Search Results (85)

In the realm of public safety, the automated identification of potential threats from voluminous surveillance streams is pivotal for developing intelligent security systems. Manual monitoring of such massive video feeds is highly inefficient, prone to human fatigue, and often leads to missed detections or false alarms. Leveraging deep learning for automatic anomaly detection is therefore essential to improve response efficiency and mitigate security risks. Weakly supervised video anomaly detection (WS-VAD) has emerged as a critical yet challenging task in this domain. In this study, we propose the Temporal-Enhanced and Visual-Text Adaptive Fusion (TE-VTAF) model for robust WS-VAD. Specifically, a Dynamic Local–Global Temporal Adaptive Module (DLG-TAM) is designed to capture multi-scale temporal dependencies and extract high-level video semantics. Concurrently, a Visual-Text Adaptive Fusion Module (VTAFM) is introduced to aggregate complementary cross-modal features, utilizing a competitive activation mechanism to suppress redundant information and enhance the discriminative power between normal and anomalous events. To further refine the learning process within the Multiple Instance Learning (MIL) framework, we incorporate a Top-K outer bag loss and a K-maxmin inner bag loss. These constraints effectively maximize the inter-class separability while suppressing label noise from normal instances within positive bags, thereby bolstering the detector’s robustness. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed TE-VTAF consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods on two large-scale benchmarks, achieving an AUC of 88.93% on UCF-Crime and an AP of 85.62% on XD-Violence. Full article

Mistreatment is a pervasive and normalized feature of medical culture. In medical residencies, it functions as a structural rite of passage that shapes professional socialization. While the prevalence of mistreatment is documented, there is a lack of qualitative research exploring its role as a mechanism of identity construction. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of mistreatment among internal medicine residents in Medellín, Colombia, through the lens of ritual theory and symbolic violence. A particularistic ethnographic study was conducted with 12 residents selected via theoretical sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a reflexive field journal. Rigor was ensured using investigator triangulation and analytical bracketing to manage researchers’ biases. The training process follows a three-stage rite. (1) Separation: Symbolic violence and social pressure to specialize frame general medicine as “mediocre,” turning admission into a “battlefield” where self-worth is tied to success. (2) Marginalization (Liminality): Residents endure systemic mistreatment, including sleep deprivation (3.5 h rest cycles), public ridicule (“pimping”), and physical/verbal abuse (e.g., being hit with stethoscopes or called “testicles/jerks”). This stage is governed by a “purificatory logic” where suffering is internalized as a meritocratic requirement. This leads to high morbidity, with clinical diagnoses of anxiety and depression. (3) Integration (Postliminality): Professional autonomy and financial stability act as a “redemption” that justifies past suffering. Mistreatment is not an isolated interpersonal issue but a structurally embedded ritual and a core element of the hidden curriculum. It reinforces toxic hierarchies and a “tyranny of merit” that obscures structural barriers. These findings offer analytically transferable insights for global medical education, calling for a deconstruction of ritualized violence to foster more humanistic training environments. Full article

Background/Objectives: Online sexual violence is an increasingly prevalent form of gender-based harm facilitated by digital technologies, with significant consequences for the health, well-being, and rights of adult women. Despite growing attention to this phenomenon, women’s lived experiences remain underexplored, particularly regarding sexual consent and institutional responses. This study aimed to examine how adult women experience online sexual violence, how consent is negotiated or constrained in digital contexts, and how coping and institutional mechanisms are perceived. Methods: A qualitative study with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was conducted. Data were collected through three focus groups with 23 women aged 21 to 42 years who were active users of social media. Results: Participants reported diverse forms of online sexual violence, including unsolicited sexual messages and images, persistent harassment, coercion, blackmail, and threats. Sexual consent was often undermined by emotional manipulation, social pressure, and fear, placing women in vulnerable positions. These experiences negatively affected well-being, contributing to anxiety, reduced self-esteem, fear, and difficulties in sexual and emotional relationships. Coping strategies were mainly individual, such as blocking perpetrators or reporting content, while social support was frequently perceived as insufficient. A generalized distrust of institutional responses emerged, with formal mechanisms viewed as ineffective or inaccessible. Conclusions: For the study participants, online sexual violence is increasingly normalized and concealed within digital environments, reinforced by anonymity and impunity. The findings highlight the need for continued research and the development of interventions that include early sexual and emotional education, awareness-raising initiatives, digital regulation, specialized professional training, and the strengthening of victim-centered support networks. Full article

