"I keep hearing reports on the news that it's a real problem at the moment": Public health nurses' understandings of sexting practices among young people

Developing quality standards for community-based online child sexual exploitation and abuse interventions

BACKGROUND

Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) is also an offline problem. OCSEA continues to overwhelm law enforcement, but limited evidence to support effective prevention strategies signals the need for urgent action. Quality standards offer an approach to support measurable community prevention efforts.

OBJECTIVES

To understand how police, partner agencies, parents and children address OCSEA. Based on co-produced priorities, develop the first quality standards framework and approach aimed at preventing OCSEA offline, within local communities.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Researchers engaged with over sixty people in one English Local Authority, including children (6-18 years old), parents, social workers, police, educators, council staff, youth workers, and health professionals.

METHODS

The study employed a locality-based mixed-methods design. A rapid appraisal of local policy and practice was conducted through desk research and an analysis of police case files (N = 185), in addition to interviews (n = 18), focus groups (n = 11), and observations (n = 2). Co-production workshops created priorities which formed the foundation for quality standards.

RESULTS

A whole system approach empowers communities to take charge of a problem that cannot be addressed in isolation by police or online services. Inconsistent responses and OCSEA committed by children present a significant challenge to practitioners, children and parents. The voice of children and parents needs strengthening. Eleven response priorities and six quality standards were co-produced.

CONCLUSIONS

This work presents novel research into the development of quality standards to prevent and address OCSEA. It provides a blueprint for possible transfer and adaptation to other localities both within and beyond the UK.

Measuring technology-facilitated sexual violence and abuse: a scoping review protocol of existing measurements

INTRODUCTION

Technology-facilitated sexual violence and abuse (TFSVA) refers to a range of behaviours in which digital technologies are used to facilitate both virtual and face-to-face sexual harm. The proliferation of smartphone usage and increasing internet penetration rates across the world have made it easier for individuals to become perpetrators and victims of TFSVA. Since empirical studies of TFSVA remain limited in the academic arena, and there is an absence of evidence to support the development of a standardised TFSVA measurement, this review aims to explore what TFSVA measurements are currently available and their potential use in measuring TFSVA.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This scoping review will be structured according to the Joanna Briggs Institute recommended framework. Keywords related to 'technology', 'sexual violence' and 'measure' will be used. Any paper related to measurements of TFSVA will be included without limitation to any population or setting. A search will be conducted from database inception until May 2024 for published literature in English and Chinese electronic databases, which included PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, SinoMed, Index to Taiwan Periodical Literature and Ariti Library. Screening and study selection will be conducted by two independent reviewers. Data will be extracted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist. The PAGER (Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice and Research recommendations) Framework will be used to report the findings.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Since the scoping review methodology consists of reviewing and collecting data from publicly available materials, this study does not require ethics approval. This scoping review has the potential to serve as the most appropriate way to explore existing evidence related to this emerging phenomenon. The results of this review are expected to highlight various types of TFSVA measurement developed in different settings. Further work is required to develop measurements adapted for specific populations and tested to ensure acceptability and cultural competence. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations.

REVIEW REGISTRATION

The protocol of this review was registered within the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Q5ETW) on 13 March 2024.

Co-design of an intervention to optimize mammographic screening participation in women with obesity and/or physical disabilities

BACKGROUND

Mammographic breast screening/rescreening rates are suboptimal for women with obesity and/or physical disabilities. This study describes development of an intervention framework targeting obesity- and disability-related barriers to improve participation.

METHODS

Mixed methods combined a systematic review with first-person perspectives to optimise screening engagement among women with obesity and/or physical disabilities. Phase 1 (systematic review) was conducted following the PRISMA framework. Phase 2 involved in-depth interviews with n = 8 women with lived experience of obesity and/or physical disabilities. An inductive coding approach was applied to the data which was then combined with Phase 1 results to develop the intervention framework.

RESULTS

Six studies were included in the systematic review. Tailored education based on individual risk increased willingness to undergo mammographic screening. Recommendations to improve the screening experience included partnerships with consumers, targeted messaging, and enhanced professional development for breast screening staff. Participants also identified strategies to improve the uptake of screening and the experience itself.

CONCLUSION

Development and evaluation of interventions informed by frameworks like the one developed in this study are needed to improve engagement in screening to promote regular participation among women with physical disabilities and/or obesity.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Successful implementation of practice interventions co-designed by women with obesity and/or physical disabilities are likely to improve their breast screening participation. Enhanced training of radiographers aimed at upskilling in empathetic communication around required manoeuvring and potentially longer screening times for clients with obesity and/or physical disabilities may encourage more positive client practitioner interactions. Client information aimed at women with obesity should include information on how to prepare for the appointment and explain there may be equipment limitations compromising imaging which may not be completed at an initial appointment.

Identification and responses by nurses to sexual exploitation of young people

BACKGROUND

Nurses are uniquely positioned to identify and respond to the sexual exploitation of young people. They treat sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies, and mental health issues, often collaborating with social services and law enforcement to safeguard young people.

AIM

This narrative review explores the pivotal role of nurses in identifying and responding to sexual exploitation among young people.

METHODS

Empirical evidence from 1997 to 2021 was examined through a comprehensive search of databases such as CINAHL-EBSCO, ASSIA, PubMed (including Medline), and manual screening of abstracts. The PRISMA guideline was applied. Thematic analysis of 12 selected studies revealed three overarching themes.

FINDINGS

The themes identified were the influence of technology on the sexual exploitation of young people, identification and response to sexual exploitation in both clinical and non-clinical settings, and organisational support.

CONCLUSION

These findings shed light on sexual exploitation and underscore the significance of a person-centred approach to nursing care that addresses the health and social impacts of sexual exploitation. It emphasises the importance of interagency collaboration and appropriate clinical interventions to effectively support young people at risk. Increased professional development, support, and supervision for nurses are relevant to identifying, responding to, and preventing the sexual exploitation of young people.

A debate about risk, violence, and gender: a review of health production on sexting among young people

This is a systematic review of the health production on sexting between 2009 and 2019. The scientific production was analyzed regarding its context (gender of the first author, publication year, and country of realization), publication type, knowledge field, themes, subjects addressed, and their conception about sexting. The 147 works on sexting as a central theme retrieved from PubMed were analyzed during the second semester of 2019. The search was done on the term of sexting. A descriptive statistical, interpretive analysis was carried out to assess the approach to risk, violence, and gender in these publications. Most first authors of these publications were female, and most manuscripts were published in the U.S. between 2017 and 2019 and adopted a quantitative approach (approximately 65%). Almost half of the productions' central theme was the prevalence of sexting or risky behavior among adolescents. The vast majority also attributed risky behavior to sexting somehow, from which violence can be inferred (70%). A negligible part of publications employed a gender approach (less than 15%). The health productions have insufficiently analyzed sexting by not distinguishing healthy from violent practices.