RESUMEN
Violence against children (VAC) is a global issue due to its biological, psychological, and social effects. Research in this field is valuable for understanding unknown aspects of VAC and for defining updated intervention strategies. Until now, there have been no clear indications about the possible effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on VAC. In this study, the authors compared quantitative and qualitative variables of pre-pandemic and pandemic cases evaluated at an Italian center specialized in VAC. The aims were to determine if the cases referred for VAC changed during the pandemic and if there were statistically significant differences in variables' distributions between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The referrals during the first 13 months of the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were compared to cases referred over 13 months (2018-2019) to the same center. The analysis showed no statistical differences between age distributions and most qualitative variables. A decrease in the number of cases was observed. The comparison of frequency distributions of most variables between pre and post-pandemic samples did not differ. The most important result of the analysis is that the volume of observed VAC cases decreased during the pandemic period, confirming the indications of the scientific literature. It could not be excluded that the decrease was due to the negative impact of the pandemic on the child protection system. The above data could help develop innovative prevention tools and corrective intervention programs for future emergencies.
RESUMEN
The literature on child sexual abuse (CSA) perpetrated by female sexual offenders (FSOs) is exiguous, and many studies have focused on judicial databases. The present retrospective study, instead, analyzed clinical and judicial data of a group of both victims and alleged FSOs, to additionally include women who have not been convicted by the criminal justice system, but who hold strong clinical suspicions of being perpetrators of CSA. The medical records and the Court files of 11 children and their eight suspected FSOs have been collected and critically reviewed in light of the literature to date. This approach allowed for a deeper understanding of the relationship between child and FSO. The authors hypothesize that the victims' severe psychopathological outcomes were a result of a failure to develop appropriate attachments with their prospective caregivers, which could have been damaged by the pathological relationship with FSOs, who were the victims' caregivers.
Asunto(s)
Abuso Sexual Infantil/diagnóstico , Abuso Sexual Infantil/estadística & datos numéricos , Criminales/estadística & datos numéricos , Anciano , Canal Anal/patología , Niño , Trastornos de la Conducta Infantil/etiología , Preescolar , Víctimas de Crimen/psicología , Víctimas de Crimen/estadística & datos numéricos , Criminales/psicología , Eritema/patología , Femenino , Genitales Femeninos/patología , Genitales Masculinos/patología , Humanos , Italia/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
The "Blue Whale Challenge" is a dangerous Internet phenomenon. As per media reports, it involves a series of life-threatening tasks imposed by a "curator" to "players," who must fulfill the whole list, and it ends with the suicide of the player. The authors report the data of five suspected cases of "Blue Whales" managed from January 2016 to December 2017 by the staff of a unit (the "Bambi Unit" of the Pediatric Hospital "Regina Margherita" of Turin, Italy) that is dedicated to the evaluation of suspected abused children. Then, they analyzed this data in the light of the literature regarding self-harm. This comparison highlights the role of the Internet in the spreading of self-harm behavior among vulnerable adolescents who are characterized by epidemiological, psychological, psychiatric, social, and cultural risk factors. In conclusion, the authors suggest a multidisciplinary and specialized approach in the evaluation of adolescents who committed self-harm activities.