Le profil des mères d’enfants agressés sexuellement : santé mentale, stress et adaptation

Cette étude s'intéresse aux réactions affectives de 118 mères à la suite du dévoilement de l'agression sexuelle de leur enfant. En plus de tracer un portrait de ces mères, l'étude vise à déterminer l'importance de leurs symptômes psychologiques et à identifier les facteurs psychosociaux susceptibles de les influencer. Les résultats montrent que les mères présentent diverses configurations de symptômes psychologiques et que plusieurs d'entre elles vivent une détresse excédant un seuil clinique. La présence de ces symptômes est associée de façon spécifique à un nombre limité de facteurs psychosociaux. La discussion fait ressortir l'importance de la détresse vécue par les mères d'enfants agressés sexuellement et le soutien qu'elles requièrent de la part des professionnels de la santé mentale pour composer avec la situation.This study examines the emotional reactions of 118 mothers after the disclosure of the sexual assault of their child. After tracing a portrait of these mothers, the study attempts to determine the importance of the psychological symptoms and identify psychosocial factors likely to influence them. Results show that mothers present various configurations of psychological symptoms and that many experience distress exceeding the clinical treshold. The presence of these symptoms is specifically associated to a limited number of psychosocial factors. The discussion highlights the importance of distress experienced by mothers of sexually abused children and the support they need from professional health workers to deal with the situation.Este estudio se interesa en las reacciones afectivas de 118 madres después de descubrir la agresión sexual de sus hijos. Además de elaborar un retrato de estas madres, el estudio intenta determinar la importancia de sus síntomas psicológicos e identificar los factores psicosociales susceptibles de influenciarlos. Los resultados demuestran que las madres presentan diversas configuraciones de síntomas psicológicos y que algunas de ellas viven la angustia mas allá del umbral clínico. La presencia de esos síntomas es asociada específicamente a un numero limitado de factores psicosociales. La discusión hace sobresalir la importancia de la angustia vivida por las madres de menores agredidos sexualmente y del apoyo que ellas requieren de los profesionales de la salud mental para aprender a vivir con esta situación

Relationships between stressful life events, psychological distress and resilience among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adolescents

Objective(s): In order to shed light on the impacts of various stressful life events and resilience factors during adolescence and across different cultural backgrounds, this study explored a variety of protective and vulnerability factors associated with psychological distress among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth. Methods: The participants were 207 adolescents (mean age = 15.8 years, 55% female, 45% Aboriginal) recruited from two secondary schools located in Innu communities of Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean and Côte Nord (Canada). Data were collected on psychological distress, exposure to stressful life events, and resilience. Results: Six multiple linear regressions were conducted to predict six dimensions of psychological distress. Sexual abuse, family violence and other stressful life events were all associated with higher levels of psychological symptoms. Individual resilience factors were associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, dissociation and post-traumatic stress (PTS), whereas relational/familial resilience factors were associated with lower levels of anger and sexual concerns. The relationship with contextual resilience was not significant. Conclusions and implications: Overall, these results indicate that stressful life events such as sexual abuse and family violence may have deleterious effects on the mental health of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adolescents. However, some individual and relational factors may have positive effects on their mental health. These findings may provide hope for communities under greater stress and support the importance of establishing culturally sensitive intervention strategies that strengthen the key protective factors identified in this study

Types de familles, conditions de vie, fonctionnement du système familial et inadaptation sociale au cours de la latence et de l’adolescence dans les milieux défavorisés

