Ann Burgess

Boston College | BC · William F. Connell School of Nursing

The use of nonmedical prescription drugs in adolescent suicide is a critical issue. This study examined the toxicology of drugs found in a sample of 134 medical examiner records. The majority of adolescents died at home of asphyxia, had a trauma history, psychiatric illness, and a history of child abuse. Thirty-seven types of prescription drugs wer...

The underreporting of rape is well known; however, there is less information on women who fail to disclose to anyone. This online study suggests that 24% of 242 women who were non-disclosing compared with those who had disclosed were significantly less likely to seek treatment for emotional injuries. Also, almost two thirds of non-disclosing women...

Case finding and treatment of military sexual trauma (MST) remains a serious problem in military and veteran populations as well as in the civilian population. This report provides descriptive examples, with statistics, of persons serving in the military or while living/working on a military base when they experienced unwanted sex. Males, more than...

The underreporting of rape is well known; however, there is less information on women who fail to disclose to anyone. This online study suggests that 24% of 242 women who were non-disclosing compared with those who had disclosed were significantly less likely to seek treatment for emotional injuries. Also, almost two thirds of non-disclosing women...

Gaps in crises of mental health emerge from poor distinction between the qualities of people who suicide and those who murder and then kill themselves. The role, if any, that substance use has in such lethal violence is an example of such a lack of distinction. In this study, a sample of medical examiner investigative and toxicology reports from Lo...

This retrospective study of medical examiner records from three counties reported on 252 persons who killed 302 victims before killing themselves and reviews the Tarasoff ruling that set the standard for duty to warn and/or protect third parties whose lives are threatened by a patient. The three sites varied significantly for the perpetrator in ter...

This study reports the findings of an anonymous web-based survey to test differences in symptom presentation (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) among women who experienced different types of sexual trauma (forcible, pressured, sex stress). The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design with an online convenience sample...

This article examines an age-old problem-sexual assault-through the lens of its occurrence within the military culture. Specific cases as well as U.S. Department of Defense responses to better handle these issues are offered to educate psychiatric-mental health nurses of the potential differences in symptomatology and presentation of military sexua...

Internet-facilitated sexual offending is receiving increased forensic and clinical attention. Two issues confront this field. First, studies are equivocal as to whether (or not) the possession of Internet pornography can escalate to contact sexual offenses against a child, and second, federal judges have been questioning the length of sentences for...

The use of online social networks like Facebook continues to increase rapidly among all age groups and segments of our society, presenting new opportunities for the exchange of sexual information as well as for potentially unsafe encounters between predators and the vulnerable or young. This study surveyed middle school, high school, and college-ag...

Available health and social services in women's correctional facilities often do not consider the interrelationship of gender, trauma, and mental illness. As a result, preexisting health issues are often exacerbated, leaving women to reenter their communities with more complex health needs. We propose that a trauma-informed framework can be used to...

Students learn science by actually performing science activities. The 12 laboratories described in this article assist students in applying the fundamental techniques germane to the field of forensic science to “solve” contrived cases and present “evidence” in a mock trial. Moreover, students are also confronted with some of the legal and ethical i...

Sexual abuse by educators has become an increasingly noted type of sexual abuse, especially among adolescents, for two reasons. First, there is a potential for these cases to be silent and prolonged and second, when disclosed, the forensic implications usually include both criminal and/or civil sanctions. For forensic case evaluations, developmenta...

Keywords:Forensic nursing;SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner);SART (Sexual Assault Response Team)

Sexually reactive children and adolescents (SRCAs), sometimes referred to as juvenile sexual offenders, may be more vulnerable and likely to experience damaging effects from pornography use because they are a high-risk group for a variety of aggressive behaviors. The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of those who use pornogra...

After the FBI began its formal study of serial murder in the 1980s, both public and forensic interest in the subject grew exponentially, as evidenced by the proliferating number of movies, books, and case studies over the following decades. Behavioral science has proposed a number of hypotheses on the etiology and psychology of serial murder. Attem...

To describe the characteristics of girls in foster care who have exhibited sexually abusive behavior. This was a chart review and a descriptive, exploratory study of 155 female children and adolescents (age 4-17 years) who were in foster care and had been evaluated for their sexual abusive and aggressive behaviors. Findings indicated that these gir...

A 2-year review of 285 child cyber crime cases reported in the newspaper revealed how the Internet offenders were apprehended, the content of child pornography, and crime classification. A subsample of 100 cases with data on offender occupation revealed 73% of cases involved people in positions of authority. The dynamics of child cyber crime cases...

