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Use of psychological care services in young people from the juvenile justice and protection system: An exploratory study Abstract: The objective was to identify the factors associated (i.e., demographic and clinical) with the use of mental health services in adolescents involved in the juvenile protection and justice system in Catalonia, Spain. The sample consisted of 227 adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years. Apart from gathering sociodemographic and treatment information the Youth Self Report was administered to assess psychopathological symptoms. The results showed that 54.2% of participants indicated that they were receiving psychological care. The regression analysis indicated that being younger, being involved in the protection system and presenting higher levels of transgressive behaviors predicted greater use of mental health services. There was no association with any of the internalizing problems. Since referral is the initial step towards using the mental health service, it is important that professionals receive the necessary training to carefully assess the young people under their care and refer them to the correspondent health services. Keywords: Adolescence; service use; juvenile justice; child protection; psychopathology. Resumen: El objetivo fue identificar los factores asociados (i.e, demográficos y clínicos) con el uso de servicios de atención psicológica en adolescentes atendidos por el sistema de protección y justicia juvenil en Cataluña, España. Participaron 227 adolescentes, de 12 a 17 años. Además de obtener datos sociodemográficos y sobre la atención psicológica, se administró el Youth Self Report para evaluar la sintomatología psicopatológica. Un 54.2 % de los adolescentes indicó estar recibiendo atención psicológica. El análisis de regresión indicó que ser más joven, estar en el sistema de protección y presentar niveles superiores de conductas trasgresoras predijeron un mayor uso de servicios de atención psicológica. No hubo asociación con ninguno de los problemas de internalización. Dado que la derivación es el paso inicial para la utilización del servicio de salud mental, es importante que los trabajadores reciban la capacitación necesaria para evaluar cuidadosamente y derivar a los jóvenes bajo su cuidado a los servicios de salud necesarios. Palabras clave: Adolescencia; uso de servicio; justicia juvenil; protección infantil; psicopatología.

Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a severe type of victimization that implies prolonged and devastating traumatization. However, some research suggests that CSA survivors can also experience personal and deep transformation in the aftermath of struggling with the pain and distress derived from the abuse experience, referred to as posttraumatic growth (PTG). This change in terms of beliefs, attitudes and values is self-perceived and improves subjective well-being. The aim of this scoping review is to compile studies about PTG experienced by CSA survivors, offering a wide overview of the main methodologies and findings, and identifying areas for further research on this topic. Method: The review will follow the PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and the five-step process described by Arksey and O’Malley. The databases selected for the search were: Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, Medline and ProQuest Social Science. Only peer-review studies will be considered for this review, covering qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Studies about PTG in adult CSA survivors will be included in the review. Screening of the studies will be performed independently by two researchers, reading titles and abstracts from all potentially relevant studies. Any possible conflict will be resolved by a third reviewer before the full-text review. After that, two reviewers will complete the data extraction with a tailored data extraction tool. Descriptive and narrative analysis will be performed to show the results of the scoping review. Discussion: Ethical approval is not required. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed article and conference presentations.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors can experience psychological changes and growth as a consequence of their victimization experience, known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dimensionality, reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory - Short Form (PTGI-SF) (TedeschiCalhoun, 1996) in a sample of 104 adult survivors of CSA.Different models of PTGI-SF validated in different languages and samples were tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis.The results showed that the original five-factor model exhibited the best goodness of fit. Internal consistency was adequate for the general scale, and acceptable for the five different factors. Furthermore, positive correlations were found between the PTGI-SF total score and psychosocial and mental health problems, as well as gender differences, with women tending to report more PTG than men.These results suggest that the Spanish PTGI-SF is a brief, reliable, valid self-report measure for assessing PTG experienced by CSA survivors.

