Sukupuoliero parisuhdeväkivallan yleisyydessä ja sen havaitsemisessa lasten ja nuorten näkökulmasta

Artikkelin tavoitteena on selvittää vanhempiin kohdistuvan parisuhdeväkivallan yleisyyttä sitä kotonaan todistaneiden ja kokeneiden 11–17-vuotiaiden lasten ja nuorten näkökulmasta. Aineistona on käytetty Lapsiuhritutkimus 2008 -aineistoa, jonka otoskoko on 13 459. Artikkelissa tarkastellaan lasten ja nuorten havaitsemaa vanhempiin kohdistunutta parisuhdeväkivaltaa sukupuolinäkökulmasta. Pääasiallisina menetelminä on käytetty ristiintaulukointia ja χ²-testiä. Tulosten perusteella henkinen väkivalta oli yleisintä, lievä fyysinen väkivalta seuraavaksi yleisintä ja vakava fyysinen väkivalta harvinaisempaa. Sukupuolten välinen ero näkyi myös eri väkivallan muotojen kasautumisessa. Tulokset osoittavat, että lapset ja nuoret havaitsivat enemmän äitiin kuin isään kohdistunutta parisuhdeväkivaltaa. Lisäksi tytöt kertoivat havainneensa kumpaankin vanhempaansa kohdistunutta parisuhdeväkivaltaa selvästi enemmän kuin pojat. Mahdolliseksi syyksi tyttöjen ja poikien väliselle erolle väkivallan havaitsemisessa esitetään artikkelissa sukupuolten väliset erot väkivallan kohtaamisen tavoissa, väkivaltaan suhtautumisessa ja väkivaltatilanteiden tulkinnoissa

Child Protection in Europe: Development of an International Cross-Comparison Model to Inform National Policies and Practices

We report a five-nations project in comparative child protection to provide recommendations on policy and practice to inform the redevelopment of the Swiss child protection system. The Swiss Federal Government and the Optimus and Oak Foundations commissioned the project—collective title: Association Programme National pour la Protection de l'Enfant. We identify the historical developmental trajectories of child protection systems together with common drivers: the evidential basis for the prevalence and effects of child abuse, the co-joining of social and economic policies and practices to promote early investment in children, the influence of children's rights and comparative international league tables on child well-being. We describe the cross-national project methodology and analysis of results. Three key indicators for the performance of national child protection systems are indicated: creating a culturally sensitive child protection governance framework, building a relational heart and using evidence to inform policy and practice. These encapsulate the recommendations made with respect to the Swiss child protection system. The results provide a prototype model with potential utility in similar cross-national studies, and add weight to the argument that cross-cultural learning in the context of a globalised society is not only possible, but desirabl

Precocious Puberty or Premature Thelarche : analysis of a large Patient series in a single Tertiary center with special emphasis on 6-to 8-Year-Old girls

Introduction: We describe the etiology, MRI findings, and growth patterns in girls who had presented with signs of precocious puberty (PP), i.e., premature breast development or early menarche. Special attention was paid to the diagnostic findings in 6- to 8-year-olds. Materials and methods: We reviewed the medical records of 149 girls (aged 0.710.3 years) who had been evaluated for PP in the Helsinki University Hospital between 2001 and 2014. Results: In 6- to 8-year-old girls, PP was most frequently caused by idiopathic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-dependent PP (60%) and premature thelarche (PT; 39%). The former subgroup grew faster (8.7 +/- 2.0 cm/year, n = 58) than the girls with PT (7.0 +/- 1.1 cm/year, n = 32) (P <0.001), and the best discrimination for GnRH-dependent PP was achieved with a growth velocity cut-off value of 7.0 cm/year (sensitivity 92% and specificity 58%) [area under the curve 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.730.91, P <0.001]. Among asymptomatic and previously healthy 6- to 8-year-old girls with GnRH-dependent PP, one (1.7%, 95% CI 0.39.7%) had a pathological brain MRI finding requiring surgical intervention (craniopharyngioma). In girls younger than 3 years, the most frequent cause of breast development was PT, and, in 3- to 6-year-olds, GnRH-dependent PP. Conclusion: In 6- to 8-year-old girls, analysis of growth velocity is helpful in differentiating between PT and GnRH-dependent PP. Although the frequency of clinically relevant intracranial findings in previously healthy, asymptomatic 6- to 8-year-old girls was low, they can present without any signs or symptoms, which favors routine MRI imaging also in this age group.Peer reviewe