Martine Hébert

Université du Québec à Montréal | UQAM · Department of Sexology

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is identified as a significant risk factor for later victimization in the context of adult intimate relationships, but less is known about the risk associated with CSA in early romantic relationships. This paper aims to document the association between CSA and teen dating victimization in a large representative sample of Qu...

Background: PTSD symptoms are frequent in child victims of sexual abuse. Yet, authors have argued that early trauma could lead to alterations in development that go far beyond the primary symptoms of PTSD and have proposed Complex PTSD as an alternative diagnosis encompassing difficulties in affect regulation, relationships and self-concept. Object...

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has major psychosocial consequences on the global population and specialists report that youth may be significantly impacted. Adolescents and young adults, for whom social life is an important protective factor, had to face a new isolation caused by social distancing and home schooling. This study aims to explore y...

Objective: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with long-term negative consequences in adolescents, but some survivors display resilience. The purpose of this study was to delineate profiles of adaptation in adolescent victims of CSA and to examine their associations with individual and environmental-systemic protective factors. Method: As pa...

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a widespread adverse experience that has multiple detrimental impacts in the long-term, affecting mental, sexual, and physical health of survivors. In addition, CSA may impede interpersonal functioning, and be associated with a heightened risk of revictimization. Recent review articles have summarized the possible risk f...

Dating disagreements consist of divergences between partners' opinions or needs. When left unresolved, dating disagreements may escalate into conflicts and even sometimes, to dating violence perpetration (DVP). Several risk factors have been documented for conflicts and DVP in adolescents, such as stress, attachment insecurities, and prior DVP, but...

Studies on child sexual abuse (CSA) have mostly focused on female survivors. However, men are not spared from this type of abuse, as one in ten men report having experienced CSA before the age of 18. Some adult male victims of CSA, in trying to cope with their history of sexual abuse, overinvest in typically masculine behaviors, such as aggression...

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide phenomenon that has been linked to deleterious consequences. Adverse life events, such as sexual abuse, can compromise the development of emotional competencies, an important dimension of children's psychosocial development. This study aimed at evaluating emotion recognition competencies in sexually abused an...

Sexual assertiveness is often conceptualized as an individual’s ability to express one’s own sexual needs, desires, and limits. Given that sexual assertiveness is embedded in interactions and can affect not only both partners’ sexual well-being but also relationship satisfaction, dyadic approaches are needed to investigate sexual assertiveness nego...

Youth narratives of love are shaped by romantic experiences through observation of others’ romantic relationships, and by media commonly conveying romantic beliefs. Since past reports have linked romantic beliefs to dating violence (DV), studies need to explore narratives of love by youth who report DV victimization experiences to identify specific...

Study objectives: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with negative consequences on both physical and mental health. It has been found to influence child and adolescent sleep, which is an important developmental factor, which also influences mental and physical health. However, the literature examining this topic is plagued by methodological li...

The prevalence of child sexual violence remains overwhelming, particularly among Indigenous populations, despite increased awareness. Therefore, implementing efficient initiatives is crucial in preventing and reducing sexual violence rates among these groups.This study aimed to examine the processes involved in the implementation of a sexual violen...

Dating violence during adolescence is a major public health issue: it is highly prevalent and extensive research has documented its physical and psychological consequences, yet very little has focused on its sexual consequences. The present study investigated the longitudinal associations between dating violence victimization (psychological, sexual...

Victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) are a heterogeneous population. Several characteristics may influence the outcomes associated with this adverse childhood experience, including personal (e.g. age) and CSA characteristics (e.g. relationship to the perpetrator). This study relied on a person-centered approach to account for this heterogeneity and...

Cyber-dating violence (cyber-DV) is a prevalent issue among adolescent girls that can have negative consequences including post-traumatic stress symptoms and suicidal ideations and attempts. In the aim to reduce its prevalence and impacts, researchers are increasingly relying on the identification of risk and protective factors associated with cybe...

Purpose Conflicts in adolescent dating relationships occur weekly and are challenging for this population. Adolescents use constructive strategies (CS) for conflict resolution, but also resort to destructive strategies (DS, i.e., withdrawal, conflict engagement, and violence), which contribute to conflict escalation. Fortunately, DS are not used in...

