Barriers to Accessing Treatment Services: Child Victims of Youths with Problematic Sexual Behavior

Slemaker, Alexandra; Mundey, Peter; Taylor, Erin K.; Beasley, Lana O.; Silovsky, Jane F.

doi:10.3390/ijerph18105302

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Barriers to Accessing Treatment Services: Child Victims of Youths with Problematic Sexual Behavior

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Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Iowa State University, 510 Farm House Lane, Ames, IA 50010, USA

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Savannah State University, 3219 College Street, Savannah, GA 31404, USA

Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA

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Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, 338 Human Sciences, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editors: María del Mar Sánchez-Fuentes and Ana Isabel Arcos-Romero

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(10), 5302; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105302

Received: 31 March 2021 / Revised: 10 May 2021 / Accepted: 11 May 2021 / Published: 17 May 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sexual Abuse, Sexual Behavior and Victimization in Adolescence and Youth)

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Abstract

Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a significant public health problem. Although the deleterious effects on the child victims could be mitigated through evidence-based interventions, victims often fail to be identified and receive clinical assessment and therapy services, particularly when they have been victimized by another youth. Given that at least a third of CSA cases are committed by another youth, understanding the process of identifying and addressing the needs of CSA victims of youth is the focus of the present study. Factors impacting services for child victims of youths with problematic sexual behavior (PSB) were examined through qualitative interviews (N = 226) with mental health agency administrators, direct service providers, and community stakeholders from eight geographically diverse communities across the United States. Responses focused on macro and micro level barriers to the identification and service provision for child victims of PSB of youths. Implications for clinicians and policymakers are discussed, along with strategies to enhance access and provision of services to meet the needs of the child victims. View Full-Text

Keywords: problematic sexual behavior; sibling incest; child sexual abuse; sibling sexual abuse (SSA); evidence-based treatment; child-on-child sexual abuse (COCSA)

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

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MDPI and ACS Style

Slemaker, A.; Mundey, P.; Taylor, E.K.; Beasley, L.O.; Silovsky, J.F. Barriers to Accessing Treatment Services: Child Victims of Youths with Problematic Sexual Behavior. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 5302. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105302

AMA Style

Slemaker A, Mundey P, Taylor EK, Beasley LO, Silovsky JF. Barriers to Accessing Treatment Services: Child Victims of Youths with Problematic Sexual Behavior. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(10):5302. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105302

Chicago/Turabian Style

Slemaker, Alexandra; Mundey, Peter; Taylor, Erin K.; Beasley, Lana O.; Silovsky, Jane F. 2021. "Barriers to Accessing Treatment Services: Child Victims of Youths with Problematic Sexual Behavior" Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 18, no. 10: 5302. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105302

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Author Biographies

Alexandra Slemaker

Alexandra Slemaker is a doctoral student in the department of sociology at Iowa State University. She previously was a project interviewer at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and continues to collaborate on research projects. Slemaker earned a master’s of science from the University of Huddersfield in investigative psychology, and bachelors of arts in psychology from the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests include prevention of mass shootings and victimization, criminal psychology, and mixed-methodology research.

Peter Mundey

Peter Mundey is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Savannah State University. He previously held appointments at Calvin University, Marian University, Lake Institute on Faith and Giving at Indiana University, and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Mundey earned a BA from Bridgewater College, a MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a MA and PhD from the University of Notre Dame. Mundey’s research interests include congregational studies, religion, consumerism, money, giving, consumer culture, emerging adults, social networking sties, and economic evaluation of health programs.

Erin K. Taylor

Erin K. Taylor, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect and National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth. She completed her doctoral work at the University of Missouri and her undergraduate work at Vanderbilt University. She is the Co-Director of the Treatment Program for Children with Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) for preschool children, and a trainer in the University of Oklahoma Problematic Sexual Behavior – Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy model for school-age children. Her research interests include the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments for underserved populations of youth, particularly those who experience maltreatment or other adverse childhood events, as well as youth engagement in electronic and online sexual behaviors.

Lana O. Beasley

Dr. Lana Beasley is a licensed Clinical Child Psychologist and is currently an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Science at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Beasley’s research has included working on randomized clinical trials and program evaluation all in the area of supporting high risk children and families. She holds expertise in qualitative research and has been a co-investigator on many grants involving a program of research developing, implementing, evaluating, and expanding evidence-based home visiting programs serving high-risk populations. Dr. Beasley also conducts mixed-methods research in the area of adaptation of treatments for diverse populations and examining engagement and attrition of high-risk families.

Jane F. Silovsky

Jane F. Silovsky, PhD, Professor, is a clinical child psychologist and Director of the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect and the National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth (ncsby.org). Dr. Silovsky received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Alabama. Currently, she is the Jean Gumerson Chair and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Since 1997, she has been the Director of the Children with Problematic Sexual Behavior program, an assessment, treatment, and research program for preschool and school age children with problematic sexual behavior. Her research is in problematic sexual behavior of youth, systems change, culturally congruent services, and implementation of prevention and treatment programs. She is an active member of multiple professional organizations, including the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and the International Society on the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

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Barriers to Accessing Treatment Services: Child Victims of Youths with Problematic Sexual Behavior

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