Speaking With and Without Words-An Analysis of Foster Children's Expressions and Behaviors That Are Suggestive of Prior Sexual Abuse

Facilitating Children's Informal Disclosures of Sexual Abuse: The Role of Online Counsellors at a National Children's Helpline

The literature on disclosures of child sexual abuse makes clear that in the absence of physical indicators of abuse, children need to articulate their abuse in order to prevent further harm. However, many struggle to verbalize their abuse. Previous research has recognized the interactional nature of disclosures but has focussed only on what the children say, rather than considering the role of the other interlocutor. To provide a novel perspective on disclosures, this research addresses the question 'To what extent do counselors facilitate children's disclosures of sexual abuse?' Online text-based conversations in which sexual abuse was disclosed (n = 40) between children (aged 10-18 years old) and Childline counselors were analyzed. Whilst some children do use explicit terms to describe sexual abuse, these are predominantly used to seek definitions and clarification. Furthermore, counselors play an instrumental role in recognizing that a disclosure is being made, and then eliciting and reframing the disclosure as sexual abuse. The findings offer an explanation for why some victims of sexual abuse report having attempted to disclose but feeling like their voices were not heard.

Research Participation of Minor Adolescents in Foster Care

STUDY OBJECTIVE

In this study we evaluated published studies about foster care to: (1) determine the types of data used; (2) describe the degree to which a sexual/reproductive health topic was addressed; and (3) describe the consent process.

DESIGN

Analysis of published literature.

SETTING

PubMed was searched using "foster care" for English articles published between January 1, 2017 and September 4, 2019.

PARTICIPANTS

None.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Articles were coded into 4 data source categories: primary, secondary, peripheral, or perspective data. Articles with a primary data source were coded for participant ages: only 9 years old and younger, 10- to 17-year-olds (minor adolescents), and only 18 years old and older. Articles using a secondary data source were coded for the source of the data registry. All articles were coded for presence of a sexual/reproductive health outcome. The primary data articles that included minor adolescents were coded for the study topic and consent process.

RESULTS

Of the 176 articles about foster care, 72/176 (41%) used primary data, 53/176 (30%) used secondary data, and 51/176 (29%) used peripheral/perspective data. Forty-eight of the primary data articles included minor adolescents. Secondary data sources included few national research surveys. Sexual/reproductive health outcomes were measured in 17 articles, 4 of which used primary data. The consent process for minor adolescents varied and had no consistent pattern across studies.

CONCLUSION

Research on best practices for consent processes and use of registries could be developed to increase research on sexual/reproductive health outcomes among adolescents in foster care.

Do Foster Parents and Care Workers Recognize the Needs of Youth in Family Foster Care with a History of Sexual Abuse?

Children in family foster care have the right to participate in decisions regarding their life, however, adults often advocate on behalf of children. This Q methodological study explored whether shared perspectives among foster parents and care workers resemble shared perspectives of youth regarding the psychosocial needs experienced by youth with a history of sexual abuse. Participants sorted a set of statement cards according to what they thought was most important for youth. By-person factor analyses examined how the Q sorts of foster parents and care workers related to those of youth. The results showed that foster parents mostly recognized the group of youth who value an instrumental relationship with their carers, while care workers mostly recognized the group of youth who value support of both foster and birth parents with regard to their preparation for independent living. The two youth groups characterized by ambivalence and autonomy were barely recognized. Results are discussed in light of the expected roles of foster parents and care workers, and youth's contact with birth parents. Lastly, this study highlights the importance of youth participation, because youth offer unique and varying perspectives about their needs.