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Arponen I, Korkman J, Antfolk J, Korjamo R. Factors related to rape victims’ decision to file police reports. Nordic Psychology 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/19012276.2023.2175230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Arponen
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Julia Korkman
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Jan Antfolk
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Riina Korjamo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Skrifvars J, Sui V, Antfolk J, van Veldhuizen T, Korkman J. Psychological assumptions underlying credibility assessments in Finnish asylum determinations. Nordic Psychology 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/19012276.2022.2145986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Skrifvars
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Veronica Sui
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Jan Antfolk
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Tanja van Veldhuizen
- Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Free University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Julia Korkman
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
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Skrifvars J, Antfolk J, Veldhuizen T, Sui V, Korkman J. Eliciting information in official Finnish asylum interviews. Applied Cognitive Psychology 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Skrifvars
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland
| | - Jan Antfolk
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland
| | - Tanja Veldhuizen
- Department of Criminal Law and Criminology Free University Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Veronica Sui
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland
| | - Julia Korkman
- The Faculty of Humanities, Psychology and Theology Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland
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Lahtinen HM, Laitila A, Korkman J, Ellonen N, Honkalampi K. Children's Disclosures of Physical Abuse in a Population-Based Sample. J Interpers Violence 2022; 37:2011-2036. [PMID: 32627654 DOI: 10.1177/0886260520934443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have explored the disclosure of child physical abuse although child sexual abuse disclosure has been widely studied and debated for years. The present study explores the characteristics of child physical abuse disclosures and compares them to previously published findings on child sexual abuse disclosure from the same data. The data consist of a representative sample of 11,364 sixth and ninth graders. Participants responded to a wide variety of questions concerning experiences of violence, including child physical abuse and child sexual abuse, in the Finnish Child Victim Survey conducted in 2013. Within this sample, the prevalence of child physical abuse was 4.1%. Children reporting abuse experiences also responded to questions regarding disclosure, reactions encountered during disclosure, and potential reasons for nondisclosure. Findings show that most of the children who disclosed physical violence had disclosed to their mother. The overall disclosure rate of child physical abuse was 74%. However, only 42% had disclosed to adults, and even fewer had reported their experiences to authorities (12%). The most common reason for nondisclosure was that the youth did not consider the experience sufficiently serious to report (53%). These findings were largely in line with the child sexual abuse disclosure rates in our previous study. Analyses of variables associated with disclosing to an adult indicate that the strongest factors predicting disclosure to an adult are younger age, female gender, no previous experiences of child physical abuse, and parents knowing who their child spends her or his spare time with. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.
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Norja R, Karlsson L, Antfolk J, Nyman T, Korkman J. How old was she? The accuracy of assessing the age of adolescents’ based on photos. Nordic Psychology 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/19012276.2021.1887752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roosa Norja
- Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Linda Karlsson
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Jan Antfolk
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Thomas Nyman
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Julia Korkman
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Forensic Psychology Center for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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Magnusson M, Ernberg E, Landström S, Joleby M, Akehurst L, Korkman J, Ask K. The effects of drawing on preschoolers' statements about experienced and non‐experienced events. Appl Cognit Psychol 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emelie Ernberg
- Department of Psychology University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Sara Landström
- Department of Psychology University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Malin Joleby
- Department of Psychology University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Lucy Akehurst
- Department of Psychology University of Portsmouth Portsmouth UK
| | - Julia Korkman
- Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland
- Forensic Psychology Center for Children and Adolescents Helsinki University Hospital Helsinki Finland
| | - Karl Ask
- Department of Psychology University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
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Nyman TJ, Antfolk J, Lampinen JM, Korkman J, Santtila P. Line-Up Image Position in Simultaneous and Sequential Line-Ups: The Effects of Age and Viewing Distance on Selection Patterns. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1349. [PMID: 32714240 PMCID: PMC7342269 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is known that children and older adults produce more false alarms in target absent line-ups and that weaker facial encoding increases choosing bias. However, there has been no investigation of how age or facial encoding strength impacts line-up position selections in either sequential or simultaneous line-ups. In the present study, we presented participants with four live targets (one by one) while manipulating sequential and simultaneous line-ups between participants and target present and target absent line-ups within participants. In order to investigate facial encoding strength, we presented the targets at distances between 5 and 110 m. Our main hypotheses were that children due to deficits with inhibition would be more biased toward indiscriminate selections in the first position of sequential line-ups compared with subsequent line-up positions and that first position selections would increase for all age groups as facial encoding became weaker. In simultaneous line-ups, we expected to find a top row bias. In our sample (N = 1,588 participants; 6–77 years), we found that younger children (6–11 years) and the oldest adults (60–77 years) showed a first position bias in sequential line-ups, and as facial encoding became weaker, all age groups (6–11, 12–17, 18–44, 45–59, and 60–77 years) showed an increased tendency to make first position selections. We also found a weak top row preference in simultaneous line-ups, which was moderated by age and increased distance. The main finding is that the results suggest that younger children and the oldest adults had a tendency toward a first position selection bias in sequential line-ups. Based on the combined results, we recommend caution when using sequential line-ups with younger children or older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Nyman
- Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.,Faculty of Arts and Sciences, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jan Antfolk
- Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - James Michael Lampinen
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Julia Korkman
- Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Pekka Santtila
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
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Abstract
Increased distance between an eyewitness and a culprit decreases the accuracy of eyewitness identifications, but the maximum distance at which reliable observations can still be made is unknown. Our aim was to identify this threshold. We hypothesized that increased distance would decrease identification, rejection accuracy, confidence and would increase response time. We expected an interaction effect, where increased distance would more negatively affect younger and older participants (vs. young adults), resulting in age-group specific distance thresholds where diagnosticity would be 1. We presented participants with 4 live targets at distances between 5 m and 110 m using an 8-person computerized line-up task. We used simultaneous and sequential target-absent or target-present line-ups and presented these to 1,588 participants (age range = 6-77; 61% female; 95% Finns), resulting in 6,233 responses. We found that at 40 m diagnosticity was 50% lower than at 5 m and with increased distance diagnosticity tapered off until it was 1 (±0.5) at 100 m for all age groups and line-up types. However, young children (age range = 6-11) and older adults (age range = 45-77) reached a diagnosticity of 1 at shorter distances compared with older children (age range = 12-17) and young adults (age range = 18-44). We found that confidence dropped with increased distance, response time remained stable, and high confidence and shorter response times were associated with identification accuracy up to 40 m. We conclude that age and line-up type moderate the effect distance has on eyewitness accuracy and that there are perceptual distance thresholds at which an eyewitness can no longer reliably encode and later identify a culprit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Nyman TJ, Antfolk J, Lampinen JM, Tuomisto M, Kaakinen JK, Korkman J, Santtila P. A stab in the dark: The distance threshold of target identification in low light. Cogent Psychology 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2019.1632047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Nyman
- Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Jan Antfolk
- Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Maria Tuomisto
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Johanna K. Kaakinen
- Turku Institute for Advanced Studies and Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Julia Korkman
- Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Pekka Santtila
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Korkman
- Department of Psychology, Abo Akademi University, Tehtaankatu 2, Turku 20500, Finland
- Forensic Psychiatry Centre for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jan Antfolk
- Department of Psychology, Abo Akademi University, Tehtaankatu 2, Turku 20500, Finland
| | | | - Pekka Santtila
- Department of Psychology, Abo Akademi University, Tehtaankatu 2, Turku 20500, Finland
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, New York University, Shanghai, China
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Lahtinen HM, Laitila A, Korkman J, Ellonen N. Children's disclosures of sexual abuse in a population-based sample. Child Abuse Negl 2018; 76:84-94. [PMID: 29096161 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Most previous studies on disclosing child sexual abuse (CSA) have either been retrospective or focused on children who already have disclosed. The present study aimed to explore the overall CSA disclosure rate and factors associated with disclosing to adults in a large population-based sample. A representative sample of 11,364 sixth and ninth graders participated in the Finnish Child Victim Survey concerning experiences of violence, including CSA. CSA was defined as having sexual experiences with a person at least five years older at the time of the experience. Within this sample, the CSA prevalence was 2.4%. Children reporting CSA experiences also answered questions regarding disclosure, the disclosure recipient, and potential reasons for not disclosing. The results indicate that most of the children (80%) had disclosed to someone, usually a friend (48%). However, only 26% had disclosed to adults, and even fewer had reported their experiences to authorities (12%). The most common reason for non-disclosing was that the experience was not considered serious enough for reporting (41%), and half of the children having CSA experiences did not self-label their experiences as sexual abuse. Relatively few children reported lacking the courage to disclose (14%). Logistic regression analyses showed that the perpetrator's age, the age of the victim at the time of abuse, and having no experiences of emotional abuse by the mother were associated with disclosing to an adult. The results contribute to understanding the factors underlying children's disclosure patterns in a population-based sample and highlight the need for age-appropriate safety education for children and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna-Mari Lahtinen
- University of Eastern Finland, School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, P.O. Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland.