Gender-based violence in public transportation is a global phenomenon that restricts women’s rights and autonomy. Most of the documentation relies on harassment and physical aggression, but the subtle internalized mechanisms that reproduce gender inequities remain insufficiently analyzed. This study involves the concept of symbolic violence as an analytical category to unveil how resignation and normalization of violence perpetuate gender power relations and limit women’s mobility. A cross-sectional survey of 263 women aged 15–60 was conducted in Querétaro, Mexico, a rapidly growing city with significant mobility challenges. The questionnaire included items on perceptions of safety, violent experiences, responses to acts of violence, and prevention strategies. An inductive–abductive analysis was implemented to construct empirical indicators derived from Bordieu’s concept of symbolic violence and habitus. Findings reveal that fear, avoidance, and self-regulation are normalized responses to violence in public transport. Women implement strategies such as changing routes, limiting night travel, or increasing their expenses to access safer options. Six empirical indicators were identified: perceived insecurity as normality, resignation to harassment, bodily and emotional self-regulation, preventive reorganization of mobility, personal costs of safety, and collective inaction. In conclusion, the study demonstrates how symbolic violence operates through behaviors, actions, perceptions, and thoughts that reproduce inequities. Operationalizing symbolic violence provides a methodological and conceptual tool to advance gender equality and inform gender-sensitive mobility policies. Full article

This qualitative research examines the systemic dynamics of the abuse of consecrated women in the Loyola Community, analyzing the allegations against the influential sacral artist and theologian Marko Ivan Rupnik within broader scholarly debates on abuse in Catholic ecclesial contexts. Drawing on survivor testimonies, the study explores how clericalism and forms of spiritual authority were instrumentalized within this specific community to produce a sequential chain of harm encompassing sexual, psychological, and spiritual violence against consecrated women. The analysis demonstrates how vulnerance—the systemic capacity to produce harm—is engineered through institutional configurations and theological distortions. This condition normalizes exploitation and silences survivors over extended periods. Moving beyond individual pathology, the study critically examines systemic power asymmetries, hermeneutical injustice, and forms of institutional betrayal that emerge when the protection of religious reputation takes precedence over accountability and human dignity. Finally, the article highlights the significance of public testimony and digital movements such as #NunsToo in disrupting cultures of silence and contributing to the restoration of epistemic justice for survivors. Full article

Validated instruments assessing gender stereotype endorsement among adolescents are scarce and often overlook contemporary domains like digital privacy. To address this gap, this study developed and validated the Gender Stereotypes and Roles Adherence Battery for Adolescents (GAB-A) in a sample of 2955 Italian adolescents attending public secondary schools in Rome (56.4% male; mean age 14.3 years). The battery comprises three modules: the Gender Stereotyped Attitude Scale (GSAS), Gender Role Activities Scale (GRAS), and Gendered Traits Inventory (GTI). Psychometric analysis confirmed robust factor structures, notably identifying a distinct “Relational Control” factor within the GSAS that assesses beliefs normalizing partner surveillance. The results revealed a stark pattern of gender differentiation: males endorsed prescriptive attitudes (GSAS, d = 1.07) and roles (GRAS, d = 0.88) substantially more than females, particularly regarding violence myths. Conversely, essentialist trait beliefs (GTI) showed negligible gender differences (d = 0.11). Associations between stereotypes and psychological health were gender-moderated; within-group analyses indicated that endorsement predicted higher distress, hostility, and alexithymia in males, while being unrelated to well-being in females. Finally, gender-stratified normative data and operational cut-offs were established. The GAB-A provides a psychometrically sound tool for identifying elevated endorsement profiles and evaluating violence prevention interventions. Full article