Les données manquent concernant l'impact de certains types de familles, et les résultats sont souvent discordants concernant l'inadaptation. Après avoir décrit les variations de l'activité délictueuse et des troubles de comportement selon les types de familles, nous analysons les difficultés de fonctionnement du système familial. Six types de familles sont comparés pour 763 garçons de 10 ans, 319 adolescentes et 426 adolescents de 14 et 15 ans: les familles intactes, les familles monoparentales patricentriques et matricentriques, les familles recomposées patricentriques et matricentriques et les familles substituts. Les données présentées montrent qu'en cette fin des années 1980, près de 40 % des enfants et des adolescents des quartiers à faible statut socio-économique de Montréal vivent dans des familles désunies. Les données confirment en outre une observation classique: les familles désunies, en comparaison aux familles intactes, sont défavorisées sur le plan des conditions de vie, déficientes sur le plan du fonctionnement psychosocial et propices aux troubles de comportement et à l'activité délictueuse. Par ailleurs, il est établi que certains types de familles désunies constituent un facteur de risque considérable. L'effet dommageable de la structure de la famille s'accroît dans l'ordre suivant: familles intactes, familles monoparentales matricentriques, familles recomposées matricentriques, familles substituts, familles recomposées patricentriques et familles monoparentales patricentriques. Pour terminer, quelques pistes d'intervention pour la prévention des difficultés comportementales et familiales sont proposées.Available data on the impact of certain types of families is lacking, and the results are often misleading with respect to maladjustment. Following a description of variations in delinquent activity and behaviour problems according to family type, the authors analyse the difficulties in the operation of family systems. Comparisons of six family types apply to data from 763 boys aged 10, 319 female and 426 male adolescents, aged 14 and 15: intact families, father-based and mother-based single- parent families, father-based and mother-based reconstituted families and substitute families. The article's data show that in the late eighties, nearly 40 per cent of children and adolescents living in low-income districts in Montreal belonged to disunited families. In addition, the data confirm a classic observation: in comparison with intact families, disunited families are underprivileged in relation to living conditions, deficient in relation to psychosocial functioning, and propitious to behaviour problems and delinquent activity. In addition, it has been established that certain disunited family types represent a considerable risk factor. The damaging effect of family structure increases in the following order: intact families, mother-based single-parent families, mother-based reconstituted families, substitute families, father-based reconstituted families and father-based single-parent families. Finally, certain intervention methods are suggested to help prevent behaviour and family problems

To say or not to say : dyadic ambivalence over emotional expression and its associations with pain, sexuality, and distress in couples coping with provoked vestibulodynia

Introduction Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a highly prevalent and taxing female genital pain condition. Despite the intimate nature of this pain and the fact that affective factors such as anxiety have been shown to modulate its manifestations, no study has yet explored the emotional regulation of couples in which the woman suffers from PVD. Aim Ambivalence over emotional expression (AEE) is an emotional regulation variable that quantifies the extent to which a person is comfortable with the way she or he expresses emotions. We examined whether the dyadic AEE of couples in which the woman suffers from PVD was differentially associated with women's pain and couples' psychological, sexual, and relational functioning. Methods Couples (N = 254), in which the woman suffered from PVD, completed the AEE questionnaire. A couple typology of dyadic AEE was created. Main Outcome Measures Dependent measures for both members of the couple were the global measure of sexual satisfaction scale, the Beck depression inventory II, and the revised dyadic adjustment scale. The female sexual function index and the sexual history form were used to assess the sexual function of women and men, respectively. Women also completed the pain rating index of the McGill pain questionnaire. Results Couples, in which both partners were considered low on AEE, had the highest scores on sexual satisfaction (P = 0.02) and function (P < 0.01), the lowest depression scores (P < 0.01), and the best dyadic adjustment (P = 0.02). No difference in pain intensity was found between couples. Conclusions Findings suggest that, for couples in which the woman suffers from PVD, an emotional regulation that is low in ambivalence in both partners is associated with better psychological, sexual, and relational outcomes. Results indicate that emotional regulation may be important to consider in the assessment and treatment of couples coping with PVD

Sexual and relationship intimacy among women with provoked vestibulodynia and their partners : associations with sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain self-efficacy

Introduction Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is the most frequent subtype of vulvodynia. Women report negative consequences of PVD on their sexual and romantic relationships. Researchers have recently highlighted the importance of examining interpersonal factors such as intimacy, and of including both women and their partners in study designs. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate sexual and relationship intimacy as defined by the Interpersonal Process Model of Intimacy and their associations with sexual satisfaction, sexual function, pain self-efficacy, and pain intensity among women with PVD and their partners. Methods Ninety-one heterosexual women (M age = 27.38, SD = 6.04) diagnosed with PVD and their partners (M age = 29.37, SD = 7.79) completed measures of sexual and relationship intimacy, sexual satisfaction, sexual function, pain self-efficacy, and pain intensity. Main Outcome Measures Dependent measures were the (i) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale; (ii) Female Sexual Function Index; (iii) Painful Intercourse Self-Efficacy Scale; and (iv) visual analog scale of pain intensity during intercourse. Results After controlling for women's age, women's greater sexual intimacy (β = 0.49, P < 0.001) was associated with women's greater sexual satisfaction and higher pain self-efficacy (β = 0.39, P = 0.001), beyond the effects of partners’ sexual intimacy. Also, women's greater sexual intimacy (β = 0.24, P = 0.05) and women's greater relationship intimacy (β = 0.54, P = 0.003) were associated with greater women's sexual function, beyond the effects of partners’ sexual and relationship intimacy. Conclusions Women's self-reported sexual and relationship intimacy in the couple relationship may promote higher sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain self-efficacy, as well as possibly foster greater sexual well-being among women with PVD. The authors discuss implications for the inclusion of emotional and interpersonal aspects of the couple's dynamic in clinical interventions and future research in PVD