IntroductionYouth Online VictimisationCollegiate Stalking And CyberstalkingAdult CyberstalkingLaw Enforcement Response To Illegal Sex On The InternetTips And Services To VictimsConclusion References

Little is understood about neuropathophysiology and neuroendocrinology associated with childhood sexual abuse by a family member in females who commit homicide. To determine if females sexually abused by a family member as a child also experienced more childhood physical abuse, had more neurological histories including traumatic brain injuries (TBI...

An exploratory study of 284 cases of alleged elder sexual abuse revealed fairly equal numbers of reports to the criminal justice system (CJS) and to Adult Protective Services (APS). Comparison of these two routes of reporting indicated the following: Suspected victims reported to APS were more likely to reside in their own homes, not receive rape e...

Juries, criminologists, prosecutors, law enforcement officials, and the lay public like to know the motive for a murder—especially when there are unusual features such as multiple victims, extensive injuries, or unexplainable acts to the bodies. However, many times the motive is not readily available from the murderer because he does not confess or...

A sample of 77 convicted sex offenders of elderly victims was classified by severity of and motivation for the crime. The opportunistic and non-sadistic rapists committed the lowest level crimes of no penetration. Offenders classified as pervasive anger and vindictive had the highest severity of crime scores and committed the full range of crimes f...

In the early morning of March 25, 2006, 28-year-old Kyle Huff shot eight young men and women, six of them fatally, at a rave after-party on East Republican Street in the Capitol Hill section of Seattle. The gunman, a transplant from Montana, then committed suicide just as the police arrived on the scene. Because of the perpetrator's suicide, there...

The major finding in this study of 41 serial rapists is the large numbers of reported and unreported victims. For over 1200 attempted and completed rapes, there were 200 convictions. The hidden rapes or earliest nonreported victims of these men as boys and adolescents were identified from their families, their neighborhood, and their schools. Exami...

Elder sexual abuse remains a silent and often invisible crime in persons who have limited cognitive abilities. On occasion, physical injury to elders is serious enough to require hospitalization and at that point, critical care nurses swing into action. In addition to providing acute care interventions, nurses can collect important forensic evidenc...

A study of 530 sexual assault cases from three jurisdictions tested the efficacy of sexual assault nurse examiner/sexual assault response team (SANE/SART) programs as a tool in the criminal justice system. Policy implications from the findings recommend a SANE training curriculum for the rape examination and biological evidence collection; SANE/SAR...

The study objective was to compare elders with a dementia with those without a dementia as to method of disclosure of sexual abuse, forensic markers of sexual abuse and legal outcome of cases. A convenience sample was obtained of 284 forensic cases known to a multidisciplinary group of professionals who investigated, examined or consulted on elder...

Bullying, a form of interpersonal violence, has emerged in the 21st century as an important public health issue. Bullying during childhood and adolescence is a common problem and occurs almost universally. It may be viewed on a continuum as a relationship problem in which power and aggression are inflicted on a vulnerable person to cause distress....

Sexual abuse is considered to be a pandemic contemporary public health issue, with significant physical and psychosocial consequences for its victims. However, the incidence of elder sexual assault is difficult to estimate with any degree of confidence. A convenience sample of 284 case records were reviewed for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)...

Print media is a source of data for sensitive and invisible crimes such as elder sexual abuse. For this study, newspaper reports were searched over 2 years for articles about elder sexual abuse. After 112 cases of elder sexual abuse were identified, the information was used to develop a database for descriptive analysis.

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1. Forensic nursing evaluations of perpetrators require (at minimum) information on the crime, crime scene photographs (if possible), victim statements, official records, and perpetrator interviews. 2. If multiple crime scenes exist, each needs to be detailed for an evaluation report. 3. Sexually motivated crimes are usually committed based on a we...

This article contributes to a growing body of research investigating the phenomenon of cyberstalking. Participants consisted of 100 students from a state university and 656 students from a large private university. Data were gathered from students about responses to a cyberstalking scenario and their use and experiences with the Internet. Furthermo...

The Internet opens a vast array of communication, entertainment, and educational resources for children; however, it also opens a gateway to home and school for offenders who wish to exploit children. A convenience sample of 225 cases published in the news media was examined. The cases were classified using law enforcement terminology to describe I...

Evidence exists that older adults are victims of sexual assault and rape. The scope of the problem, prevalence, and correlates of these sex crimes are relatively unknown. Such knowledge deficits are major barriers to detecting, prosecuting, and preventing sex crimes against older adults. Understanding how intentional sexual injuries are inflicted o...

Sexual abuse in the older adult population is an understudied vector of violent crimes with significant physical and psychological consequences for victims and families. Research requires a theoretical framework that delineates core elements using a standardized instrument. To develop a conceptual framework and identify core data elements specific...

