Mental health assessment of rape offenders

The impacts of COVID-19 lockdown and post-lockdown on homicide and rape in Bangladesh: A dynamic time series analysis

There are studies on crime trend changes during the pandemic lockdown, but very few on homicide and rape instances afterward. This study investigates how lockdown and post-lockdown pandemic situations affect homicide and rape cases in Bangladesh. Initially, the investigation checked the bidirectional Granger cause between COVID-19 and the trend of crimes (homicide and rape). The study found a unidirectional Granger cause of COVID-19 in crime trend changes. Further, the study used the ordinary least square (OLS) approach to a dynamic model to produce unbiased, consistent, and efficient conclusions for future policy implications. Compared to the crime rates during normal (pre-pandemic) times, this study found that homicides increased substantially (9.5%) during the lockdown and declined marginally (3.0%) afterward. The rate of rapes dropped considerably (34.3%) during the lockdown, but it rebounded significantly (13.9%) during the post-lockdown pandemic period. This study suggests further investigations of the causes of increased rape cases during the post-lockdown pandemic period in the country.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Aggression, Empathy, and Psychopathology in Adult Males Accused of Rape

BACKGROUND

Investigating the underlying psychosocial factors is a cornerstone of planning need-based intervention for adult males accused of rape. Unresolved debates on its etiology, mediation, or interaction among causal psychosocial variables fuel curiosity to scrutinize it further. Hence, we studied potential influence of and relation between adverse childhood experiences, aggression, empathy, and psychopathology in adult males accused of rape in India and investigated the risk factors for the same.

METHODS

With a correlational research design, 40 literate and consenting adult males medically confirmed for rape were recruited using convenient sampling. The assessment was done on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Aggression Questionnaire, Symptom Checklist-90, and Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation, and stepwise linear regression analysis were calculated.

RESULTS

Approximately 75% of the participants experienced at least one category of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Scores above cut-off points were obtained on anger, hostility, fantasy, and personal distress. Significant correlations were obtained between adverse childhood experiences and psychopathology; between hostility and psychopathology, perspective taking, and personal distress; and in case of indirect aggression, with perspective taking and empathetic concerns. Regression analysis revealed that an increase in Symptom Checklist-90 global scores increases hostility and that lower personal distress predicts higher scores on hostility on Aggression Questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS

Adverse childhood experiences, aggression, and psychopathology play a critical role and, therefore, should be included as core components of the prevention of rape or relapse prevention programs at the community level.

Sexual coercion at sexual debut and associated factors among young females in rural areas of Boset District, Eastern Ethiopia: a mixed method study

Objectives

Assess the prevalence and associated factors of sexual coercion at sexual debut among young females in rural areas of Boset district, Oromia Region, Eastern Ethiopia.

Methods

Cross-sectional community based study design was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. A sample of 632 young females aged 10-24 years was taken from six rural Kebeles by systematic random sampling for quantitative and data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Principally Binary Logistic regression model was fitted. Moreover, eight focus group discussions targeting different groups were held andanalyzed thematically.

Results

The prevalence of sexual coercion at sexual debut was 36.5% (95%CI: 34.6%-38.4%) among sexually active respondents. Married young female (AOR, 0.71; 95%CI: 0.42, 0.81), living away from their parents (AOR, 5.07; 95%CI: 1.07,24.01), age group of 15- 19 years (AOR, 0.19; 95%CI: 0. 06, 0.54), alcohol consumption (AOR, 2.44; 95%CI: 1.17, 5.08) and Khat chewing (AOR, 8.30; 95%CI: 1.89, 36.38) were factors predicting the likelihood of having sexual coercion at sexual debut.

Conclusion

Sexual coercion at sexual debut is a major public health problem among young females in the study community. The emerging program interventions need to take this problem into consideration.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing as a therapy for rape victims: A case series

A case series was conducted on three rape victims who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) was employed to reduce their risk of suicide or suicidal ideations. EMDR can be an effective treatment to reduce the level of suicidal ideation in rape victims.