espanolEl presente estudio descriptivo muestra la valoracion que los psicologos forenses espanoles (N = 64), otorgan a los criterios propuestos en la literatura cientifica para valorar casos de solicitud de traslado de menores tras la ruptura de los progenitores. Los resultados muestran que los profesionales otorgaron una alta importancia a los criterios de evaluacion propuestos, situandose en posiciones inferiores criterios relacionados con aspectos de infraestructura y organizacion familiar, economicos y culturales. Respecto al asesoramiento tecnico sobre la conveniencia o inconveniencia del traslado, se aprecia que en pocas ocasiones los profesionales informan de forma favorable al cambio de residencia, mostrando una inclinacion por el mantenimiento del statu quo. EnglishThis descriptive study analyzes Spanish forensic psychologists’ (N = 64) rating of criteria proposed in the scientific literature to assess relocation cases after parents’ separation. Our results showed that forensic psychologists gave a high importance to evaluation criteria suggested, giving a lower ranking to criteria related to infrastructural, economic, and cultural aspects. Regarding the technical advice on the convenience or inconvenience of the relocation, it is observed that professionals reported favorably to the change of residence only in few occasions, showing a trend to maintain the statu quo.

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and severity of teen dating violence victimization in Spanish adolescents from both community and at-risk samples. The sample comprised 1,105 community adolescents from secondary schools, 149 adolescents from child, and adolescent mental health centers, 129 from residential care centers associated with the child welfare system, and 101 from centers in the juvenile justice system. The participants, aged between 14 and 17 years, were interviewed using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. The lifetime prevalence of victimization in dating relationships ranged from 2.5% to 33.7%. The prevalence of physical victimization was slightly higher in boys, while sexual and electronic victimization and injuries were more prevalent in girls. In conclusion, teen dating violence is a prevalent problem in Spain that needs to be addressed to prevent adolescents from developing risk behaviors and to avoid adverse consequences on mental health, especially in at-risk adolescents.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (CSECA) is a worldwide problem. The need to improve current detection and intervention protocols motivated this analysis, which aimed to use expert opinion to identify indicators (symptoms, conduct, or behaviors) that may help to predict the risk of suffering CSECA and to detect those who are suffering from it, as well as the type of detection tools and protocols that should be used.An international multidisciplinary group of experts in CSECA was invited to take part in this study. A two-round digital Delphi panel was undertaken with 22 experts. An ad hoc questionnaire was created, which included 41 questions about CSECA risk factors and interventions that should be considered during detection.The main indicators identified included normalization of dynamics of sexual exchange within the family, family history of sexual exploitation, and sexually transmitted infections. Predictive characteristics included economic extortion, lack of documentation, and family estrangement. Additionally, 95.5% of participants agreed that multiple victimizations in childhood should be considered for CSECA detection.This study provides information that may be very useful in the development/improvement of instruments for CSECA detection. With this approach we hope to promote the creation of tools adapted to the Spanish cultural context.

The stay-at-home restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19 led to unparalleled sudden change in daily life, but it is unclear how they affected urban crime globally. We collected data on daily counts of crime in 27 cities across 23 countries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. We conducted interrupted time series analyses to assess the impact of stay-at-home restrictions on different types of crime in each city. Our findings show that the stay-at-home policies were associated with a considerable drop in urban crime, but with substantial variation across cities and types of crime. Meta-regression results showed that more stringent restrictions over movement in public space were predictive of larger declines in crime., The implementation of COVID-19 stay-at-home policies was associated with a considerable drop in urban crime in 27 cities across 23 countries. More stringent restrictions over movement in public space were predictive of larger declines in crime.

espanolLa explotacion sexual comercial infantil y adolescente (ESCIA) es un problema especialmente frecuente en ninos, ninas y adolescentes con medidas juridicas de proteccion. Esta forma de victimizacion sexual, que recoge otras multiples formas de violencia, no solo esta presente en paises en vias de desarrollo. En Espana, unicamente contamos con los datos obtenidos por la Comision de Expertos de Mallorca en 2020. Se presentan las respuestas de 67 adolescentes, entre 13 y 18 anos, en centros residenciales del sistema de proteccion, sobre sus conocimientos y experiencias respecto a la ESCIA. Los resultados indican que se trata de un problema conocido y ante el cual demandan mas educacion y proteccion. Aluden a motivos diversos para implicarse en el, pero todos ellos pueden situarse dentro de la piramide del sexo por supervivencia. El uso de las TIC aparece como un importante factor de riesgo a tener en cuenta en programas de prevencion. EnglishCommercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a problem that is highly prevalent in children and adolescents under legal protection. However, this form of sexual victimization, which includes multiple other forms of violence, is not only present in developing countries. In Spain we only have the data obtained by the Expert Commission from Mallorca in 2020. The responses of a sample of 67 adolescents between 13 and 18 years old from residential centers in Mallorca about their knowledge and experiences regarding CSEC are presented. The results indicate that CSEC is a known problem. These adolescents also demand more education and protection. They allude to various reasons for engaging in this type of behavior, although all of them can be placed in the pyramid of survival sex. The use of ICT appears as an important risk factor to take into account in prevention programs.

