More than \u27Revenge Porn\u27 Civil Remedies for the Nonconsensual Distribution of Intimate Images

The non-consensual distribution of intimate images, or “revenge porn” as it is colloquially known, is a growing phenomenon in the digital era that has devastated the lives of countless individuals. Targets of this conduct have suffered both short and long-lasting harms that have had serious repercussions on their mental health, physical well-being, and safety. Once their intimate images have been shared without their consent, they can face damage to their personal and professional reputations. There are reported cases where individuals have lost their jobs, have had to relocate, were stalked and harassed, experienced some form of emotional trauma, and had their privacy violated after their images were shared. It is a jarring experience to say the least. Most want the images taken off down as soon as possible, but attempting to remove the images from the Internet can be a costly endeavor. This collection of harms and damages beg for a civil remedy. As a result, some individuals have begun turning to the civil courts to seek remedies for the damages they have incurred. This paper explores some civil remedies that may be available for individuals who have had their intimate images shared without their consent, but is no way an exhaustive list of civil actions or remedies that may be available.In four parts, this paper (1) introduces and describes common manifestations of this problematic behavior, (2) outlines a selection of civil remedies that are available to individuals who have had their intimate images shared without their consent, (3) reviews some remedies and relief that may be available; and (4) provides useful practice tips for lawyers serving clients who have had their intimate images shared without consent. It also includes an appendix with information on civil legislation in other Canadian jurisdictions, the criminal response to this behavior, and links to organizations that are addressing the non-consensual distribution of intimate images

Évaluation de la mise en œuvre d’une séance d’information à l’intention des survivantes dans le cadre d’un Programme de bien-être au-delà du cancer : portrait des participantes

Les survivantes du cancer du sein et de l’endomètre orientées vers le Programme de bien-être au-delà du cancer ont été invitées à participer à une séance d’information, mais elles n’ont pas toutes donné suite à cette invitation. La présente étude cherche donc à déterminer les caractéristiques sociodémographiques et médicales, ainsi que les besoins des survivantes, qui permettraient de prédire leur participation à ce type d’atelier. Pour ce faire, un examen du dossier des survivantes ayant rempli une enquête d’évaluation des besoins entre 2012 et 2014 (n = 144, cancer de l’endomètre; n = 170, cancer du sein) a été réalisé. Les caractéristiques des participantes ont été comparées à celles des femmes qui n’étaient pas présentes à l’aide de tests t, d’analyses du khi-carré et d’une analyse de régres- sion. Les analyses univariées ont montré une corrélation entre la participation à la séance d’information et l’âge, la proximité de l’hôpital, les besoins émotionnels et physiques, et les traitements de chimiothérapie ou de radiothérapie qui avaient été reçus. La proxi- mité de l’hôpital et les besoins physiques sont quant à eux ressortis comme des facteurs prédictifs multivariés. Les résultats de l’étude nous permettront d’étoffer le contenu de la séance d’information, d’accroître le taux de participation et de cerner les caractéristiques des participantes

When fear of cancer recurrence becomes a clinical issue : a qualitative analysis of features associated with clinical fear of cancer recurrence

PURPOSE : Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common experience for cancer survivors. However, it remains unclear what characteristics differentiate non-clinical from clinical levels of FCR. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential hallmarks of clinical FCR. METHODS: A convenience sample of 40 participants (n = 19 female) was drawn from another study (Lebel et al. in Qual Life Res 25:311-321. doi: 10.1007/s11136-015-1088-2 , 2016). The semi-structured interview for fear of cancer recurrence (Simard and Savard in J Cancer Surviv 9:481-491. doi: 10.1007/s11764-015-0424-4 , 2015) was used to identify participants with non-clinical and clinical FCR and qualitative analysis of these interviews was performed. RESULTS: Individuals with clinical FCR reported the following features: death-related thoughts, feeling alone, belief that the cancer would return, experiencing intolerance of uncertainty, having cancer-related thoughts and imagery that were difficult to control, daily and recurrent, lasted 30 minutes or more, increased over time, caused distress and impacted their daily life. Triggers of FCR and coping strategies did not appear to be features of clinical FCR as they were reported by participants with a range of FCR scores. CONCLUSIONS: While features of clinical FCR found in this analysis such as intrusive thoughts, distress and impact on functioning confirmed previous FCR research, other features spontaneously emerged from the interviews including "death-related thoughts," "feeling alone," and "belief that the cancer will return." The participants' descriptions of cancer-specific fear and worry suggest that FCR is a distinct phenomenon related to cancer survivorship, despite similarities with psychological disorders (e.g., Anxiety Disorders). Future research investigating the construct of FCR, and the distinguishing features of clinical FCR across a range of cancer types and gender is required

Managing Cancer And Living Meaningfully (CALM): phase 2 trial of a brief individual psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer

Background: Advanced cancer brings substantial physical and psychosocial challenges that may contribute to emotional distress and diminish well-being. In this study, we present preliminary data concerning the effectiveness of a new brief individual psychotherapy, Managing Cancer And Living Meaningfully (CALM), designed to help individuals cope with this circumstance. Aim: To test the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of CALM to reduce emotional distress and promote psychological wellbeing and growth. Design: CALM is a brief, manualized, semistructured individual psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer. This study employed a phase 2 intervention-only design. The primary outcome was depressive symptoms and the secondary outcomes were death anxiety, attachment security, spiritual wellbeing and psychological growth. These were assessed at 3 months (t1) and 6 months (t2). Multilevel regression was used to model change over time. Setting/participants: Fifty patients with advanced or metastatic cancer were recruited from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada. Results: Thirty-nine patients (78%) were assessed at baseline, 24 (48%) at t1, and 16 (32%) at t2. Analyses revealed reductions over time in depressive symptoms, beta = -0.13, CI.95 (-0.23, -0.022), and death anxiety, beta = -0.23, CI.95 (-0.40, -0.061), and an increase in spiritual wellbeing, beta = 0.14, CI.95 (0.026, 0.26). Conclusions: CALM may be a feasible intervention to benefit patients with advanced cancer. The results are encouraging despite attrition and small effect sizes, and support further study.This study was funded by a research grant from the University Health Network Department of Psychiatry (SH, CL, GR) and partly funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR #MOP 106473). This research was also supported by the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Hertz Centre Fund, the Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute and the Ontario Cancer Institute at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (OMOHLTC). The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the OMOHLTC. Dr. Rodin is also supported by the University of Toronto/University Health Network Harold and Shirley Lederman Chair in Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care. The funders had no role in the final design, analysis and writing of this study

Health anxiety and illness-related fears across diverse chronic illnesses: A systematic review on conceptualization, measurement, prevalence, course, and correlates.

BackgroundPatients with chronic diseases commonly report fears of illness or symptoms recurring or worsening. These fears have been addressed from an illness-specific perspective (e.g., fear of cancer recurrence), a generic illness perspective (e.g., fear of progression), and a psychiatric perspective (DSM-5 illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder). The broader concept of health anxiety (HA) can also be applied to patients with a chronic disease. This review was conducted to investigate the conceptual, theoretical, measurement-overlap, and differences between these distinct perspectives. We also aimed to summarize prevalence, course, and correlates of these fears in different chronic illnesses.MethodsWe used PsycINFO, PubMED, CINAHL, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and PSYNDEX to conduct a systematic review of studies pertaining to these fears in chronic illness published from January 1996 to October 2017. A total of 401 articles were retained.ResultsThere were commonalities across different conceptualizations and diseases: a high prevalence of clinical levels of fears (>20%), a stable course over time, and a deleterious impact on quality of life. Reviewed studies used definitions, models, and measures that were illness-specific, with only a minority employing a psychiatric perspective, limiting cross-disease generalizability. There appears to be some applicability of DSM-5 disorders to the experience of fear of illness/symptoms in patients with a chronic illness. While conceptualizing HA on a continuum ranging from mild and transient to severe may be appropriate, there is a lack of agreement about when the level of fear becomes 'excessive.' The definitions, models, and measures of HA across chronic illnesses involve affective, cognitive, behavioral, and perceptual features.ConclusionsThe concept of HA may offer a unifying conceptual perspective on the fears of illness/symptoms worsening or returning commonly experienced by those with chronic disease

Impact of COVID–19-Related Stress and Lockdown on Mental Health Among People Living With HIV in Argentina

The spread of SARS-CoV-2, causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has necessitated widespread lockdown to mitigate the pandemic. This study examines the influence of resilience on the impact of COVID-related stress and enforced lockdown on mental health, drug use and treatment adherence among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Argentina. PLWH residing predominantly in Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area and urban regions of Argentina were identified from a private clinic electronic database. Participants completed an anonymous online survey to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on economic disruption, resilience, mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness), adherence to HIV treatment, and substance use. We performed ordinary least squares and logistic regressions to test whether resilient coping buffered the impact of economic disruption on mental health and drug use during quarantine. 1336 PLWH aged 18-82 were enrolled. The impact of economic disruption on mental health ΔF(1,1321)=8.86, p=.003 and loneliness ΔF(1,1326)=5.77, p=.016 was buffered by resilience. A three-way interaction between resilient buffering, stress, and sex was significant ΔF(1,1325)=4.76, p=.029. Participants reported less than excellent adherence to medication (33%), disruption to mental health services (11%), and disruption to substance abuse treatment (1.3%) during lockdown. The impact of COVID-stress and lockdown on emotional distress appeared mitigated by resilience coping strategies and the buffering impact of resilience on perceived stress was greater among women. Results highlight PLWH's capacity to adhere to treatment in challenging circumstances and the importance of developing resilience skills for better coping with stress and adversity