Changes in hair cortisol and self-reported stress measures following mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) : a proof-of-concept study in pediatric hematology-oncology professionals

Background and purpose Little data is available on the effect of mindfulness amongst pediatric hematology-oncology professionals. The purpose was to further document change in biological and psychological stress following a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program. Materials and methods We led two pre-post interventional studies (n = 12 and n = 25) and measured changes on hair cortisol concentrations, perceived stress, psychological distress and burnout. Results Professionals did not change on biological stress (d = 0.04), but improved on self-reported measures (median d = 0.58). Effects were maintained over 3 months for psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and burnout (median d = 0.66). Effects were larger if trainees participated to the retreat and if they reported higher baseline perceived stress. Conclusion In pediatric hematology-oncology professionals, an MBSR program was related with improvements in self-reported stress over 3 months. Components of the program and characteristics of trainees may influence the impact of MBSR

A prospective study of the impact of child maltreatment and friend support on psychological distress trajectory : from adolescence to emerging adulthood

Background Transition into adulthood is a critical developmental period that may be influenced by adverse life events as well as by protective factors. This study aimed at investigating the effect of different forms of child maltreatment experienced prior to age 14 (i.e., sexual abuse, physical abuse and exposure to intimate partner violence), and of friend support at age 14 on the psychological distress trajectory from age 14 to 24. Methods Participants were 605 adolescents from the general population involved in a 10-year longitudinal study. Psychological distress was evaluated at ages 14, 16, 18 and 24. Child maltreatment prior to 14 years was retrospectively assessed at 14 and 24 years while perception of support from friends was evaluated at age 14. Results Multilevel growth modeling indicated that psychological distress followed a significant decreasing curvilinear trajectory, with participants reporting fewer distressing psychological symptoms after 18 years. All three forms of child maltreatment, as well as their cumulative effect, predicted more psychological distress over 10 years above and beyond the protective effect of support from friends. Higher support from friends at age 14 was related to lower distress at baseline andover 10 years, beyond the effect of child maltreatment. Limitations Self-report nature of all measures, attrition, and measures of child maltreatment forms. Conclusions Psychological distress decreased during the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Results also revealed the detrimental impact of child maltreatment and the promotive role of friend support, which underscore the importance of early intervention

Decomposition of symmetric tensor fields in the presence of a flat contact projective structure

Let $M$ be an odd-dimensional Euclidean space endowed with a contact 1-form $\alpha$. We investigate the space of symmetric contravariant tensor fields on $M$ as a module over the Lie algebra of contact vector fields, i.e. over the Lie subalgebra made up by those vector fields that preserve the contact structure. If we consider symmetric tensor fields with coefficients in tensor densities, the vertical cotangent lift of contact form $\alpha$ is a contact invariant operator. We also extend the classical contact Hamiltonian to the space of symmetric density valued tensor fields. This generalized Hamiltonian operator on the symbol space is invariant with respect to the action of the projective contact algebra $sp(2n+2)$. The preceding invariant operators lead to a decomposition of the symbol space (expect for some critical density weights), which generalizes a splitting proposed by V. Ovsienko

Evidence for the submarine weathering of silicate minerals in Black sea sediments: possible implications for the marine Li and B cycles