Schools are in a position to connect children and adolescents suspected of being victims of violence with an external source of support by making referrals to external agencies. However, several studies have identified obstacles that hinder early reporting among school staff members. Very few studies have applied a mixed-method approach to try to understand this sensitive issue. The current study used this approach to analyze to what extent the students suspected of being victimized match the ones reported by active school staff members in Spain ( n = 453, 83.5% females, age: M = 42.23, SD = 9.46). We classified the reasons given for not reporting the potential victimization cases encountered and made comparisons to determine whether there were differences in the level of knowledge, or in the sociodemographic characteristics, of respondents who gave different reasons for not reporting. Although 73.5% of school staff members had detected at least one potential case, 40.8% of them referred it to an external agency. The most common reasons for lack of reporting included deciding not to do so once concerns had been shared within the school and believing that one must be certain or that only serious violence should be reported. The findings of this study may help to further understand the decisions not to report certain suspicions of potential victimization cases to external agencies by school staff. There is an urgent need to raise awareness about the duty to report these concerns to external agencies, even in the absence of agreement from the school management team. Members of school staff need to be strongly encouraged to become familiar with the existing protocols.

Research interest in trauma as a possible cause of growth has increased in recent decades. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) is widely used to measure growth after traumatic events. The present study aimed at validating the Spanish version of the PTGI in a sample of 243 young adults (age range from 18 to 35 years old, M = 21 years, SD = 2.5) who experienced interpersonal victimization during their childhood and/or adolescence. Preliminary analyses showed acceptable reliability for the PTGI subscales (Cronbach’s α ranging from .61 to .89). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure that included «new perception of life», «relating to others», «personal strength», and «spiritual change». All types of victimization correlated significantly with PTGI scores. These findings provide support for the factorial validity of the PTGI and the use of the PTGI in future research examining posttraumatic growth among Spanish victims of interpersonal violence in childhood. Keywords : Victimization; Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; trauma; growth. Estructura factorial del Inventario de Crecimiento Post-traumatico en una muestra espanola de victimas adultas de violencia interpersonal durante la infancia Resumen : El interes cientifico en el trauma como posible fuente de crecimiento ha aumentado en las ultimas decadas, siendo el Inventario de Crecimiento Post-traumatico (PTGI) uno de los instrumentos mas usados para medirlo. El estudio pretende validar la version en castellano del PTGI en una muestra de 243 adultos jovenes (entre 18 y 35 anos, M = 21 anos, DT = 2.5), victimas de violencia en la infancia y/o adolescencia. Los analisis mostraron una fiabilidad aceptable para todas las subescalas (α =.61- .89). El analisis factorial exploratorio revelo una estructura de cuatro factores: «nueva percepcion de la vida», «relacion con los demas», «fuerza personal» y «cambio espiritual». Todos los tipos de victimizacion correlacionaron significativamente con las puntuaciones del PTGI. Los resultados aportan evidencia sobre la validez de la estructura interna del PTGI y el uso del PTGI en futuras investigaciones que examinen el crecimiento post-traumatico en victimas espanolas de violencia interpersonal durante la infancia. Palabras clave : Victimizacion; inventario de crecimiento post-traumatico; trauma; crecimiento.

Esta investigación describe las características de un grupo de 21 víctimas de abuso sexual por un representante de la Iglesia Católica en Chile. Se evaluaron las características de la victimización sexual y del victimario, la revelación, notificación y la vivencia de otras formas de victimización por personas no pertenecientes al clero. Los resultados muestran que los abusos se iniciaron en la pubertad, incluyeron contacto físico, fueron cometidos por varones, sacerdotes o párrocos, y fueron revelados por las víctimas en la edad adulta, notificando habitualmente a la propia Iglesia. La mayoría de víctimas también sufrieron malos tratos por parte de sus padres o cuidadores principales y abusos sexuales por parte de otras personas, lo que las convierte en polivíctimas y subraya la gravedad de estos casos.

