Canadian Research in Brief: 24th Edition (December 2010)
The articles listed below can be accessed through the corresponding journal website or accessed at a local library or university.
Canadian Research in Brief: 24th Edition (December 2010)
Fuller-Thomson, E., Brennenstuhl, S., & Frank, J.
(2010). . Child Abuse & Neglect,
34(9), 689 鈥� 698.
The authors identify physical abuse in childhood as an important
early life stressor. Although research has been conducted examining
the relationship between childhood physical abuse and a variety of
negative mental and physical health outcomes in adulthood, the
relationship between childhood physical abuse and heart disease has
not been studied extensively. This study used data from the 2005
cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), a
cross-sectional survey conducted by Statistics Canada. The present
analysis utilized data from an unweighted sample of 13,093 males
and females from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as information about
childhood physical abuse was collected from these provinces alone
in the CCHS. The authors conducted seven consecutive logistic
regression analyses, with heart disease as the outcome. The final
model adjusted for a wide range of variables, including gender,
race, age, childhood stressors (i.e., parental divorce, parental
addictions, parental unemployment), adult health risk behaviours
(i.e., BMI, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity level), adult
stressors (i.e., educational attainment, daily self-reported stress
level, diabetes diagnosis), history of mood disorder, and high
blood pressure. These variables were adjusted for because previous
research has identified that these factors are associated with
heart disease. The results of this research demonstrate that 7% of
the sample reported childhood physical abuse, and 4% reported
health disease as diagnosed by a health professional. When the
model adjusted for the wide range of risk factors for heart
disease, individuals who reported experiencing childhood physical
abuse still had 45% higher odds of having a diagnosis of heart
disease, as compared to those that did not report abuse. The
results suggest a relationship between physical abuse in childhood
and elevated risk of heart disease. This research is limited by its
cross-sectional nature, its reliance on retrospective self-report
accounts of physical abuse, and its lack of information about the
frequency and severity of physical abuse and other forms of
maltreatment. The authors conclude that more research in this area
is necessary.
Peter, T. (2009). . Journal of Interpersonal
Violence, 24(7), 1111 鈥� 1128.
This study uses data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported
Child Abuse and Neglect, 1998 (CIS-1998) to compare cases of male
and female-perpetrated child sexual abuse. There were a total of
345 sexual abuse investigations for which information about the sex
of the perpetrator was available: 89% of perpetrators were male and
11% were female. Investigations involving female perpetrators were
more likely to involve two or more children victimized by the same
perpetrator, to have a co-perpetrator identified by the
investigating worker, and to involve younger victims.
Investigations involving male perpetrators, compared to those
involving female perpetrators, were more likely to have been
referred to child welfare by a professional. The author concludes
that more research into female-perpetrated child sexual abuse is
necessary to better understand these differences. Results should be
interpreted cautiously, as analyses were based on only 37
investigations involving female perpetrators.
Regehr, C., LeBlanc, V., Shlonsky, A., & Bogo, M.
(2010). . The
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease,
198(9), 614 鈥� 619.
Child protection professionals face extremely difficult decisions.
Child welfare services in various parts of North America have
implemented standardized risk assessment models to assist child
protection professionals in accurately identifying children at risk
of harm. The authors argue that worker attributes, attitudes, and
experiences may influence the manner in which the worker utilizes
standardized risk assessment instruments. This study used
standardized patients to enact a clinical situation, in order to
investigate the degree to which previous experience and emotional
state influence the professional judgement of child welfare
workers. Ninety-six child welfare workers, ranging in age from 22
to 63 years, participated in this study. These workers were
employed at 12 different child welfare offices located in a large
urban centre, smaller cities, and rural communities. Participants
completed a series of questionnaires relating to previous history
of traumatic exposure in the workplace and current emotional state.
After the workers participated in the clinical scenario with the
standardized patients, they were asked to complete various risk
assessment measures based on the clinical scenario including the
Ontario Risk Assessment Measure (ORAM), the Ontario Safety
Assessment (OSA), and the Ontario Family Risk Assessment (OFRA).
Worker level of education and age were not associated with scoring
on the risk assessment measures. The authors report that increased
traumatic exposure, increased stress, and increased levels of
post-traumatic symptoms are associated with a decreased likelihood
that the worker will determine that a child is at risk. Limitations
of this study include the use of clinical situations that may not
accurately reflect real-life encounters. The authors also did not
outline the sampling strategy utilized in this study, implying that
it was a volunteer sample. The authors conclude that workers should
seek consultation when making decisions about risk.
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