| | - Aarno Laitila
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Finland.
| | - Julia Korkman
- Psychology at Åbo Akademi University, Helsinki University Hospital, Forensic Psychology Center for Children and Adolescents, 20500 Turku, Finland.
| | - Noora Ellonen
- University of Tampere, School of Social Science and Humanities, 33014, Finland.
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Korkman J, Laajasalo T, Juusola A, Uusivuori L, Santtila P. What Did the Child Tell? The Accuracy of Parents’ Reports of a Child’s Statements When Suspecting Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/15228932.2015.1003439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Joki-Erkkilä M, Korkman J. [When suspicion of child sexual abuse is raised--what to do?]. Duodecim 2015; 131:985-990. [PMID: 26237879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Upon a raised suspicion of child sexual abuse, time must be taken to control and calm down tne situation. It is important for those working with children to take actions without causing problems to the course of the possible criminal process. Advance issue with treatment guidelines is a good way to confirm adequate basic information about the phenomenon. Hearing the child and detailed documentation of the information are essential. Excessive questioning may have a negative impact on the criminal process. The urgency of somatic investigations is determined by the last possible time of occurrence of the suspected abuse.
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Tadei A, Finnilä K, Korkman J, Salo B, Santtila P. Features used by judges to evaluate expert witnesses for psychological and psychiatric legal issues. Nordic Psychology 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/19012276.2014.963648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Korkman J, Svanbäck J, Finnilä K, Santtila P. Judges' views of child sexual abuse: evaluating beliefs against research findings in a Finnish sample. Scand J Psychol 2014; 55:497-504. [PMID: 25040839 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Beliefs impact our decision-making and different professionals have been shown to have beliefs about child sexual abuse (CSA) that do not coincide with scientific findings. In the present study, judges' beliefs regarding CSA were explored. Finnish judges (N = 104) answered a questionnaire about CSA related issues as well as questions regarding their professional experience of CSA cases. The judges held both correct and incorrect beliefs; while their CSA prevalence estimates were rather well in line with research findings, half of the participants estimated that no professionals use suggestive methods when interviewing children and more than 40% thought suggestive methods can be useful when trying to get a child to tell about real events. Judges correctly assumed symptoms cannot be used to assess a CSA case, however, the majority thought play observations were appropriate means for evaluating such suspicions. Experience seemed to lead to more confidence in their own expertise but not in an actual increase in knowledge, namely, judges thought themselves more expert when more experienced although their expertise as measured by the questionnaire did not improve. Overall, the judges had both correct and erroneous beliefs but while experience did not improve the situation, gaining information about CSA did. More research about the beliefs of judges and how such beliefs impact legal decision-making is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Korkman
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
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Santtila P, Slama S, Korkman J, Finnila K. The ability of psychologists, lawyers and psychology students to predict children's performance in memory and suggestibility experiments. Nordic Psychology 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/19012276.2014.918520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Piha J, Aronen E, Joki-Erkkilä M, Komulainen J, Korkman J, Raipela J, Tuominen M. [Update in Current Care guidelines. Evaluation of a suspected child sexual abuse]. Duodecim 2013; 129:1290-1291. [PMID: 23847915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
According to Finnish Child Welfare Law, the authorities are obligated to report suspicions of child sexual abuse immediately to the police and to social services to ensure the well being of the child. The investigating police may request assistance for forensic interviews and medical assessments from specialized units. The child's disclosure is often the most important part of the evaluation. The timing of medical examination is crucial to obtain biological trace of evidence and to document evidence of acute injury or infection. The need for crisis support must be evaluated.