Highlights • We tested the effect of knowledge in detecting and reporting victimization cases from school. • School staff with more years of experience were more likely to detect potential victimization cases. • Knowing that a report can be made without the principal’s consent predicted reporting behavior. • Hours per day spent in contact with children increased the likelihood of reporting. • Training and interventions should focus on these aspects to increase early reporting., Knowledge of child victimization among school staff is believed to affect the detection and reporting of potential cases in the school environment, but the current evidence is scarce and contradictory. We assessed the link between knowledge of victimization and other relevant reporter characteristics in detecting and reporting children suspected to be victims of violence in a sample of 184 school staff members from Spain (84.02% females, M = 43.40, SD = 10.37). We compared participants who had never detected nor reported any cases (i.e., non-detectors) with participants who had detected but not reported outside school (i.e., inconsistent reporters) and participants who had detected and reported at least one potential case (i.e., consistent reporters). Knowledge about the reporting procedures varied significantly across groups. Years of experience was the only variable to significantly predict having detected at least one case across job experience. Knowing whether a report can be made anonymously or without the principal’s consent was significant to predict the likelihood of being a consistent reporter, along with hours spent daily in contact with students. Trainings for school staff should be aware of what specific aspects of knowledge tend to increase detection and reporting. Interventions should include more specific guidelines and ways of recreating experience (e.g., role-playing, virtual scenarios) as an effective strategy to respond to cases of potential victimization encountered at school.

Victimization has been widely demonstrated to have negative consequences in minors. Most crimes against children go unreported and victims tend to reach adulthood without receiving any of the available specialized support. Studies have highlighted the unique role of school workers in early detection and reporting of possible cases of victimization, and have also found high rates of underreporting by school staff. The present study analyzes the underreporting of child and youth victimization suspicions among school staff and aims to identify variables related to its detection and reporting. One hundred and eighty-four school staff members (83.7% females, M = 42.6 years old, SD = 11.7) from 17 different schools completed a self-administered questionnaire designed to record their knowledge and experience regarding the detection and reporting of potential victimization cases. Over 74% of the school workers had suspected at least one situation of victimization during their careers, but only 27% had actually reported these concerns. Higher rates of reporting were significantly associated with male gender, more years of experience, and awareness of five common misconceptions. Reporting behavior could be predicted by gender, years of experience and two statements assessing respondents’ knowledge of victimization. In order to increase early reporting of possible cases of victimization, it is necessary to overcome certain misconceptions, raise awareness among school staff, design new training programs or interventions, and adapt the school dynamics in the light of these findings.

Resumen El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar la relevancia de las reacciones sociales ante la revelación de abuso sexual infantil en el bienestar psicológico de 12 mujeres (M = 37 años; DT = 10.51), usuarias de un centro español de atención a víctimas. Los resultados muestran relaciones significativas entre las escalas de reacciones sociales relativas a egocentrismo, ayuda e información, distracción, control, tratar diferente y apoyo emocional y la mayoría de síntomas psicopatológicos. Algunas de estas reacciones son confusas, ambivalentes, puesto que son entendidas como bienintencionadas tanto por la persona de apoyo como por la víctima, si bien tienen una importante relación con la presencia de síntomas psicopatológicos. Se subraya la necesidad de continuar con la investigación sobre la influencia de las reacciones sociales en el ajuste psicosocial de las víctimas de experiencias abusivas y de abordar la problemática del abuso sexual infantil desde la prevención y la educación a las familias.