Sur la base des expériences et des recommandations d'adolescentes victimes de violences sexuelles en contexte de relation amoureuse, nous avons identifié cinq principes-clés à mettre en place dans les contextes d'éducation à la sexualité afin de mieux adapter les pratiques à leurs besoins. //Based on the experiences and recommandations of adolesce...

Les études antérieures rapportent des résultats mitigés concernant les différences de genre quant à la capacité des adolescent.e.s à exprimer leurs besoins, désirs et limites dans la sphère sexuelle. Cette étude qualitative vise à documenter la négociation des besoins, désirs et limites sexuels lors d'interactions où des dyades étaient invitées à d...

The need for autonomy and independence in adolescence is so fundamental that it can be difficult for youth to seek help when they experience difficulties. To date, few studies have documented profiles of help-seeking strategies among adolescents and young adults. The aims of the study were to: (1) identify distinct help-seeking profiles, and (2) il...

IntroductionSchool staff play a central role in youth sexual health education (SHE), making them critical actors in dating violence (DV) prevention initiatives. However, since most school staff do not benefit from specific training on SHE, they often report feeling challenged in their roles as sex educators. The mention of a lack of self-efficacy t...

Dear readers, I am pleased to introduce the 2022 Issue of the International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience (IJCAR). This issue includes: six regular articles on varying aspects of hardships and resilience in different populations; three scoping review papers on trauma and maltreatment; two clinical interventions surrounding the COVID-19...

Sexual dating violence (DV) is common among female adoles- cents, and victims may experience other forms of DV (physical, psychological, and cyberviolence) and report a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). Heterogeneity of these victimization experi- ences could influence how adolescent girls’ cope. We aimed to identify distinct profiles of victimi...

The consequences associated with child sexual abuse are well known. However, factors exacerbating child behavior problems following sexual abuse (SA) deserve further attention. Self-blame following the abuse has been identified as a predictor of negative outcomes in adult survivors, however there is limited evidence regarding the impact of self-bla...

Sexual dysfunctions (SD; e.g., female sexual interest/arousal disorder, erectile disorder, female orgasmic disorder, delayed ejaculation, genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder, etc.) affect up to a third of individuals, impairing sexuality, intimate relationships, and mental health. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of SDs and their sexu...

Many adolescents experience violence in the context of dating and romantic relationships. Neighborhoods can influence dating violence by offering certain resources which can provide social support and opportunities for social participation, but knowledge about these effects is still limited. The purpose of the current study was to (a) assess the as...

Purpose: The unveiling of child sexual abuse (CSA) can elicit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nonoffending parents. The impact of disclosure is stronger for mothers who have already experienced interpersonal trauma, such as CSA or intimate partner violence (IPV). Alexithymia often serves as a coping mechanism in the aftermath o...

Présentation de vulgarisation scientifique Martel, N., Girard, M., Dussault, É., Hébert, M., Godbout, N. (2023). Être dans le moment présent pour vivre moins de détresse sexuelle. BistroBrain, Février 2023. Montréal, QC, CA.

A large body of research reveals that child sexual abuse is an adverse experience associated with many negative socioemotional and behavioral consequences during adolescence. Notably, adolescent victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior, which has importance for their adaptation later in life. While research on...

Objective: To investigate prospective associations between type of child abuse (physical, sexual, both), timing (childhood, young adulthood, both), and welfare receipt into middle-age. Methods: Database linkage study using the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children cohort born in 1980 and government administrative databases (N = 3020...

Introduction: Child sexual abuse remains a worldwide concern with devastating consequences on an individual's life. This longitudinal study investigates the associations between child sexual abuse (official reports versus retrospective self-reports) and subgroups by perpetrator identity (intrafamilial and extrafamilial), severity (penetration/atte...

Adolescents and young adults are particularly at risk of experiencing or perpetrating cyber dating violence (CDV) in their romantic relationships. However, it remains difficult to understand the motivations behind tolerating or perpetrating CDV in romantic relationships. Romantic attachment and beliefs may be an interesting avenue to explore among...

The purpose of this study was to validate the French-Canadian version of the Parental Stress Scale with a first sample of 473 parents and to confirm its factorial structure with a second sample of 378 parents from the Quebec community with an infant. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire translated from English to French using the bac...

Canadian guidelines suggest using a positive, empowering, comprehensive, and safe approach to provide sexual health education (SHE). However, when they do so, decision-makers and educators often favour sexual risk prevention initiatives rather than positive aspects of sexuality. Furthermore, youth often criticize the gap between what they learn in...