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Korkman J, Santtila P, Westeråker M, Sandnabba NK. Interviewing techniques and follow-up questions in child sexual abuse interviews. European Journal of Developmental Psychology 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/17405620701210460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Korkman J, Santtila P, Sandnabba NK. Dynamics of verbal interaction between interviewer and child in interviews with alleged victims of child sexual abuse. Scand J Psychol 2006; 47:109-19. [PMID: 16542353 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2006.00498.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
A number (n = 27) of investigative interviews with children were analyzed with a view to explore the verbal dynamics between interviewer and child. Different types of interviewer utterances and child responses were defined, and the interrelationships between these were explored. The effectiveness of different interviewer utterances in eliciting information from children as well as the type of utterance the interviewer used to follow up an informative answer by the child were investigated. Option-posing and suggestive utterances made up for more than 50% of interviewer utterances, the proportion of invitations being only 2%. Invitations and directive utterances were associated with an increase in informative responses by the child, the adverse being true for option-posing and suggestive utterances. Interestingly, even after the child had provided an informative answer, interviewers continued to rely on focused and leading interviewing methods--in spite of a slight improvement in interviewing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Korkman
- Department of Psychology, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
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Abstract
Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) induces persistent structural and functional alterations in the developing reproductive tract of males. It is possible that xenoestrogens other than DES alter sexual differentiation in males and account for the increasing incidence of developmental disorders of the reproductive tract in men and wild animals. Phytoestrogens (coumestans, isoflavonoids, flavonoids, and lignans) present in numerous edible plants are quantitatively the most important environmental estrogens when their hormonal potency is assessed in vitro. They exert their estrogenic activity by interacting with estrogen receptors (ERs) in vitro. They may also act as antiestrogens by competing for the binding sites of estrogen receptors or the active site of the estrogen biosynthesizing and metabolizing enzymes, such as aromatase and estrogen-specific 17 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase (type 1). In theory, phytoestrogens and structurally related compounds could harm the reproductive health of males also by acting as antiestrogens. There are very little data on effects of phytoestrogens in males. Estrogenic effects in wildlife have been described but the evidence for the role of phytoestrogens is indirect and seen under conditions of excessive exposure. In doses comparable to the daily intake from soybased feed, isoflavonoids such as genistein were estrogen agonists in the prostate of adult laboratory rodents. When given neonatally, no persistent effects were observed. In contrast, the central nervous system (CNS)-gonadal axis and the male sexual behavior of the rat appear to be sensitive to phytoestrogens during development. The changes were similar but not identical to those seen after neonatal treatment with DES, but higher doses of phytoestrogens were needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Santti
- University of Turku, Institute of Biomedicine, Turku, Finland.
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Makela S, Davis VL, Tally WC, Korkman J, Salo L, Vihko R, Santti R, Korach KS. Dietary Estrogens Act through Estrogen Receptor-Mediated Processes and Show No Antiestrogenicity in Cultured Breast Cancer Cells. Environ Health Perspect 1994; 102:572-8. [PMID: 9679118 PMCID: PMC1569764 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.94102572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Dietary estrogens are believed to exert their estrogenic or antiestrogenic (chemopreventive) action in estrogen responsive cells by interacting with the estrogen receptor (ER). The present study was undertaken to evaluate a direct role of ER in estrogenic or antiestrogenic activities of three dietary estrogens (coumestrol, genistein and zearalenone). HeLa cells were transiently co-transfected with an expression vector for ER and an estrogen-responsive reporter gene construct. Coumestrol, genistein, and zearalenone all increased the activity of the reporter gene, only in the presence of the ER, and the activation was blocked with the ER antagonist ICI 164,384, demonstrating an ER-specific, agonist response. In addition, in MCF-7 cells, coumestrol and zearalenone increased the expression of the estrogen-responsive pS2 gene. Coumestrol and genistein inhibited the purified estrogen-specific 17ß-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase enzyme and the conversion of estrone to 17ß-estradiol in T-47D cells, which contain this enzyme. However, they did not inhibit the estrone-induced proliferation of T-47D cells. In conclusion, coumestrol, genistein, and zearalenone are all potent estrogens in vitro, and they act through ER mediated mechanism. Our findings give no evidence to support the idea that these compounds act as antiestrogens through competition for the binding sites of ER or by inhibition of the conversion of estrone to 17ß-estradiol in breast cancer cells, since this effect was nullified by their agonist action on cell proliferation. Therefore, their suggested chemopreventive action in estrogen-related cancers must be mediated through other mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Makela
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, SF-20520 Turku, Finland
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