Previous research has demonstrated a significant relationship between victimization and involvement in delinquency, but few studies have focused on exploring the effects of victimization on young offenders. This study analyzed the relationship between accumulated experiences of victimization, or polyvictimization, and the presence of psychopathology in 100 Spanish offenders (81% males) aged 14 to 17 years ( M = 16.08, SD = 0.99). By means of cluster analysis, three groups of polyvictimized and two groups of less victimized offenders were identified. After controlling for demographic and criminal characteristics, polyvictims were more likely to reach a clinical level ( T ≥ 65) of externalizing behavior (odds ratio [OR] = 3.136) and general impairment (OR = 2.878) than the remaining adolescents. These results showed that assessing multiple and less common forms of victimization is an important task when evaluating adolescent offenders, as polyvictimization is highly prevalent and places young people at a high risk of psychological impairment.

espanolSe ha constatado que la violencia contra los ninos, ninas y adolescentes es un fenomeno frecuente en todas las culturas y sociedades, que afecta a entre el 83 y el 91% de los menores espanoles. Desde la victimologia del desarrollo se ha demostrado que la violencia interpersonal rara vez es un suceso aislado, sino que ninos, ninas y adolescentes tienden a experimentar mas de un tipo de victimizacion a lo largo de su vida, lo que ha recibido el nombre de polivictimizacion. El objetivo de esta revision es acercar a los profesionales aquellos trabajos que demuestran la frecuencia de este fenomeno, su relacion con la presencia de efectos adversos en el desarrollo, y la forma mas plausible y adecuada de medirlo con el fin de identificar a aquellos menores que requieren de una cuidada atencion y proteccion, dada su extrema vulnerabilidad EnglishIt has been confirmed that violence against children and adolescents is a frequent phenomenon in all cultures and societies, affecting between 83 and 91% of Spanish minors. Developmental victimology has shown that interpersonal violence is rarely an isolated event, but rather children and adolescents tend to experience more than one type of victimization throughout their lives, which has been termed poly-victimization. The objective of this review is to bring professionals closer to the works that demonstrate the frequency of this phenomenon, its relationship with the presence of adverse effects on development, and the most plausible and appropriate way to measure it in order to identify those minors who require careful intervention and protection, given their extreme vulnerability

Objetivo: Conocer la extensión de la victimización sexual de menores en cuatro grupos de jóvenes españoles/as a partir de sus propios reportes. Método: Estudio observacional, transversal y multicéntrico. La victimización sexual se evaluó a partir de siete preguntas del Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. Se encuestó a 1105 adolescentes (edad media [M] = 14,52; desviación típica [DT] = 1,76) de siete centros de educación secundaria, 149 adolescentes (M = 14,28; DT = 1,45) de 14 centros de salud mental infantojuvenil, 129 adolescentes (M = 14,59; DT = 1,62) institucionalizados en 18 centros residenciales (78,3%) y de acogida (21,7%) del sistema de protección, y 101 adolescentes (M = 16,08; DT = 0,99) reclutados/as en tres centros cerrados de justicia juvenil (77,2%) y cinco equipos de medio abierto (22,8%). Resultados: La extensión de la victimización sexual oscila entre un 14,7% a lo largo de la vida del total de la muestra comunitaria, un 23,5% en los/las jóvenes atendidos/as en centros de salud mental, un 35,6% de los/las jóvenes involucrados/as en el sistema de justicia juvenil y un 36,4% de los/las menores atendidos/as por el sistema de protección. Existe una mayoría de víctimas de sexo femenino, excepto en menores de justicia juvenil. Conclusiones: La victimización sexual de menores es un problema extendido en nuestro país, que se distribuye de manera diferencial en función del colectivo que se analice.

Aymara Childrens have experienced significant migration process over the past decades, however, few studies have been developed in children belonging to this ethnic group. In this reserch, the objective is to evaluate and compare the coping strategies used by Aymara and not Aymara Children. The sample consisted of 685 boys / girls aged 9 and 15 years of Municipal Schools and Private Schools Funded by the city of Arica.The results show the absence of differences population between Aymara and not Aymara boys and girls, in relation to problems experienced (pχ2>.05), the use of coping strategies used(pt>.05) and the effectiveness of the latter (pt >.05). We can conclude that children, as belonging to the ethnic group, are achieving adequate coping mechanisms in urban contexts.