Although sexual violence against women has received increasing attention over the past decades, the sexual assault of the elderly has not been as well addressed. One group, however, brings news of these cases to us weekly, if not daily. Print media (and the Internet) report on these cases and the crises and trauma that follow for the victims and th...

This follow-up study of 42 children abused in daycare suggests that even very small children confirm through their behavior and/or language that something distressing happened to them. Interviews with parents 15 years after the abuse suggest there are periods when children's recollection is persistent as well as times when it is unclear how much th...

Homicide is a topic of interest not only because of its severity but because it is a fairly reliable barometer of all violent crime, especially as it affects women. This exploratory study compared a group of murdered women over age 60 with a group of murdered women 30-59 and included age-based factors for both groups. Discussion focuses on forensic...

Nurse practitioners are often in a position to initiate proper intervention and investigation when elder abuse is detected. Unfortunately, unless there are obvious signs of injury, elder abuse may be difficult to uncover.

All family members interviewed suffered from chronic posttraumatic stress disorder 5 or more years after an infant kidnapping. Psychiatric nurses should routinely assess for secondary victimization related to any type of traumatic stressor. Nurses should refer parents and families to materials available from the National Center for Missing and Expl...

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An abstract is unavailable. This article is available as HTML full text and PDF.

Both physical and emotional traumas have been related to neurologic and neuroendocrine abnormalities that may be associated with violent behavior. A modified case-control design was used for blinded comparison of 113 female inmates convicted of violent and nonviolent crimes. History of having been physically or sexually abused, neurologic history a...

A study of 199 nonfamily infant abduction cases reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children between 1983 and 2000 compared violent with nonviolent cases. Violence occurred in 30 (15%) of the 199 cases. Murder of the victim mother occurred in 18 (60%) of the 30 cases, including 2 cases in which both parents were murdered. In 6...

A study of 30 cases of violence from a total sample of 199 cases of infant abductions between the years 1983 and 2000 included a subsample of six (or 20%) where the kidnapping was by cesarean section. The six cases are classified by type of crime. Four cases were classified as personal cause homicide, subtype cesarean section homicide; one case cla...

Homicide is a significant behavioral deviation resulting in a sudden and unexpected loss of life and can leave children in the chaotic wake. Interviews conducted with 13 children ages 9 to 11 years during the initial 1 to 3 months after a family homicide provided insight into themes of bereavement. A major finding in the study was that the witnessi...

This clinically based study asked 165 batterers attending a court-mandated assessment program to quantify a series of behaviors that occurred since being convicted of battering. The behaviors clustered into 2 factors: (1) an Ambivalent Contact Pattern whereby behaviors of batterers were associated with contacting their ex-partner, sending gifts and...

In the emerging health care environment, families and communities are facing a broad range of conditions that require more integrated views of wellness and illness, mind and body, and the biomedical and the behavioral. This also calls for an enhanced care delivery system. Three interfacing areas of practice have particular significance for the psyc...

Our original paper reporting on the application of a cost-benefit model to rehabilitation of child molesters appeared in this Journal in 1990 (see record 1990-29331-001). Since that time, there has been considerable, high-profile attention given to the problem of sexual violence, producing considerable federal legislation. For many states, the new...

1. A new subgroup of rape victims resides in nursing homes. 2. Nursing home victims can suffer both compounded and silent rape trauma. 3. Innovative therapies are needed for treating elder rape trauma.

1. Forensic evaluation reports provide an expert opinion including basis for the opinion and supporting research, if available. 2. Maternal protection of a child is evaluated by past and present behavior. 3. Risk assessment factors for child abuse include child characteristics, caregiver characteristics, parent-child relationship, severity of child...

The crimes of serial and sexual murderers regularly attract the attention of the lay press, and the response of the public on learning of these acts is typically outrage and disgust. Paradoxically, a number of recent box office hits have been based on serial killers (e.g., Copycat, Seven, Heat), suggesting at the same time a certain fascination by...

Forensic evidence in child homicide cases is critical to determine sexual abuse. Forensic evidence can help focus an investigation on a suspect through DNA results. Of 210 missing children found deceased, 68% were homicides, 16% had accidental causes, 12% were unknown, and 4% were suicides.

This preliminary research provides a descriptive, systematic study of juvenile sexual homicide. Fourteen incarcerated juveniles, identified through a department of corrections computer search, were assessed using a structured diagnostic interview, an author-designed clinical interview, and a review of correctional files and other available records....

This preliminary research provides a descriptive, systematic study of juvenile sexual homicide. Fourteen incarcerated juveniles, identified through a department of corrections computer search, were assessed using a structured diagnostic interview, an author-designed clinical interview, and a review of correctional files and other available records....

