The normality of rape?:Observer reactions to stories of female and male sexual assault

The normality of rape? Observer reactions to stories of female and male sexual assault Eva Mulder, 2021 In 2017 zagen we het begin van #MeToo. De stemmen die zich hebben laten gelden tijdens deze (met name online) beweging geven blijk van de omvang en verscheidenheid van seksueel geweld. Echter is ook gebleken dat de reacties van de sociale omgeving op degenen die hun verhaal vertellen even uiteenlopend kunnen zijn als de vormen van slachtofferschap waarover verhaald wordt. Het is een bekend gegeven dat slachtoffers van seksueel geweld vaak te maken krijgen met negatieve reacties van anderen, zoals ongeloof, bagatellisering en ‘victim blame’. Bepaalde vertellingen, zoals een interview van een jonge vrouw over haar date met acteur Aziz Ansari en het fictieve korte verhaal ‘Cat Person’ in de New Yorker, onthullen de complexiteit van onderliggende relevante vragen: wat telt als seksueel geweld, en wie als slachtoffer? Dit sociaalwetenschappelijke proefschrift buigt zich over de vraag waarom en hoe negatieve reacties tegenover slachtoffers van seksueel geweld tot stand komen. Daarbij wordt betoogd dat veelgebruikte theorieën en methoden rondom dit vraagstuk onvoldoende rekening houden met de socio-culturele context waarin een toeschouwer als betekenisgever fungeert. In een aantal experimentele studies is onderzocht hoe mensen reageren op slachtoffers die niet voldoen aan het ideaalbeeld, bijvoorbeeld omdat zij niet tegenstribbelden of na afloop met woede in plaats van verdriet of angst reageren. Door een variatie aan meetmethoden te gebruiken worden ook gevarieerdere, indirecte en genuanceerde reacties van derden aan het licht gebracht. In alle hoofdstukken keert de vergelijking terug tussen mannelijke en vrouwelijke slachtoffers van seksueel geweld, waarbij mannelijkheid wordt aangemerkt als een stereotype dat per definitie in strijd is met het ideaal slachtofferbeeld. De belangrijkste resultaten uit dit proefschrift bevestigen dat ideeën over wat ‘normaal’ is een grote rol spelen in de reacties op slachtofferverhalen. Respondenten reageren over het algemeen negatiever wanneer een slachtoffer afwijkt van het ideaal slachtofferbeeld. De invloed van normatieve verwachtingen lijkt zelfs zo sterk dat een man die verkracht is kans loopt om door anderen als ‘vrouwelijker’ beschouwd te worden. Verder tonen de bevindingen dat mensen gebruik maken van beschikbare ‘algemene kennis’ – waaronder slachtoffer- en genderstereotypen, verkrachtingsmythes, en scripts over ‘normale’ seksuele interacties – om betekenis te geven aan een bepaald (slachtoffer)verhaal. Hoewel mensen in abstractie kunnen zeggen dat seks zonder wederzijdse instemming verkrachting is, is hun oordeel vaak minder eenduidig wanneer ze daar in meer detail mee geconfronteerd worden. Wanneer respondenten uitgebreider reageren op een non-stereotypisch scenario van seksueel slachtofferschap, bijvoorbeeld waarin expliciete dwang ontbreekt, zijn zij veelal terughoudend in schuld toewijzen aan de verdachte en de situatie aanmerken als seksueel geweld. Een belangrijke aanbeveling is dan ook om onderzoeksmethoden binnen dit thema zo aan te passen dat rijke en verhalende informatie niet verloren gaat. Alleen al vaststellen wat seksueel geweld is blijkt een complex proces dat wordt gekenmerkt door grijze gebieden, juist in deze veranderlijke tijden. In Nederland wordt daar geprobeerd gehoor aan te geven met het wetsvoorstel van minister Grapperhaus om ‘seks tegen de wil’ strafbaar te maken, maar de ambiguïteit en dynamiek binnen zulke gebeurtenissen lijken zich maar moeilijk in een (nieuwe) categorie te vatten. Ook buiten het wettelijke kader is het belangrijk te bedenken dat reacties van de sociale omgeving niet alleen individuele slachtoffers beïnvloeden, maar ook bijdragen aan de bron van geaccepteerde kennis over wat telt als geweld, als onschuld, en als een verhaal dat onze sympathie verdient

Unraveling Serious Juvenile Delinquency: Risk and needs assessment by classification into subgroups

In the Netherlands, the top 5% most serious juvenile off enders are placed in juvenile justice institutions under a mandatory treatment order. After two to six years of treatment, the chance of recidivism is supposed to have been reduced considerably. The new off enses that do take place, are supposed to be less severe in nature than the off enses that were committed before treatment. Over the years, several interventions aimed at these serious off enders have been developed. However, the eff ectiveness of most interventions has not been demonstrated yet. Specialists in the fi eld have said for years that improvement of interventions is needed. However, until now little research has been done on risk factors that predict recidivism in this group of very serious off enders. This is important because of the risk of this subgroup for society, for the victims and for the juveniles themselves. If more is known about the precursors of serious juvenile off ending and recidivism, existing interventions may be improved, new interventions may be developed and the eff ectiveness of interventions may be higher. However, the accuracy of current ways of predicting off ending and future recidivism is still far from perfect with eff ect sizes that are seldom higher than 0.70 (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2009). Thus new ways to come to evidence-based decision making and the development of evidence-based interventions need to be explored