On observe dans plusieurs pays une forte prévalence des victimisations interpersonnelles chez les enfants et les adolescents. En Espagne, surtout parmi les groupes à risque, les études n’ont pas réussi à obtenir des profils complets de victimisation dans les échantillons provenant de la communauté. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif de l’étude est de présenter des statistiques sur la portée, la nature et les tendances de la victimisation chez des adolescents espagnols patients ambulatoires. L’échantillon est composé de 148 adolescents en soins psychologiques. Un large éventail d’expériences de victimisation ont été évaluées en utilisant le Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. Un pourcentage élevé de participants ont rapporté une certaine forme de victimisation interpersonnelle au cours de l’année précédente (84,5 %), la plus fréquente étant celle dles délits communs (62,8 %). Les filles présentent un pourcentage plus élevé de victimisation en ligne que les garçons (22,1 % et 7,5 %). De plus, la polyvictimisation a été observée chez une proportion importante d’adolescents (29 %). L’identification des polyvictimes en milieu clinique est une nécessité sociale car ces enfants et adolescents ont besoin d’interventions adaptées afin d’aider à prévenir de nouvelles expériences de victimisation et le développement de problèmes psychologiques., The widespread prevalence of interpersonal victimization of children and adolescents has been reported in several countries, thus highlighting the importance of understanding the scope of this problem. In Spain, studies have failed to obtain complete victimization profiles in community samples but especially in at-risk groups. The aim of this study is to present statistics documenting the scope, nature and trends of victimization in Spanish adolescent outpatients. The sample is comprised of 148 adolescents referred to psychological care. Using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, a large spectrum of victimization experiences was assessed. A high percentage of participants reported some kind of interpersonal victimization during the previous year (84.5 %), conventional crimes being the most frequent form (62.8 %). Girls experienced a higher percentage of on-line victimization than boys (22.1 % and 7.5 %, respectively). Also, polyvictimization was detected in a significant group of adolescents (29 %). The identification of polyvictims in clinical settings is socially important because these children and adolescents need tailored interventions in order to help prevent further victimization experiences and the development of psychological problems., Se observa en varios países una fuerte prevalencia de las victimizaciones interpersonales en los niños y los adolescentes. En España, sobre todo entre los grupos de riesgo, los estudios no han logrado obtener perfiles completos de victimización en las muestras provenientes de la comunidad. En dicho contexto, el objetivo del estudio es presentar las estadísticas sobre los alcances, la naturaleza y las tendencias de la victimización en los pacientes ambulatorios adolescentes españoles. La muestra esta compuesta de 148 adolescentes bajo tratamiento psicológico. Un amplio abanico de experiencias de victimización ha sido evaluado utilizando el Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. Un porcentaje elevado de participantes han reportado una cierta forma de victimización interpersonal en el curso del año precedente (84,5 %), siendo la más frecuente aquella de los delitos comunes (62,8 %). Las jóvenes presentan un porcentaje más elevado de victimización en línea que los varones (22,1 % et 7,5 %). Además, la polivictimización ha sido observada en una proporción importante de adolescentes (29 %). La identificación de las polivíctimas en el medio clínico constituye una necesidad social, pues dichos niños y adolescentes necesitan intervenciones adaptadas a fin de ayudar a prevenir nuevas experiencias de victimización y el desarrollo de problemas psicológicos.

The present study examines the internal consistency and factor structure of the Spanish version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the association between the CTQ-SF subscales and parenting style. Cronbach’s α and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed in a female clinical sample ( n = 185). Kendall’s ι correlations were calculated between the maltreatment and parenting scales in a subsample of 109 patients. The Spanish CTQ-SF showed adequate psychometric properties and a good fit of the 5-factor structure. The neglect and abuse scales were negatively associated with parental care and positively associated with overprotection scales. The results of this study provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the Spanish CTQ-SF.

La victimizacion sexual en la infancia es un problema de considerable magnitud, para el que los profesionales no siempre se encuentran adecuadamente preparados. Una correcta evaluacion de estos casos implica considerar indicadores fisicos y psicologicos, relativos al menor victima, asi como los factores de riesgo social, vinculados al entorno familiar. Los hallazgos fisicos son escasos, si bien constituyen una de las pruebas mas objetivas de la experiencia de abuso sexual. Los indicadores conductuales que incluyen la conducta sexualizada y la sintomatologia postraumatica, asi como los indices de veracidad del relato del menor son los principales aspectos psicologicos a evaluar. La existencia de abusos previos en las figuras parentales del menor victima es un factor de riesgo social que debe considerarse. La exploracion del abuso sexual infantil supone un reto para cualquier profesional, que debe afrontarse desde un equipo multidisciplinar con la adecuada formacion y experiencia.

