News
A Consultation Paper on "Civil Law of Damages: Issues in Personal Injury"
20 December 2012
A Consultation Paper on "Civil Law of Damages: Issues in Personal Injury" has been launched by the Scottish Government. The Consultation concerns aspects of the Scottish Law Commission's proposals for reform of the law on damages for psychiatric injury and the law on prescription and limitation. Full details on how to respond to the Consultation are contained within the Paper and the closing date for responses is 15 March 2013. The consultation can be found at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/5980
Research
Economic Burden of Hospitalizations Associated with Child Abuse and Neglect
22 December 2010
Research spotlight finds child abuse is not just costly in terms of human suffering: it also consumes more health resources in adult life. A large community study of 3330 women found annual healthcare costs were significantly higher for women who suffered either physical or sexual childhood abuse, and more than a third higher if they had suffered both types. Extra costs ranged across mental health, emergency admissions, outpatient and pharmacy, primary and specialist care.
Project updates
Uncertain Legacies: Resilience and Institutional Child Abuse - A Literature Review
27 June 2012
This literature review sought to identify definitions of resilience and the factors associated with increasing resilience in survivors of institutional child abuse. This literature review was undertaken in response to a recommendation of a report on a Pilot Forum, Time to be Heard which recommended that research should be carried out to identify factors which seemed to increase resilience in some survivors. Time to be Heard was a Pilot Forum set up to hear evidence from adults who had been looked after in Quarrriers children's homes in the latter half of the twentieth century many of whom had experienced abuse while in the homes. The aim of the study was to review the academic literature (published between 1990 and 2011) to identify the definitions and the factors associated with resilience, and how this knowledge might contribute to our understanding of adult survivors of childhood abuse while in residential care. The literature reviewed identified resilience as a process rather than an individual character trait or a particular outcome. Two elements were apparent in all the proposed definitions: they described 'positive personal responses' in the face of 'adverse external events'. Much of the literature reviewed related to young people’s experiences in institutional care, but institutional child abuse is a significant and under-researched problem. Disclosure of any form of abuse can often be difficult and challenging, and in the case of institutional child abuse, this has implications for the sort of support offered to survivors who take part in public inquiries and investigations. This merits further attention. Nuturing individual resilience means focussing on strengthening resources available to an individual at personal, social and environmental levels.