Modeling a Cortical Auxin Maximum for Nodulation: Different Signatures of Potential Strategies

Lateral organ formation from plant roots typically requires the de novo creation of a meristem, initiated at the location of a localized auxin maximum. Legume roots can form both root nodules and lateral roots. From the basic principles of auxin transport and metabolism only a few mechanisms can be inferred for increasing the local auxin concentration: increased influx, decreased efflux, and (increased) local production. Using computer simulations we investigate the different spatio-temporal patterns resulting from each of these mechanisms in the context of a root model of a generalized legume. We apply all mechanisms to the same group of preselected cells, dubbed the controlled area. We find that each mechanism leaves its own characteristic signature. Local production by itself can not create a strong auxin maximum. An increase of influx, as is observed in lateral root formation, can result in an auxin maximum that is spatially more confined than the controlled area. A decrease of efflux on the other hand leads to a broad maximum, which is more similar to what is observed for nodule primordia. With our prime interest in nodulation, we further investigate the dynamics following a decrease of efflux. We find that with a homogeneous change in the whole cortex, the first auxin accumulation is observed in the inner cortex. The steady state lateral location of this efflux reduced auxin maximum can be shifted by slight changes in the ratio of central to peripheral efflux carriers. We discuss the implications of this finding in the context of determinate and indeterminate nodules, which originate from different cortical positions. The patterns we have found are robust under disruption of the (artificial) tissue layout. The same patterns are therefore likely to occur in many other contexts

Health and Its Relationship with Residential Relocations of Older People to Institutions versus to Independent Dwellings

Research into older people's relocations to independent dwellings has largely remained separate from research into moves to institutions. Yet, both types of moves could be a response to health problems and to a certain extent they could be substitutes for each other. Using Litwak and Longino's model of moves of older people, this study assesses the extent to which three commonly used health measures (limitations in activities of daily living [ADL], self-rated health, and the prevalence of [limiting] chronic conditions) predict older people's moves to subsidized care institutions and elsewhere, in one multinomial logistic regression model. The data were derived from the POLS survey for the Netherlands (N=8306) enriched with administrative data on subsequent moves. In line with Litwak and Longino's model, the findings indicate that older people's moves to institutions were more likely among those with more severe health problems, whereas moves elsewhere were more likely among those with moderate health problems. Among the three investigated health measures, limitations in ADL had the strongest predictive value, and was the only one for which the difference in effect between relocations to care institutions and relocations elsewhere was statistically significant

Towards integrated youth care : a systematic review of facilitators and barriers for professionals

To overcome fragmentation in support for children and their families with multiple and enduring problems across life domains, professionals increasingly try to organize integrated care. However, it is unclear what facilitators and barriers professionals experience when providing this integrated care. Our systematic review, including 55 studies from a broad variety of settings in Youth Care, showed that integrated care on a professional level is a multi-component entity consisting of several facilitators and barriers. Findings were clustered in seven general themes: ‘Child’s environment’, ‘Preconditions’, ‘Care process’, ‘Expertise’, ‘Interprofessional collaboration’, ‘Information exchange’, and ‘Professional identity’. The identified facilitators and barriers were generally consistent across studies, indicating broad applicability across settings and professional disciplines. This review clearly shows that when Youth Care professionals address a broad spectrum of problems, a variety of facilitators and barriers should be considered. Registration PROSPERO, registration number CRD42018084527

Standardized Screening for Mental Health Needs of Detained Youths from Various Ethnic Origins: The Dutch Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version (MAYSI-2)

In the U.S., the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version (MAYSI-2) has been shown to be a reliable and valid tool to identify youth with mental health needs upon entry in detention facilities. The present study examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the Dutch MAYSI-2 administered as part of routine clinical assessments in up to 955 detained male adolescents. Standardized mental health screening questionnaires (Youth Self-Report and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) were used to test the convergent validity of the Dutch MAYSI-2. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the factor structure of the original MAYSI-2 could be replicated with the Dutch MAYSI-2. Internal consistency indices showed that the Dutch MAYSI-2 provides a reliable screening of mental health needs. In addition, the Dutch MAYSI-2 scales were related with conceptually parallel measures of the same targeted mental health needs in the total group. With a few exceptions, the internal consistency and convergent validity was supported across ethnic groups as well. Overall, these results suggest the psychometric properties of the Dutch MAYSI-2 to be promising. Implications and limitations of the current study\u27s findings and directions for future research are discussed

The Algal Meroterpene 11-Hydroxy-11-O-Methylamentadione Ameloriates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex class of immune disorders. Unfortunately, a treatment for total remission has not yet been found, while the use of natural product-based therapies has emerged as a promising intervention. The present study was aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of the algal meroterpene 11-hydroxy-11-O-methylamentadione (AMT-E) in a murine model of dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis. AMT-E was orally administered daily (1, 10, and 20 mg/kg animal) to DSS treated mice (3% w/v) for 7 days. AMT-E prevented body weight loss and colon shortening and effectively attenuated the extent of the colonic damage. Similarly, AMT-E increased mucus production and reduced myeloperoxidase activity (marker for anti-inflammatory activity). Moreover, the algal meroterpene decreased the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- , interleukin (IL)-1 , and IL-10 levels, and caused a significant reduction of the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Our results demonstrate the protective effects of AMT-E on experimental colitis, provide an insight of the underlying mechanisms of this compound, and suggest that this class of marine natural products might be an interesting candidate for further studies on the prevention/treatment of IBD