Dating violence (DV) is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon among emerging adults (aged 18–25 years), and the relationship between awareness and behavior remains poorly understood. This study explores emerging adults’ attitudes and beliefs toward DV and summarizes recommendations for designing prevention programs. A qualitative study using three focus groups (n = 16 emerging adults aged 18–25; 56% female) was conducted. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three main themes emerged: (1) gender roles, (2) healthy intimate relationships, and (3) dating violence. Participants demonstrated high awareness of DV types, severity, and prevalence. However, they also exhibited an attitude–behavior inconsistency, reflected in the normalization and excusing of violence, and difficulty recognizing violent situations in their own relationships. Myths of romantic love and cognitive dissonance between general knowledge and personal experience create barriers to recognizing abuse—particularly psychological abuse, which is often confused with concern. Participants suggested integrating prevention strategies into schools and communities, with interventions tailored to their interests and realities (e.g., mobile applications, games and social media awareness campaigns). This study reveals that awareness and knowledge alone are insufficient for prevention. Efforts should shift from a knowledge-focused to a behavior-change approach, promoting emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, and addressing social and gender norms. Relevant implications for practice and preventive intervention design are discussed. Full article

Objective: This metasynthesis analyzes the current evidence on the perceptions of sexism among video game players (men and women) and the video game industry. Methods: The databases Scopus and ProQuest were used to select 15 qualitative studies in a final analysis. The analysis used the reciprocal translation technique to analyze and interpret the data. Results: Three primary themes emerged: normalized violence in gamer environments (n = 13), strategies to confront sexism/gender harassment (n = 10), and internal ambivalence and tension (n = 10). The results show that female videogame players experience daily hostility due to the fact of being women in an environment of male dominance. This leads to recurring confrontations, which can result in female video game players being questioned in terms of identity and behavior by both themselves and the community. Conclusions: This metasynthesis suggests that sexism in online video game environments is not an isolated phenomenon and directly affects the experience of female video game players. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of further exploring the perceptions and experiences of different groups within gamer communities, in order to make progress towards a more egalitarian and diverse culture. Full article

Background/Objectives: Workplace violence (WPV) is a major occupational concern in psychiatric settings, where mental health nurses (MHNs) are consistently identified as a high-risk professional group. Within this context, sexual violence (SV) remains understudied as a distinct phenomenon and is often embedded within aggregated measures of WPV. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on SV against MHNs working in inpatient settings by: (1) describing its prevalence, forms, and characteristics; (2) examining psychological, occupational, and physical outcomes; and (3) identifying associated risk factors. Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251103606). A literature search was performed across PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo, supplemented by reference list checking and citation tracking. Peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies published in English or Italian were eligible if they involved MHNs working in inpatient settings and addressed SV. Study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers. A narrative synthesis following SWiM guidance was undertaken, and the certainty of evidence for statistically significant outcomes was assessed using the GRADE approach. Results: Twenty-five studies published between 2003 and 2025 were included. Definitions of SV varied substantially. Reported prevalence ranged from 0% to 68%, with verbal sexual harassment ranging from 19.5% to 53.4%, physical sexual harassment ranging from 14% to 42.9%, and sexual assault up to 18.6%. Evidence indicated associations between SV exposure and poorer quality of life, burnout, and days lost from work. The main risk factors included gender, age, education, work experience, employment type, acute psychiatric settings, night shifts, normalization of violence, and history of physical and sexual violence. Conclusions: SV against MHNs represents a relevant issue in psychiatric settings. Findings suggest significant psychological and occupational consequences. Standardized definitions and measurement, longitudinal research, and intervention studies are needed to inform effective prevention strategies and organizational responses. Full article

This study analyzes the perspectives of support providers to survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) on the potential links between pornography and the sexual abuse of children. Drawing from fifty interviews, eight focus group discussions, and post-interview surveys with frontline child advocacy support professionals from various backgrounds and settings, each with at least five years of experience in the field, this paper presents a conceptual model that situates pornography and CSA within interconnected “zones of violence” across digital, institutional, and community environments. Participants identified overlapping risk factors that can heighten pornography exposure and CSA vulnerability, including strained guardian–child relationships, inadequate supervision and digital literacy, socioeconomic precarity, limited access to services, and restrictive or patriarchal sexual norms. They described mediating processes linking pornography to abuse—social modeling, normalization of coercive and violent sexual scripts, grooming, power/threat dynamics (including sextortion and blackmail), and the production and circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Respondents perceived pornography as pervasive in young people’s lives, reported that it contributes to perceived shifts in CSA patterns, and emphasized the absence of best practices. They advocated comprehensive, digitally literate sex education; routine, developmentally appropriate screening; trauma-informed responses that avoid labeling and criminalizing children; and coordinated, multidisciplinary reforms. Full article

