Différences individuelles et techniques d’entrevue : effets sur la déclaration d’une agression sexuelle

Bien souvent, l’agression sexuelle (AS) d’un enfant est un événement à caractère secret, dont seul l’agresseur et la victime peuvent témoigner. Puisque l’agresseur tend à nier les faits, la déclaration de l’enfant pendant l’entrevue d’investigation constitue bien souvent la seule preuve disponible pour confirmer les allégations d’AS. L’objectif de cette recension des écrits vise à documenter les différences individuelles qui influencent le rappel d’un événement, soit l’âge, les habiletés cognitives, le tempérament et la nature des événements à se remémorer. Dans l’ensemble, la synthèse des principaux résultats de recherche souligne l’importance de considérer non seulement les techniques d’entrevue, mais également les caractéristiques de l’enfant et des événements vécus lorsqu’il est question des facteurs influençant la déclaration d’une AS. Il est donc important que l’entrevue d’investigation soit conduite en utilisant des techniques adéquates et adaptées à l’enfant et à la situation d’AS vécue, dans le but d’obtenir une déclaration détaillée de l’AS, souvent nécessaire pour protéger l’enfant

Effet des habiletés cognitives et des techniques d'entrevue sur la déclaration de l'enfant dans un contexte d'investigation de l'agression sexuelle

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

Sexual abuse in Canadian Aboriginal communities : a broad review of conflicting evidence

Child sexual abuse (CSA), a prevalent problem across cultures and countries, threatens the well-being of victims, their families, and communities. Reports on the rates of CSA among Aboriginal people in Canada differ on the extent of this problem in the communities, with some studies reporting epidemic rates of sexual exploitation of Aboriginal children. Careful analysis and interpretation is required to more accurately capture the scope of CSA in Canadian Aboriginal communities. This broad review of evidence on CSA clearly shows the striking differences between adult reports of CSA experiences that occurred many years or decades ago and current cases of children and youth investigated for CSA. On one hand, after discarding misquoted research and studies conducted with at-risk populations, we find an estimate of 25–50% CSA prevalence rate in Aboriginal adults surveyed across Canada in the past 20 years. Based on the review of this literature, CSA seems to be a prevalent social problem in both Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal adults, although research indicates the former group is more at risk than the latter. On the other hand, recent cases investigated by the Canadian child protection services show CSA is a less common problem for Aboriginal children and youth (0.53 by 1000) than for their non-Aboriginal counterparts (0.62 by 1000). Given that most CSA cases, across all cultures, never come to the attention of the authorities, the striking difference between current CSA rates among children and youth and adult reports of CSA experiences raises several critical questions. Are Aboriginal children experiencing significantly lower rates of sexual abuse than their parents, or is sexual abuse being dramatically underreported both for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children? Exploring both sides of this problem increases our understanding of CSA in Aboriginal communities and brings critical new light to this social problem. Future directions for research are proposed to generate sound statistical data that will provide the basis for developing appropriate policies, legislation, and services for victims

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

Recommandation de placement de l’enfant dans le contexte de la protection de la jeunesse : facteurs associés = Recommendation of placement into foster care : associated factors

La décision de retirer un enfant de son milieu familial représente l’une des décisions les plus difficiles pour les intervenants sociaux. Cette étude vise à explorer les caractéristiques des enfants, des parents, des familles et des problématiques du signalement qui sont associées à la recommandation du placement de l’enfant lors de la prise en charge de ce dernier par la protection de la jeunesse. L’étude a été réalisée à partir d’un échantillon représentatif de 2230 enfants pris en charge par les services de protection de la jeunesse au Québec, tiré de l’Étude d’Incidence Québécoise (ÉIQ). Les analyses de régression logistique montrent que treize caractéristiques sont associées à la recommandation du placement de l’enfant. Ces variables associées sont liées : 1) aux caractéristiques des figures parentales (une coopération parentale inadéquate, un nombre de problèmes connus du parent plus élevé et la présence d’un adulte significatif dans la vie de l’enfant autre que les figures parentales), 2) aux caractéristiques des familles (une structure familiale non traditionnelle : recomposée ou monoparentale, un seul enfant de la famille a été signalé et un logement jugé non sécuritaire), 3) aux caractéristiques des enfants (enfant de moins de 2 ans ou de plus de 14 ans et un nombre élevé de besoins pour l’enfant), et 4) aux caractéristiques des problématiques (plus d’une problématique signalée, un signalement pour abandon, un signalement qui ne concerne pas une situation « autre » de mauvais traitements, un nombre élevé d’atteintes à la santé mentale et un signalement provenant d’une membre de la famille). La discussion porte sur la pertinence de ces caractéristiques dans les discussions cliniques impliquant une décision de placer un enfant. Recommending placement into foster care is one of the most difficult decisions for a child welfare worker to make. The aim of this study is to explore child, parent, family and maltreatment characteristics associated with placement recommendation in the representative sample of the Quebec youth protection agency clientele (N = 2230 children) from the Quebec Incidence Study (QIS). Logistic regression reveals 13 characteristics associated with recommending placement: three parent characteristics (inadequate parental cooperation, higher number of parental problems, presence of significant adult in child’s life other than parental figures); three family characteristics (reconstituted/single-parent family, only one child in family reported to youth protection agency and non-secure home); two child characteristics (under 2 or over 14 years of age and high number of child needs); and five maltreatment characteristics (more than one problem reported to youth protection agency, child reported abandoned, report does not involve “other” maltreatment type, high number of mental health sequelae and report by family member). The discussion focuses on the pertinence of these characteristics in clinical discussions involving the decision to place a child