Objectives: Mindfulness has been conceptualized through five facets, the combination of which can yield different mindful-ness profiles. Impeded mindfulness has been linked to childhood interpersonal trauma (CIT) and relational difficulties in adulthood. Exploring profile distinctions on these outcomes is crucial to better understand each profile's...

This study presents an exploratory mixed-method descriptive analysis of psychological distress, challenges encountered and coping strategies of youth during the first wave of COVID-19. A total of 4 914 Quebec youth, aged 14 to 25 recruited through social media completed an online survey on the impact of the pandemic on their daily life, psychologic...

Résumé Objectifs Lanterne est un programme de prévention de la violence sexuelle ayant été implanté dans 23 milieux éducatifs s’adressant aux enfants de 0 à 5 ans dans la province de Québec, Canada. Cette étude vise à documenter les effets de la formation offerte au personnel de milieux d’intervention et d’éducation à la petite enfance. Méthodes...

Martel, N., Girard, M., Dussault, É., Hébert, M., Godbout, N. (2022). Comment une faible estime de soi sexuelle et les dispositions à la présence attentive sont-elles liées à la détresse sexuelle chez les patient.e.s en thérapie sexuelle? [Communication orale]. Colloque étudiant du Réseau intersectoriel de recherche en santé de l’Université du Québ...

Campus sexual violence (CSV) is a pervasive problem across universities. This study identified distinct patterns of CSV based on its forms (sexual harassment, unwanted sexual behaviors, and sexual coercion) and its associated consequences (mental health, physical health, personal/social life, and academic/professional life). Additionally, it invest...

The COVID-19 pandemic has a great impact on society as a whole. Yet the pandemic and associated mandatory lockdown in several countries may have increased the vulnerability of certain populations. The present study aimed to document the frequency of clinical level of psychological distress and COVID-19 related post-traumatic stress symptoms in yout...

Relationship quality has implications for individuals' and couples' wellbeing, such as higher couple functioning and perceived quality of life. In adolescence, low relationship quality has been associated with poor mental health and relational outcomes. However, given the lack of instruments to assess satisfaction in dating relationships, most stud...

Les jeunes de minorités sexuelles, c’est-à-dire lesbiennes, gais, bisexuel·les, queer ou en questionnement, sont plus susceptibles de fuguer que les jeunes hétérosexuel·les. Le modèle du stress des minorités est utilisé pour examiner le rôle de la polyvictimisation et de la détresse psychologique dans la relation entre le statut de minorité sexuell...

Sexual violence in the context of domestic abuse is a prevalent phenomenon associated with significant negative health outcomes for women. This form of violence raises specific issues that may be overlooked in interventions with victims of domestic violence or in interventions with victims of sexual violence committed by a perpetrator outside of a...

Considering the increased risk of revictimization, adolescents who have experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) are a priority subpopulation for the prevention of dating violence. Yet, intervention programs often focus on psychological symptomology associated with CSA; few tackle issues specific to relational violence. Addressing the relational trauma...

Childhood maltreatment and neglect are associated with a host of negative outcomes. Yet, some children show resilience despite their exposure to these traumatic events. Several protective factors have been documented in the literature, but few studies focus on protective factors in the child’s community that can promote resilience. The purpose of t...

Adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the negative impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, given their increased socialization needs during this developmental period. This prospective study examined the potential changes in adolescents’ well-being from before to during the pandemic, and the moderating role of a history o...

Childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, and neglect are indirectly associated with a higher number of risk factors for pregnancy complications in young pregnant women through their association with posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Objectives: This prospective longitudinal study aimed to explore the role of family relationships (romantic satisfaction and mother-infant bonding) and psychological distress in the associations between four child maltreatment (CM) subtypes (sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, neglect) and early child abuse potential in young mothers. Methods: A...

Contexte La violence dans les relations amoureuses concerne de nombreux adolescents et pourrait entraîner d'importantes conséquences sur leur santé. Les quartiers pourraient jouer un rôle sur ces comportements mais aucune étude ne semble avoir analysé l'effet de l'accès aux espaces verts et à leurs équipements. L'objectif de ce travail est d'analys...

