State-level education policies: Opportunities for secondary prevention of child maltreatment

Longitudinal Analysis of a Statewide, Social Ecological Approach to Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Vermont

In 2009, Vermont became the first state to enact a comprehensive health education policy that included child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention. This study describes the implementation efforts of CSA prevention programming led by Prevent Child Abuse Vermont, both one year prior to the policy enactment and ten years later (i.e., 2008-2019). We used data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) to obtain rates of substantiated CSA reports and examined their association with program implementation. Findings from longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling indicated that, in seven Vermont counties, an increased number of CSA prevention programs correlated with a decrease in substantiated CSA reports. Three adult focused programs, Nurturing Healthy Sexual Development, Informed Supervision, and Overcoming Barriers-were also associated with reduced substantiated CSA reports. These findings suggest that consistent implementation of CSA prevention programs across the state of Vermont was associated with lower rates of CSA incidents.

Attitudes Toward Unhealthy Relationship Behaviors and Boundary-Setting: Variation Among High School Students

Teen dating violence (TDV) is common during adolescence and has lasting negative impacts on those who experience it. Yet, there is limited research exploring how well teens recognize unhealthy behaviors and communicate boundaries, both crucial aspects in preventing TDV. This study aimed to investigate how demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, sexual identity, and race/ethnicity) relate to adolescents' abilities to recognize unhealthy relationships and willingness to communicate boundaries. Participants (N = 873) completed online surveys during school hours on demographic characteristics (e.g., gender), recognition of unhealthy relationship behaviors, communicating boundaries, and navigating breakups. We found that girls, participants who identify as a sexual minority (e.g., lesbian), and White participants demonstrated significantly higher recognition of controlling behaviors compared to boys and their heterosexual and non-White counterparts, respectively, but there was no significant difference in identifying abusive behaviors such as shouting, yelling, and insulting a partner. Older participants (i.e., ages 16-18) were significantly more likely to recognize controlling and abusive behaviors as unhealthy compared to younger participants (i.e., 13-15). Further, we found that girls and older participants were significantly more willing to communicate boundaries in relationships than boys and their younger counterparts. Our findings align with prior research emphasizing the necessity for prevention strategies that raise awareness of controlling behaviors that can escalate to more severe forms of TDV and equip adolescents with the means to establish and communicate personal boundaries.

Perpetrator characteristics and firearm use in pediatric homicides: Supplementary Homicide Reports - United States, 1976 to 2020

BACKGROUND

Describe trends in perpetrator characteristics and firearm use in pediatric homicides across the United States.

METHODS

Multiply-imputed data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 1976-2020 Supplementary Homicide Reports were used to estimate perpetrator characteristics (sex, age, and relationship to victim) and firearm use in pediatric homicides. Descriptive analyses were stratified by victim age group, sex, race, and five-year time periods.

RESULTS

Family members were the most common perpetrator of infant and toddler (ages 0-4) and child (ages 5-12) homicides, whereas acquaintances accounted for the majority of adolescent (ages 13-19) homicides. Perpetrator characteristics vary across victim sex and race, particularly among adolescents. Despite overall stability, there were changes in perpetrator characteristics from 1976 to 2020. There was a sustained increase in the proportion of homicides committed with a firearm. In 2016-2020, the proportion of firearm-involved homicides was an all-time high for infant and toddler (14.8%), child (53.1%), and adolescent victims (88.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Policy interventions that improve family stability and well-being may be most effective at preventing infant, toddler, and child homicides, whereas programs that target peer and community relationships, as well as policies that focus on firearm access, may be more crucial for preventing adolescent homicides.