Learning disability and abuse

Current Opinion in Psychiatry

Volumn 10, Issue 5, 1997, Pages 369-372

  Cooke, Leila B ^a  

^a NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ABUSE; ATTITUDE; CHILD ABUSE; HUMAN; LEARNING DISORDER; SHORT SURVEY;

EID: 0030921520     PISSN: 09517367     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1097/00001504-199709000-00007     Document Type: Short Survey

References (22)

1. Craft A: Abuse, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Curr Opin Psychiatry 1995, 8:276-279.
2. Parker T, Abramson P: The law has not been dead: protecting adults with mental retardation from sexual abuse and violation of their sexual freedom. Ment Retard 1995, 33:257-263. A study designed to determine the extent to which three different professional groups used relevant criteria when assessing sexual abuse. The results showed that decisions made were subjective and influenced by personal attitudes. The authors recommend the development of standardized criteria.
3. Hames A: The effects of experience and sexual abuse training on the attitudes of learning disability staff. J Intellect Disabil Res 1996, 40:544-549. The knowledge and attitudes of day centre staff were examined before and after training in sexual abuse. Even after training, staff were unwilling to accept that their colleagues could be abusers, unless they had had first-hand experience of this. This has major implications for the detection and prevention of abuse.
4. Aylott J: Identifying people with learning disabilities who have been sexually abused. Br J Nursing 1995, 4:1110-1111.
5. Podell DM, Kastner J, Kastner S: Adolescents with mental retardation: perceptions of sexual abuse. Am J Orthopsychiatry 1996, 66:103-110. A study which examined the attitudes of female undergraduates towards sexuality in mentally retarded people, which revealed the innocencedeviance dichotomy, that characterizes society's attitude towards this group.
6. Cooke LB: Dealing with the unthinkable: the abuse of people with mental handicap. Ital J Intellect Impair 1995, 8:23-29.
7. Beail N, Warden S: Sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities. J Intellect Disabil Res 1995, 39:382-387. A study of sexual abuse in adults with learning disabilities referred to a clinical psychology department. The majority of the referrals were males who displayed challenging and sexually inappropriate behaviours. Referring agents had not made the link between these behaviours and their experience of abuse. Females who have been abused are less likely to display these behaviours and may therefore not be referred for treatment.
8. Burns J: Invisible women - women who have learning disabilities. The Psychologist 1993, 6:102-105.
9. Hard S: Sexual abuse of the developmentally disabled. Quoted in: Senn CY: Vulnerable: Sexual abuse and people with an intellectual handicap. Ontario: G Allan Rocher Institute; 1988.
10. Turk V, Brown H: The sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities: results of a two year incidence survey. Ment Handicap Res 1993, 6:193-216.
11. Forchuk C, Martin ML, Griffiths M: Sexual knowledge interview schedule: reliability. J Intellect Disabil Res 1995, 39:35-39. The sexual knowledge interview schedule was developed to assess sexual knowledge and awareness of abuse in a person with learning disability. It was found to be reliable when tested on a sample of 37 individuals.
12. Carr L: Sexuality and people with learning disabilities. Br J Nursing 1995, 19:1135-1141. A description of the role of learning disability nurses as socio-sexual educators.
13. Hames A, Hyde S: Teaching self-protection skills to sexual abuse victims who have severe and profound disabilities. NAPSAC Bull 1995, September: 12-16. A description of successful group work with people with poor communication skills.
14. Singer N: Evaluation of a self-protection group for clients living in a residential group home. Br J Dev Disabil 1996, 42:54-62. A description of the techniques used in groupwork and evaluation of the outcomes.
15. Schauer C: Special report: protection and advocacy: what nurses need to know. Arch Psychiatr Nursing 1995, 9:233-239.
16. Cooke LB, Lerant A, Williams E: Abuse of people with learning disability; co-operation between professionals. NAPSAC Bull 1997, (in press).
17. Short C: To report or not to report; confidentiality issues regarding sexual abuse concerning victims and perpetrators with learning disability. Br J Dev Disabil 1996, 42:185-191. A discussion of the ethical issues and dilemmas for professionals working with abuse, in particular the need for confidentiality versus the need for disclosure.
18. Siegel B: Brief report: assessing allegations of sexual molestation made through facilitated communication. J Autism Dev Dis 1995, 25:319-326.
19. Walters A, Barrett RP, Knapp LG, Borden MC: Suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents with mental retardation. Res Dev Disabil 1995, 16:85-96. A study of 90 consecutive admissions to a unit for adolescents with dual diagnosis revealed an incidence of suicidal behaviour in 21%. Almost half of these had a history of abuse.
20. Focht-New V: Beyond abuse: health care for people with disabilities. Issues Ment Health Nursing 1996, 17:427-438.
21. Cooke LB, Sinason V: Cycles of Abuse; people with learning disability and other vulnerable adults. Adv Psychiatr Treat 1997, (in press).
22. Law Commission: Mental incapacity. London: HMSO, 1995.