The need for autonomy and independence in adolescence is so fundamental that it can be difficult for youth to seek help when they experience difficulties. To date, few studies have documented profiles of help-seeking behavior according to victimization, gender, and perceived social support among adolescents and emerging adults. The aims of the stud...

Cumulative childhood maltreatment (CCM; cooccurrence of different types of maltreatment) is associated with negative effects on intimate relationships in adulthood (Godbout et al., 2017), and appears to particularly impede survivors’ ability to maintain healthy and nonviolent intimate relationships (Brassard et al., 2019). Relatedness, which is the...

Background Dating violence (DV) is a public health problem that could have serious repercussions for the health and well-being of a large number of adolescents. Several neighborhood characteristics could influence these behaviors, but knowledge on such influences is still limited. This study aims at (1) evaluating the associations between neighborh...

Marcoux, L., Martel, N., Girard, M., Vaillancourt Morel, MP., Hébert, M., Fernet, M., et Godbout, N. (2022, mai). Trauma interpersonnel cumulatif en enfance et difficultés sexuelles chez les survivant.e.s consultant en thérapie sexuelle [affiche]. 2e Colloque relations interpersonnelles : sexualité et parentalité du Centre de recherche interdiscipl...

Very little is known in Haiti and the Caribbean regarding child and lifetime sexual victimization. Using a nationally representative sample of adolescents and young adults aged 15-24, this study aimed to document the prevalence, risk factors and mental health correlates of lifetime and child sexual violence in Haiti. A national cross-sectional surr...

The purpose of this study was to examine, in a sample of residential care children, the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in the association between maltreatment and emotion regulation competencies. The sample included 69 children aged 8 to 12 and their group home educator as their primary caretaker. Educators completed questionnaires evalua...

Sexual assertiveness is a key variable in the development of satisfying and violence-free intimate relationships, yet no specific measure has been validated to assess sexual assertiveness in adolescents. This study aimed to validate the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness in a sample of French-speaking adolescents. Analyses were conducted on sel...

The current study used an intersectional framework to investigate international students' experiences of sexual violence and examine differences in contexts, consequences, and disclosure between international and domestic students. Secondary analyses (chi-squares, multivariate logistic regressions) were conducted on previously collected data. The s...

Introduction: Cumulative childhood interpersonal traumas (CCIT; cooccurrence of different types of traumas) is associated with negative effects on intimate relationships in adulthood (Godbout et al., 2017), and appears to particularly impede survivors’ ability to develop and maintain a non-violent intimate relationship (Brassard et al., 2019). Thro...

Background Studies examining both victimization and perpetration of dating violence among both women and men are virtually non-existent in Haiti. This study aimed to document the prevalence and factors associated with victimization and perpetration of dating violence (DV) among adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 years in Haiti. Participants a...

Achieving healthy and satisfying sexual relationships is a major developmental task in adolescence, but factors promoting sexual satisfaction among adolescent romantic relationships remain underexplored. Since sexuality is shaped by relational experiences, strategies mobilized to negotiate conflicts in romantic relationships could be related to sex...

Background Emotion regulation has been identified as an explanatory factor in the association between interpersonal childhood adversity and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, most studies focused on adults or older adolescents, neglecting youth from the community, especially gender and sexually diverse (GSD) adolescents, who have a hig...

Importance: Individuals who have been sexually abused are at a greater risk for poor health, but associations with economic outcomes in mid-life have been overlooked. Objectives: We investigated associations between child sexual abuse (≤18 years) and economic outcomes at 33-37 years, while considering type of report (official/retrospective) and cha...

Cette étude visait à évaluer les effets d'une formation portant sur la violence sexuelle et destinée au personnel en milieu scolaire secondaire québécois. L'étude s'appuie sur un devis quasi expérimental prétest/post-test incluant un groupe de comparaison et une mesure de relance. Recrutés dans 13 écoles réparties dans diverses régions administrati...

Peer victimization and dating violence victimization frequently co-occur, with 50.4% of adolescents reporting victimization in both social contexts. A possible explanation for the association between these two negative experiences is offered by interpersonal theories of depression. These theories stipulate that depression might not only be caused b...

Objective This study explored the pathway underlying the relationships between child maltreatment (CM) subtypes (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect) and factors associated with a heightened risk of pregnancy complications by examining post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as a potential mediator. Methods A sample of 9...

