Grant: Project Grant

According to a national survey, one third of Canadians aged 15 and older were victims of childhood maltreatment. It is noteworthy that 60% of victims experienced abuse at the hands of a family member, suggesting intergenerational transmission of abuse. In 2014, in the province of Quebec, 95.5% of the 605 adolescents adjudicated as having engaged in sexual abuse (AESA) perpetrated these offences against minors. Nevertheless, AESA represent a vulnerable population given their own experiences of past victimization (e.g., 50% physical; 30% sexual), as well as their risk for sexual (6 to 20%) and violent recidivism (21 to 40%). Furthermore, with 50% of mothers and 30% of fathers of AESA reporting a history of victimization, manifestations associated with sexual and non-sexual interpersonal violence in these families is undeniable. A systemic approach to research and intervention is thus necessary to address the cumulative forms of victimization in these families. The Gaïa Project seeks to implement and assess the effectiveness of the clinical Gaïa program to promote targeted changes in improving mental and relational health in AESA and their families at the end of the treatment and at the 6-month follow-up. The Gaïa program will be implemented in 3 organizations, the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux de l'Estrie (CIUSSSE) and de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec (CIUSSSMCQ), as well as the Institut Philippe-Pinel de Montreal. Program implementation and effectiveness will be based on a quasi-experimental design with comparison group and 3 assessment time points. Given referral rates of partnering organizations, a sample of 200 families is expected. The Gaïa program is innovative in that 1) AESA and their families are targeted for treatment; 2) symptomatic repercussions of victimization and interpersonal violence in families are treated; and 3) the program is designed with modules that are implemented while AESA complete their treatment as usual.