An examination of data from 120 male and female batterers of varied age and marital, educational, and economic status, who attended group treatment for batterers or who were charged with domestic violence from January to February 1996 in a district court setting, produced the following findings: Stalkers tended to live alone, were less likely to be...

1. Threats are indirect acts of criminal behavior designed to weaken or injure individuals, institutions, or property. 2. All threats should be analyzed and investigated quickly and with high priority. 3. An interdisciplinary hospital team should conduct periodic reviews of threats received, threat management, and case outcome.

The increasing numbers of criminals needing forensic evaluations or inpatient case management in institutional settings and the increase in prisoners in incarcerated centers has directed the need for a communication system between criminal justice staff, law enforcement and investigative staff, and mental health clinicians. This article presents th...

This article offers a structure for trying to distinguish between different types of stalking and for assessing the outcome of these different types of incidents. Using a law enforcement experiential paradigm, 10 stalking victims pilot-tested a questionnaire of 148 items. Revisions provided a 46-item checklist. In addition, 30 cases were used to pi...

The Comprehensive Sexual Assault Assessment Tool (CSAAT) was developed for collection of data about the victims and offenders in cases of rape and sexual assault. The CSAAT provides a systematic guide for victim assessment, evidence documentation, and initial treatment. Use of the CSAAT facilitates collection of investigative data about the victim...

A follow-up study of 19 parents whose children had been physically, sexually and psychologically abused in day care 5 to 10 years previously, suggests that as perceived by the parent, over one third of the children remain clinically symptomatic, one third are in the normal symptomatic range, and one third are asymptomatic. Also, parents themselves...

This study investigates diagnostic, behavioral, offense, and classification characteristics of juvenile murderers. Twenty-five homicidal children and adolescents were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents, clinical interviews, record review, and all available collateral data. DSM-III-R psychopathology was found in 96%...

1. Delayed reporting of rape may be due to impaired cognitive processing, altered states of consciousness, or cognitive dissonance. 2. DNA may speak for the victim who does not remember a rape due to being unconscious. 3. Women with psychosis may incorporate a rape into their delusional system.

1. Admitted kidnappers identified four phases involved in stealing an infant as: setting the stage for a baby, planning the abduction, the act of abduction, and post-abduction discovery. 2. Abductors describe personal pressure and interpersonal pressures as motivations in stealing an infant. 3. The act of abducting an infant ranges from the use of...

1. Three types of stalkers that are identified in this crime classification are the non-domestic stalker who may know the target through social contact or from a random meeting in a public place; the domestic stalker who may be known to the target and had a close personal relationship with the target; and the erotomania stalker whose target is typi...

Questions are continually raised about the accuracy and validity of very young children's memories of traumatic events. Out of 19 children, where the median age was 2 1/2 at time of disclosure, 11 had full verbal memory, five had fragmented verbal memory traces, and three had no memory 5 to 10 years following day care sexual abuse. Data from this c...

Examples have been presented of children's behaviors that demonstrate the trauma-learning pattern of re-enactment, repetition, and displacement. They become persistent parts of the symptom complex of PTSD. The encapsulation phase occurs when the trauma event occurs and symptoms present themselves, but the events as yet are undisclosed. The trauma-s...

This study identified only 6 out of a possible 33 homicide classifications for workplace violent crime. As expected, the largest number of offenders represented authority killings. Half that number, however, had the largest number of victims and were classified as nonspecific homicide. Interestingly, there is a high number of domestic homicides occ...

Murder is the unlawful taking of human life. It is a behavioral act that terminates life in the context of power, personal gain, brutality, and sometimes sexuality. Murder is a subcategory of homicide, which also includes lawful taking of human life (e.g., manslaughter, deaths resulting from criminal and noncriminal negligence, and unpremeditated v...

Children's drawings have been used in clinical interviews to provide direction for recollection and memory of events. Drawings encourage the retrieval of experience in the motoric, visual, and auditory recall. The drawing itself gives an expression of motor sensory discharge; the objects in the drawing help with the perceptual cues that are remembe...

This article presents a neuropsychosocial model to explain a victimization experience. It surveys the relation of sensation, perception, and cognition as a systematic way to provide a framework for studying human behavior and to describe human response to traumatic events. This framework is an information processing approach. The goal of informatio...

It was a warm spring morning. Because of a very sore throat, Mrs. Claven had a doctor’s appointment. All proceeded smoothly until her throat was swabbed for a culture. Suddenly, Mrs. Claven became shaky, nauseated, grabbed the physician’s arm, pulled the swab out of her mouth, and ran sobbing out of the clinic. She drove to her home and, after calm...