Datablitz Les traumas interpersonnels cumulatifs en enfance (TICE; cooccurrence de différents types de trauma interpersonnels) peuvent négativement influencer les relations intimes à l’âge adulte (Godbout et al., 2017). Les TICE sont associés à une fréquence plus élevée d’expérience de revictimisation en contexte de relation intimes chez les femmes...

The use of technology as a communication tool among youth has fostered opportunities for harassment, stalking or pressuring in romantic relationships. There is a paucity of studies exploring the links between childhood victimization experiences and cyber dating violence (DV) and how youth positively adapt to such experiences. This mixed methods stu...

Introduction: Dating violence prevention initiatives are intended, not only to reduce the occurrence of violent behaviors, but also to promote the development of positive dating relational skills starting in adolescence. However, despite the growing interest in examining adolescent relational skills in adolescents, no specific measure is yet availa...

L’émergence des relations amoureuses durant l’adolescence joue un rôle important sur le plan du développement social et émotionnel des jeunes. En effet, les premières expériences intimes constituent d’excellentes occasions d’acquérir et de mettre à profit de nouvelles compétences relationnelles qui seront utiles tout au long de la vie. Le développe...

La violence dans les relations amoureuses (VRA) est une problématique particulièrement fréquente à l’adolescence. Les écrits scientifiques suggèrent que la VRA se produit souvent en situation de conflit, soit lorsque les partenaires utilisent des comportements destructeurs, comme la confrontation (ex., s’emporter, critiquer l’autre) ou l’évitement...

Dear readers, I am pleased to introduce the 2021 Issue of IJCAR, the International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, addressing various aspects of youth resilience. We also have a thematic section focused on resilience in Indigenous and multicultural populations. This issue includes five regular articles on different aspects of resilience...

Depuis 2017, de nombreuses personnes victimes de violences à caractère sexuel ont pris la parole publiquement dans le cadre de mouvements sur les réseaux sociaux comme #MeToo et Dis Son Nom. Ces mouvements ont permis de libérer la parole des survivant·e·s et d'attirer l'attention sur ce phénomène hautement prévalent, mais la plupart du temps tenu d...

Le programme Lanterne vise à prévenir la violence sexuelle et s'adresse aux enfants d'âge préscolaire ainsi qu'aux adultes qui gravitent autour d'eux. Cette étude vise à recueillir 1) les perceptions des personnes éducatrices concernant l'utilisation des outils pédagogiques du programme auprès des enfants et 2) l'expérience subjective des personnes...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713477.].

Crucial au bien-être psychologique, le développement d’une bonne estime de soi a été associé à une meilleure intégration scolaire, familiale et sociale. Les premières expériences amoureuses constituent une source d’influence positive quant au développement de l’estime de soi, notamment en raison de l’importance que les jeunes accordent à leurs rela...

Les premières expériences intimes contribuent positivement au développement de l’estime de soi en raison de l’importance que les jeunes accordent à ces relations. Plusieurs types de relations peuvent être vécues par les jeunes, notamment les relations amoureuses et les fréquentations. Bien qu’à l’âge adulte les relations comportant un niveau élevé...

Sexual minority youth are more vulnerable to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and several associated negative consequences. It remains unknown whether such vulnerability explain their excess risk for teen dating violence victimization (TDVV) documented previously. It is also unclear whether risk and protective factors associated with TDVV in th...

Few instruments assess community resilience. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the capacity of communities to support resilience of members deserves to be assessed to develop programs for improving mental health of affected populations. This article presents the development of the Ottawa-Community Resilience Scale (O-CRS), its underlying facto...

Background Child sexual abuse (CSA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) have been associated with negative consequences for adult victims and their children including a risk of revictimization and intergenerational continuity. Objectives The aim of this study was to document correlates of intergenerational cumulative trauma profiles in mother-chil...

Childhood maltreatment is associated with negative effects that can influence later intimate relationships (Godbout et al., 2017). Cumulative childhood interpersonal traumas (CCIT; cooccurrence of different types of traumas) may particularly impede survivors’ ability to develop and maintain a non-violent intimate relationship (Brassard et al., 2019...

A strong understanding of sexual victimization (childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, revictimization), their effects and correlates is an essential foundation toward well-tailored interventions for survivors. While victimization is related to sexual functioning (Bigras et al., 2015; 2017), not all survivors present difficulties and the mechanism...