Impact of residential schooling and of child abuse on substance use problem in Indigenous Peoples

Residential schools were the institutions, in operation from the 19th century to the late 20th century, which Indigenous children in Canada were forced to attend. The literature shows that many young people who attended these institutions were victims of neglect and abuse. Negative psychological effects resulting from child abuse have been amply documented. However, very few studies on this subject have been carried out among Canada's Indigenous peoples. The objective of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate, for an Indigenous population in Quebec (Canada), the impact of residential schooling as well as self-reported experiences of sexual and physical abuse during childhood on the development of alcohol and drug use problems in adulthood. A total of 358 Indigenous participants were interviewed (164 men [45.8%] and 194 women [54.2%]). Alcohol abuse was evaluated using the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). Drug abuse was assessed with the Drug Abuse Screening Test-20 (DAST). Child abuse and residential schooling were assessed with dichotomous questions (yes/no). Among the participants, 28.5% (n = 102) had attended residential schools, 35.2% (n = 121) reported having experienced sexual abuse, and 34.1% (n = 117) reported having experienced physical abuse before adulthood. Results of the exact logistic regression analyses indicated that residential school attendance was linked to alcohol problems, while child abuse was related to drug use problems. The results of this study highlight the importance of considering the consequences of historical traumas related to residential schools to better understand the current situation of Indigenous peoples in Canada

Romantic Relationships from Adolescence to Established Adulthood

This 15-year longitudinal study investigated with follow-up data how romantic patterns from ages 16 to 24 are associated with romantic involvement and turnover (ages 25–30), romantic dispositions (age 30) and romantic relationships characteristics (age 30). A sample of 255 individuals (60.8% women) identified all their romantic partners between the ages of 16 and 24. Between ages 25 and 30, participants identified all their romantic partners and the length of each relationship. At age 30, they also completed a series of questionnaires regarding romantic dispositions and if it applied, characteristics of their current romantic relationship. Results indicated continuity in the romantic sphere from adolescence to established adulthood. At age 30, romantic patterns were associated with: avoidance of intimacy, jealousy, global romantic satisfaction, relationship status and the duration of the current romantic relationship. Together, these results bring new information on romantic development from adolescence to established adulthood

Sexual abuse of intellectually disabled youth : a review

Intellectual disability (ID) is a condition characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which affects various everyday social and practical skills. This disability manifests itself before the age of 18 (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [AAIDD], 2010). While the global prevalence of ID is only 1% (Maulik, Mascarenhas, Mathers, Dua & Saxena, 2011), research shows that the risk of being sexually abused is 2 to 6 times greater among intellectually disabled youth than among typically developing youth (Dion, Bouchard, Gaudreault & Mercier, 2012). It is also argued that the prevalence of sexual abuse may be underestimated among intellectually disabled youth, as disclosure may be more difficult for them because of their limited vocabulary and communicative abilities (Murphy, 2007). Despite this higher risk, professionals who work with this population have little information on the issue. Myths and prejudices which devalue intellectually disabled people in our society, such as the notions that they are asexual or that they do not suffer, may increase their vulnerability to sexual abuse (Mansell & Sobsey, 2001). Expanding our knowledge in the field of ID and sexual abuse may help dispel these myths and break down these prejudices. This article presents a literature review that aims to 1) provide an overview of sexual abuse of intellectually disabled youth, and 2) discuss the implications for prevention and intervention for these vulnerable youth

Insatisfaction corporelle et estime de soi chez les jeunes adultes québécois : une association toujours présente!

Affiche présentée dans le cadre du Colloque de l'ARC, «La relève scientifique et la recherche collégiale : pratiques inspirantes au regard des chercheuses et chercheurs, et enjeux spécifiques à la formation des étudiantes et étudiants», dans le cadre du 84e Congrès de l'Acfas, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, le 10 mai 2016.Plusieurs études menées chez des adolescents démontrent un lien entre l’insatisfaction corporelle et une mauvaise estime de soi. Qu’en est-il à l’âge adulte? Cette relation se maintient-elle encore? Des travaux de recherche ont été entrepris pour évaluer l’effet respectif de la perception de son image corporelle et de son image réelle sur l’estime de soi. Pour y arriver, 422 adultes québécois âgés de 18 à 35 ans ont été interrogés au regard de leur perception d’eux-mêmes : estime de soi, satisfaction globale du corps, satisfaction de sa silhouette (taille et forme), forme de corps souhaitée, etc. Des mesures manuelles de stature, de poids et de taille ont aussi été prises en vue de calculer l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC) des participants. Enfin, le corps de chaque participant a été numérisé à l’aide d’un scanner corporel 3D. Les analyses de régression préliminaires confirment la présence d’une forte association entre l’estime de soi et divers indicateurs de l’insatisfaction corporelle, et ce, autant chez les hommes que chez les femmes. Par exemple, une plus grande insatisfaction à l’égard de son corps et le fait d’avoir reçu des commentaires négatifs sur le poids par un plus grand nombre de personnes sont associés à un niveau plus faible d’estime de soi. Les données objectives du schéma corporel obtenues par le scan 3D (données anthropométriques) seront intégrées aux analyses de régression dans le cadre d’analyses ultérieures