[1] The role of sediment diagenesis in the marine cycles of Li and B is poorly understood. Because Li and B are easily mobilized during burial and are consumed in authigenic clay mineral formation, their abundance in marine pore waters varies considerably. Exchange with the overlying ocean through diffusive fluxes should thus be common. Nevertheless, only a minor Li sink associated with the low-temperature alteration of volcanic ash has been observed. We describe a low-temperature diagenetic environment in the Black Sea dominated by the alteration of detrital plagioclase feldspars. Fluids expelled from the Odessa mud volcano in the Sorokin Trough originate from shallow (≈100–400 m deep) sediments which are poor in volcanic materials but rich in anorthite. These fluids are depleted in Na+, K+, Li+, B, and 18O and enriched in Ca2+ and Sr2+, indicating that anorthite is dissolving and authigenic clays are forming. Using a simple chemical model, we calculate the pH and the partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) in fluids associated with this alteration process. Our results show that the pH of these fluids is up to 1.5 pH units lower than in most deep marine sediments and that PCO2 levels are up to several hundred times higher than in the atmosphere. These conditions are similar to those which favor the weathering of silicate minerals in subaerial soil environments. We propose that in Black Sea sediments enhanced organic matter preservation favors CO2 production through methanogenesis and results in a low pore water pH, compared to most deep sea sediments. As a result, silicate mineral weathering, which is a sluggish process in most marine diagenetic environments, proceeds rapidly in Black Sea sediments. There is a potential for organic matter-rich continental shelf environments to host this type of diagenesis. Should such environments be widespread, this new Li and B sink could help balance the marine Li and Li isotope budgets but would imply an apparent imbalance in the B cycle

Influence de l’estime de soi, des qualités relationnelles parents-enfants, du soutien social et de l’agression sexuelle sur la résilience auprès d’adolescents autochtones et caucasiens

Cet article a pour objectif d’explorer la résilience psychologique auprès d’adolescents caucasiens et autochtones. Bien que plusieurs études aient été réalisées sur cette thématique auprès des caucasiens, peu ont été conduites auprès des peuples des Premières Nations, bien qu’ils aient vécu plusieurs événements traumatiques depuis la colonisation. Pour ce faire, 227 participants autochtones et caucasiens âgés de 14 à 17 ans ont répondu à des questionnaires autorapportés. La résilience a été conceptualisée en termes d’absence de détresse psychologique et fut évaluée par le score total obtenu au Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSC-C; Briere, 1989). Le niveau d’estime de soi des adolescents fut mesuré, de même que des facteurs interpersonnels tels le soutien parental, social et communautaire; afin d’être cohérent avec une perspective autochtone qui repose sur une vision interrelationnelle entre l’individu et sa communauté. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats de cette étude révèlent que les adolescents autochtones n’ont pas été davantage victimes d’agression sexuelle que leurs homologues caucasiens, mais ils ont vécu davantage d’événements de vie délétères. Les résultats de l’analyse de régression suggèrent que l’estime de soi et la capacité de l’adolescent à rechercher de l’aide dans sa communauté sont associées à moins de détresse psychologique, soit plus de résilience. Toutefois, avoir subi une agression sexuelle, avoir été exposé à plusieurs évènements de vie stressants, être de sexe masculin et être un adolescent non-autochtone est relié à plus de détresse psychologique. En somme, les présents résultats suggèrent l’importance d’utiliser une approche écologique qui implique à la fois les facteurs personnels et communautaires dans la compréhension des facteurs de résilience. This article aims to explore resilience among Caucasian and Aboriginal adolescents. Although several studies have been conducted on this topic among Caucasians, few concern First Nation peoples, even though the latter have experienced many traumatic events since colonization. A total of 227 Aboriginal and Caucasian participants aged between 14 and 17 years completed questionnaires. Resilience has been conceptualized as the absence of psychological distress and was evaluated by the total score obtained on the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. The level of self-esteem in adolescents was measured, as well as interpersonal factors such as parental, social and community support, in order to be consistent with an Aboriginal perspective based on an interrelational view between the individual and his community. Overall, the results of this study indicate that sexual abuse is not more common among Aboriginal youth than their Caucasian counterparts, but they do experience more adverse life events. The results of regression analyses suggest that self-esteem and the capacity of adolescents to seek help in the community are associated with less psychological distress, and thus, more resilience. However, having been sexually abused, being exposed to more stressful life events, being male and being a Caucasian teenager are all factors related to greater psychological distress. Overall, these results suggest the importance of utilizing an ecological approach that involves both personal and community factors in understanding resilience factors