Criterion A2 according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4(th) ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aims to assess the individual's subjective appraisal of an event, but it has been claimed that it might not be sufficiently specific for diagnostic purposes. We analyse the contribution of Criterion A2 and DSM-IV criteria to detect PTSD for the most distressing life events experienced by our subjects. Young adults (N = 1,033) reported their most distressing life events, together with PTSD criteria (Criteria A2, B, C, D, E, and F). PTSD prevalence and criterion specificity and agreement with probable diagnoses were estimated. Our results indicate 80.30% of the individuals experienced traumatic events and met one or more PTSD criteria; 13.22% cases received a positive diagnosis of PTSD. Criterion A2 showed poor agreement with the final probable PTSD diagnosis (correlation with PTSD .13, specificity = .10); excluding it from PTSD diagnosis did not the change the estimated disorder prevalence significantly. Based on these findings it appears that Criterion A2 is scarcely specific and provides little information to confirm a probable PTSD case.

Even though children and young people are targets with a high risk of vulnerability to interpersonal victimization and their negative consequences, research on the psychological impact of terrorism on children has not been a topic of interest in Spain. After the permanent and general cease-fire by the most violent terrorist group in Spain, the present article reviews the literature on children´s victims of terrorism. International literature has shown that the impact of terror is, in most of the cases, and depending on certain variables, not generalized and transient for children. Individual´s resiliency is a factor that should be kept in mind. However, the assistance provided to children from mental health specialists after an attack is scarce and trained professionals in the field of developmental victimology are needed, who be able to recognize the physical, psychological and social adverse effects associated with these experiences for a small but significant group of children.

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to compare the prevalence rates of child sexual abuse reported by [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409–417] with those found in recent publications in order to confirm the widespread prevalence of child sexual abuse. Methods: Relevant articles about prevalence of child sexual abuse were identified through searches of computerized databases and a handsearch of Child Abuse & Neglect and the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. Results: Thirty-eight independent articles were identified, corresponding to 39 prevalence studies; these articles report the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in 21 different countries, ranging from 0 to 53% for women and 0 to 60% for men. Conclusions: Comparison of the present study with that of [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409–417] shows a similarity between prevalence distributions; there appears to be a general pattern that remains more or less constant over the years, especially in women. Practice implications: Twelve years after the first revision study about the international prevalence of child sexual abuse, there is still a need for new data about this topic. The present study shows child sexual abuse is still a widespread problem in the society. In this research, carried out on 38 independent studies, there is new data for 21 countries over the world, being especially relevant the results obtained from other countries different from those pertaining to North America or Europe. It is important to point out the high prevalence found in most of the countries, so this information could be a new warning to make society and governments aware of this problem and undertake actions to prevent sexual abuse in childhood.

Little is known about online victimization of Spanish adolescents. The present study aims to determine the past-year prevalence of online victimization in a community sample of Spanish adolescents. The final sample consisted of 3,897 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old (M=14.45, SD=1.59), 1,836 males and 2,049 females, recruited from 39 secondary schools in the east of Spain. The Cuestionario de victimizacion juvenil mediante internet y/o telefono movil (hereinafter, Juvenile Online Victimization Questionnaire, JOV-Q, Montiel & Carbonell, 2012) was applied for the assessment of eight types of online victimization grouped in two major domains: sexual (sexual coercion, sexual pressure, online grooming by an adult, unwanted exposure to sexual content and violation of privacy); and nonsexual victimization (online harassment, happy slapping, pressure to obtain personal information). Sixty-one percent of adolescents reported online victimization during the last year. Online sexual victimization was reported by 39.5% of adolescents and nonsexual victimization by 53.4% of them, whereas 31% of youth reported having experienced online victimization in both domains. The highest prevalence rates were recorded for online harassment (50%), unwanted exposure to sexual content (24.4%), pressure to obtain personal information (18.4%) and online grooming by an adult (17.2%), and the lowest for sexual coercion (6.7%) and happy slapping (2.2%). Thirty-five percent of the adolescents were considered online polyvictims and most of them experienced victimization in both sexual and nonsexual domains (88%). This study illustrates that Spanish adolescents experience high levels of online victimization and that multiple online victimization appears to be the norm among cybervictims.