Background/Objectives: Obstetric violence (OV) is a violation of women’s human rights during reproductive processes. Despite being the subject of debate among healthcare professionals, increasingly recognized, and legislated against in some countries, OV continues to be reproduced and normalized during training. The objective of this study was to determine the perception of OV among health sciences students and gynaecology and obstetrics residents. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 304 health sciences students and gynaecology and obstetrics residents in Spain. An online questionnaire was distributed that gathered information on sociodemographic variables and clinical experience and included the validated PercOV-S instrument. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed to explore associations between variables. Results: The overall perception of OV was moderately high (mean 3.93/5), with higher scores for visible or protocolized forms (4.27/5) than for invisible or subtle forms (2.87/5). Being a woman, being a midwifery resident, or having had personal experiences with pregnancy or childbirth increased sensitivity to OV. Clinical exposure in obstetrics and gynaecology services increased both awareness and the likelihood of witnessing OV. Twenty-eight percent of students reported having observed OV, and twenty percent reported emotional distress, even considering dropping out. Conclusions: Despite the recognition of OV, repeated exposure during training can promote its normalization. The results of this study highlight the need for safe, reflective training environments that mainstream feminist perspectives, sexual rights, and the detection of subtle forms of OV. Full article

Background/Objectives: Psychiatric nurses are constantly exposed to physical and verbal violence from patients with mental illnesses, which can lead to post-traumatic stress (PTS). This study investigated the correlations among psychiatric nurses’ experiences of violence, cognitive-emotion regulation strategies, and PTS and sought to identify factors associated with PTS. Although workplace violence and its psychological effects have been examined among nurses, little is known about how cognitive-emotion regulation influences PTS in psychiatric nurses who are frequently exposed to violence. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing interventions to support their mental health. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study. Participants were 140 psychiatric nurses with more than one year of clinical experience working in psychiatric wards at university, general, and psychiatric hospitals in South Korea. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 25.0. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing the nurses’ PTS. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed in three steps: demographic variables were entered first, followed by violence experience, and finally cognitive-emotion regulation strategies. All assumptions of linearity, normality, and homoscedasticity were satisfied. Results: In Model 3, after controlling for demographic and work-related variables, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, experiences of violence, and education level emerged as significant predictors of PTS among psychiatric nurses. These variables together explained a substantial proportion of the variance in PTS. Conclusions: To reduce PTS among psychiatric nurses, it is necessary to develop and implement violence prevention and coping programs, stress and mental health management initiatives, and educational programs. Based on the findings, hospitals should strengthen organizational systems by establishing structured mechanisms for reporting and debriefing after violent incidents. In addition, hospitals should provide regular training on cognitive-emotion regulation and enhance institutional support to help nurses manage the psychological impact of workplace violence. Such interventions may not only minimize violent incidents but also reduce reliance on maladaptive cognitive-emotion regulation strategies. While the findings provide important insight, the cross-sectional design limits causal inference. Further longitudinal research is recommended to verify these relationships. Full article

Background: Corporal punishment is a form of violence that poses long-term risks to children’s mental health and wellbeing. Understanding the attitudes that justify such practices is essential for designing preventive and health promotion interventions. Previous research suggests gender differences in these attitudes, yet the extent and nature of these differences remain unclear. Objective: This study examined gender-related differences in attitudes toward corporal punishment and their implications for youth mental health promotion. Participants and Setting: The study involved 582 university students aged 18 to 40, with a mean age of 22 years. Participants were from various fields of study and were surveyed online. Methods: The Short Situational Scale of Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment (SSS-CP) was developed for this study, depicting hypothetical conflicts between parents and children, culminating in corporal punishment. A quasi-experimental design was used, varying the gender of the participant, parent, and child. Data was analyzed using ANCOVA, controlling for previous experience of corporal punishment. Results: Physical punishment was more justified when the participant was male (6% of criterion variance), when the perpetrator was a female parent (1.3%), and when the child was male (1.8%); however, no significant interaction effects were found. Previous experience with corporal punishment also predicted more approving attitudes toward its use (1.7% of criterion variance). Conclusions: Gender differences in the justification of corporal punishment highlight how social norms shape the acceptance of violence and, consequently, the normalization of behaviors linked to poorer mental health outcomes in youth. Prevention and health promotion programs should integrate gender-sensitive components that address beliefs about violence, foster emotion regulation, and reduce the intergenerational transmission of harmful disciplinary practices. Full article