domains of adolescent sexuality outside of sexual offending. Understanding how CSV may be associated with the non-paraphilic, and paraphilic, sexual behaviors of adolescent males who commit sexual offenses has important implications for promoting healthy sexuality among this population.

Examining the developmental trajectories of adolescent sexual offenders.

The aim of the current study was to assess the validity of the sex-plus versus sex-only categorization method for distinguishing between different types of adolescent sex offenders (ASOs; Butler & Seto, 2002). It is hypothesized that this categorization method has utility when attempting to distinguish between generalist and specialist ASOs (Seto & Pullman, 2014). Additionally, further classification of ASOs was attempted using a well known juvenile delinquency classification scheme, early-onset versus late-onset offenders (Moffitt, 1993).

Legal and policy responses to children exposed to domestic violence: the need to evaluate intended and unintended consequences.

Greater training and specialization in working with children exposed to domestic violence has resulted in new policies, interagency protocols, and legislation in many states. This paper examines court-related responses in criminal, child protection, and family court custody proceedings, which highlight legislative changes and resulting systemic change. Although this legislation originated with the best of intentions to assist and protect children, some of the most striking outcomes have been negative and unintended.

Court-ordered assessment: impact of maternal noncompliance in child maltreatment cases.

Parental noncompliance to court orders is associated with several factors that jeopardize safe and stable child care. We advanced three hypotheses: (1) maternal noncompliance to court-ordered assessment is associated with loss of child custody; (2) noncompliance is related to court clinic custody recommendations; and (3) noncompliance is stable across child protection and court clinic settings. Based on a sample of 56 court-referred child maltreatment cases, all hypotheses were confirmed.

Firesetting during the preschool period: assessment and intervention issues.

Objective: To describe a methodology of assessing preschoolers involved in firesetting incidents, and outline the psychiatric implications of firesetting incidents in young children.

Method: To outline The Arson Prevention Program for Children and present case vignettes.

Results: The heightened risk of burn injury or fatality in fires caused by young children is highlighted and practical suggestions for facilitating the immediate safety of the child and family are presented.

Child maltreatment: the collaboration of child welfare, mental health, and judicial system.

The alliance of child welfare, mental health, and legal systems has received little empirical attention, despite the magnitude of its impact on children and families. We examined the congruence of child protection agencies legal positions, court clinic recommendations, and judicial dispositions in a sample of 59 contested child maltreatment cases. Placement recommendations/decisions among all three systems were highly correlated, although the relationship was not so strong as to undermine the independence of any one system.

Delinquent firesetters: a comparative study of delinquency and firesetting histories.

Twenty-five male delinquents (aged nine to 16) who had legal charges for setting fires filed against them were compared to a group of age and sex matched delinquents who had legal charges filed against them that were not related to firesetting. Groups were compared on demographic variables and on their delinquency and fire related histories. The only significant difference to emerge was a higher proportion of past firesetting in the group with fire-related charges.

Maternal compliance to court-ordered assessment in cases of child maltreatment.

Parental compliance to court-ordered assessment was examined in 82 mothers whose children had been removed from the home due to child maltreatment. Compliant (n = 52) and Noncompliant (n = 30) mothers were compared on parental and psychosocial risk factors previously documented in child maltreatment research. The results indicate that noncompliant mothers tend to be younger, lead more transient lifestyles, show a greater degree of antisocial behavior, and experience more violence in their spousal relationships.

Parental conflict and children's coping styles in litigating separated families: relationships with children's adjustment.

The influence of interparental verbal and physical aggression, children's coping styles, and relevant demographic factors on children's adjustment was examined in a group of 52 families who were disputing custody and/or access arrangements after separation. It was hypothesized that parental conflict and specific children's coping strategies (i.e.

"Airplanes crash, spaceships stay in orbit" : the separation experience of a child "in care".

There are few empirical studies of the subjective experience of separation from living parents in children who are removed from their families following abuse or neglect. The author presents the case of a child who spent most of his childhood in foster homes and treatment residences, including 7 years in which he had no contact with his natural family. The fate of his primary attachments and its influence on his capacity to form new ones are discussed, using material drawn from 6 years of individual therapy while he was "in care" and during the time that contact with his mother was renewed.

Abduction during custody and access disputes.

In recent years abductions during divorce custody and access disputes have received greater attention from both the lay and medical press. However, little has been written on the psychopathology of the abductors or the impact on children of being kidnapped by a parent. In this study 20 cases of abduction, involving 20 parents and 37 children, were examined after the children had been located and returned to the custodial parent.

An evaluation of a secondary school primary prevention program on violence in intimate relationships.

A large-scale primary prevention program for wife assault and dating violence was evaluated, employing a measure of attitudes, by means of the London Family Court Clinic Questionnaire on Violence in Relationships. The target audience comprised all students in four high schools. A brief intervention, including a large group presentation on wife assault and dating violence, followed by classroom discussion facilitated by community professionals was instituted.

