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Biomedical subjects

M C Esperat

Publications and source records attributed to M C Esperat.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

The effects of childhood sexual abuse on minority adolescent mothers.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence and effects of childhood sexual abuse experiences on the lives of adolescent mothers who were Mexican American and African American. Specifically, the personality characteristics of the adolescent mothers who experienced sexual abuse as assessed using the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory were compared with those of minority adolescent mothers who were not abused sexually. DESIGN: An exploratory descriptive design. SETTING: Four public agencies caring for adolescent mothers in two urban centers in Texas. PARTICIPANTS: Mexican American and African American adolescent mothers (N = 124), ages 13-20 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Millon Personality Inventory, the Life Event Scale-Adolescents, the Childhood Sexual Experience Survey, and a demographic data sheet. RESULTS: Forty-four percent (n = 54) of the respondents reported childhood sexual abuse experience. Data from 111 subjects (two groups, abuse and nonabuse) were analyzed by MANCOVA techniques. Significant differences were found between the two groups when the effect of the Life Event Scale-Adolescents was controlled (Multivariate F[12, 97] = 3.055, p = 0.001). Univariate F tests (df1, 108) showed significant differences in self-concept (F = 18.434, p < 0.000), personal esteem (F = 8.819, p = 0.004), body comfort (F = 10.442, p = 0.002), sexual acceptance (F = 9.918, p = 0.002), peer security (F = 10.412, p = 0.002), family rapport (F = 9.801, p = 0.002), academic confidence (F = 5.764, p = 0.018), social conformity (F = 4.552, p = 0.035), scholastic achievement (F = 19.991, p < 0.000), and attendance consistency (F = 10.009, p = 0.002). The mothers in the abuse group had consistently poorer scores than those in the nonabuse group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that childhood sexual abuse may be related to vulnerability for adolescent motherhood.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Special needs children in the public schools: perceptions of school nurses and school teachers.

Schools are faced with the challenges presented by special needs children (SNC) because the law requires that they must provide educational opportunities to all children--those who have no handicapping conditions as well as those who do, no matter how severe those conditions. The need exists for adequately prepared health care professionals in the school setting. Using a convenience sample of school teachers and school nurses, this investigation focused on the perceptions of school teachers and nurses regarding the challenges and demands of having these children in the public school. Two surveys were conducted to study those perceptions. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses showed that the needs of both groups of providers--school nurses and school teachers--can be summed up in three categories: information dissemination, communication, and resource integration. Infrastructure development involves the establishment of an effective information management system, effective use of such a system in establishing communications between all participants, and adequate administrative support to facilitate the development of the school providers' sense of competence in the care of SNC. A well-planned and adequately supported program goes a long way toward changing people's attitudes toward the inclusion of SNC in the classroom.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Minority adolescent mothers who reported childhood sexual abuse and those who did not: perceptions of themselves and their relationships.

Perceptions of two groups of minority adolescent mothers (those who reported childhood sexual abuse and those who did not) were examined by analyzing their responses to four open-ended questions. Responses of sexually abused (SA) and non-sexually abused (NSA) respondents were studied, and themes that emerged from the data were derived. The responses from the groups were compared, and major thematic differences between the two groups identified. Distinct differences between the SA (n = 51) and NSA groups (n = 60) were detected in their responses to questions that related to their perceptions of themselves, their sexuality, and their relationships with men. Both SA and NSA groups had positive feelings about being parents, although the SA group expressed feelings of anxiety about the safety of their children.

Adolescent↗