Therapeutic management of sexual abuse allegations in custody and visitation disputes.

Our experience is that in many cases, trying to assess the "truthfulness" or "falseness" of sexual abuse allegations that occur in the midst of custody and access disputes may not be possible. Instead therapeutic management of such cases is advocated. A case is presented in which sexual abuse was suspected because the recanting child displayed sexualized symptoms.

Male adolescent sexual offenders: exhibitionism and obscene phone calls.

Clinical assessment of 19 male adolescent sexual offenders who had committed exhibitionism or telephone scatologia showed that the majority were maladjusted, had committed numerous sexual offenses and came from multi-problem families. Several of them appeared to be sexually deviant, although they did not meet DSM-III-R criteria for a diagnosis of paraphilia. Anti-social traits, sexual deviance in the family, homosexual conflicts, repressed sexuality and sexual deviance were considered to be contributory factors.

Children's observations of violence: I. Critical issues in child development and intervention planning.

Children are often the unintended or indirect victims of wife abuse as witnesses of this violence in their family. Current research on these children and a conceptual framework to understand how this violence affects their development are outlined. The implications of this research are discussed in terms of several intervention strategies.

Effects of neutral toys on sex-typed play in children with gender identity disorder.

This study assessed the relative influences of approach and avoidance behaviors toward same-sex and cross-sex toys in the play of children with gender identity disorder and in normal boys, normal girls, and psychiatric controls. Three forced-choice situations with toys and three forced-choice situations with dress-up apparel were presented that paired same-sex and cross-sex stimuli, same-sex and neutral stimuli, and cross-sex and neutral stimuli. In the same-sex/cross-sex situation, the gender-disordered group played a significantly shorter time with the same-sex stimuli and a significantly longer time with the cross-sex stimuli than the normal boys and the psychiatric controls, whereas the play patterns of the normal girls fell in between that of the gender-disordered group and the two control groups.

Examining the needs of youth in secure custody: why we need to "recreate the wheel" in Canadian juvenile justice.

The current study reviews the personal characteristics of 32 consecutive admissions to a secure custody centre in one southwest Ontario jurisdiction under the Young Offenders Act. Results indicated that there was considerable variability amongst the group regarding court history and the seriousness of the charge on which committal was made. Background history data suggested that the problems of youths committed to secure custody reflect considerable difficulties within families and school.

Joint custody: historical, legal, and clinical perspectives with emphasis on the situation in Canada.

The search for ways to mitigate the effects of family breakdown on parents and children includes legislative and clinical efforts which to some extent influence each other. In the past year much public interest has been aroused in Canada, and particularly in Ontario, in the issue of legislative changes which would make joint custody the usual or "preferred" legal disposition of custody cases. This paper provides a discussion of the legislated preference, or "rebutable presumption" of joint custody from a historical, legal and clinical point of view.

Assessment, management, and treatment planning for male adolescent sexual offenders.

Adolescent sexual offenders are considered as a part of the larger group of emotionally disturbed youngsters. For purposes of clinical management, areas of overlap between the two groups are identified and issues specific to sexual offenders are delineated. Ethical issues, preventive interventions, the risk of recidivism, and the special problems presented by incestuous offenders are discussed.

Children's adjustment during custody/access disputes: relation to custody arrangement, gender and age of child.

The adjustment of pre-school and latency age children, at the time of a custody/access dispute between their parents, was studied in relation to the children's age, sex and whether they were living with a parent of the same or the opposite-sex. Few adjustment problems were noted; however, older children and boys were more vulnerable. Sex of custodial parent did not predict children's adjustment.

The court as a catalyst in the treatment process.

The role of the Court in the treatment process varies. In some cases it can work as a catalyst. We present the treatment of a family with a mother whose involving psychosis kept her daughter from attending school, and show how the power of the Court can be useful.

A critique of the principles of the Young Offenders Act.

A unique feature of the Young Offenders Act is a section on the Principles of the Act. The principles clearly focus on the responsibility of young offenders, their legal rights, and the protection of society. The focus on the due process of the law is a welcome addition to the Juvenile Justice system.

Similarities in behavioral and social maladjustment among child victims and witnesses to family violence.

This study examines the impact of exposure to family violence on school-aged boys. Boys who had witnessed violence between their parents were compared to boys who had been abused by their parents. The findings indicate that boys exposed to violence had a pattern of adjustment problems similar to those of abused boys and significantly different in severity and type from those of a community comparison group.

Erikson's concept of inner space: a data-based reevaluation.

An analytical critique is presented of Erikson's theory that physical differences between the sexes produce differences in spatial organization, and of the experiment cited in support of that theory. Results of a new experiment are reported, which run counter to the original findings and suggest that the theory of "inner space" be reevaluated.