Background: The extent and nature of sexual abuse (SA) and its consequences in psychiatry are still poorly described in adolescence. Objective: This article describes the frequency of SA reported in an adolescent population hospitalized in psychiatry, and assesses its links with the severity of mental disorders and the medical issues of these adolescents. Methods: The study includes 100 patients for whom SA has been mentioned, among all patients aged 13 to 17 years old hospitalized for about 4 years. The characteristics of sexual abuse were correlated with the medical severity of the patients, as well as the number, the duration of their hospitalization(s), and the time until disclosure. Results: The results show the central place of SA in adolescent psychiatry, with a prevalence of 28.5% and a cumulative hospital stay which is five times longer than average. Correlations have been observed between the number of suicide attempts and the number of abuses reported. The medical severity of patients is significantly increased when the named aggressor is an adult. The number of hospitalizations is positively correlated with the number of reported abuses, as well as with the intrafamilial and adult status of the perpetrator. Finally, an early age of onset, repeated abuse, and the intrafamilial nature of the abuse are associated with a longer time to disclosure. Conclusions: The severity of adolescent psychiatric situation is statistically in favor of a history of SA, which should therefore be actively explored during care.

The increasing prevalence of sexual abuse calls for exceptional awareness of its multidimensional impact on the mental, sexual, and social wellbeing of male adults. This study aims to deepen the overall understanding of sexual abuse consequences; to highlight some common resilience factors; and to strengthen therapeutic and social support. In this qualitative research, we conducted seven semi-structured interviews with male victims of sexual violence. The data were analysed with the interpretative phenomenological analysis. They shed light on the great suffering linked to sexual violence, and on seven themes which are seemingly pillars of resilience: bond to others, bond to the body, making sense of things, expression, rediscovering oneself, institutions, and finally, learning and commitment. The exploration of these themes reveals several avenues for adjusting care, most of which imply the importance of raising awareness so that spaces receiving the victims’ word can emerge.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on mental health across populations, especially young and precarious people. Furthermore, COVID-19 diagnosis itself has been associated with psychiatric symptoms. However, only a few studies have assessed the mental health of precarious youth, and examined a possible association with food insecurity, while including COVID-19 diagnosis in their analyses. We aimed to determine the prevalence of poor mental health in precarious youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to investigate its possible association with food insecurity, independently of COVID-19 diagnosis. In a cross-sectional study conducted in the context of an employment program for precarious youth (18–25 years) living in Paris, France, 823 individuals were assessed for depression, anxiety, subjective distress and food insecurity during the second lockdown of 2020. A directed acyclic graph (DAG)-based approach was used to identify confounders for inclusion in a multivariate regression model. Of the 823 precarious youth, 45.93% reported significant symptoms of depression, 36.69% anxiety, 39% distress and 25.39% suicidal ideation. In the multivariate analysis based on DAG, food insecurity (less than one meal per day) was associated with depression (OR = 2.30; CI%: 1.19–4.51), anxiety (OR = 2.51; CI%: 1.29–4.88), distress (OR = 2.36; CI%: 1.23–4.57) and suicidal ideation (OR = 4.81; CI%: 2.46–9.44), independently of age, gender, education, COVID-19 contact and COVID-19 diagnosis. This study highlights the importance of food insecurity on mental health among young precarious people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reducing food insecurity is essential to help reduce psychological distress.

Nous nous interrogeons plus précisément sur le rapport qu’entretiennent les agirs avec la vie psychique, particulièrement chez les adolescents au fonctionnement limite. Sont-ils à même de mobiliser le sujet quant à ses capacités de dépressivité, de fantasmatisation et de symbolisation ? Ces passages à l’acte demeureraient alors encore des actes de passage et justifieraient les interrogations soignantes sur la complaisance à des aménagements pervers chez des sujets dont la capacité de discernement et de prise de conscience ne sont pas totalement abolies. Nous insistons sur la nécessité d’agir vite, mais de s’engager dans le soin avec vigilance. Le trouble du comportement peut en effet contribuer à plonger le sujet dans un cercle vicieux aboutissant à un appauvrissement de ses relations lorsqu’il s’inscrit dans la répétition, et à figer des lignes de force structurelles. Nous proposons des pistes de compréhension psychopathologiques de l’agir adolescent ainsi que des orientations thérapeutiques vectorisées principalement sur deux axes : au niveau familial les liens noués par le sujet avec ses objets, et ce dès les interrelations précoces, lesquels objets contribuent à constituer le moi du sujet. une ambition thérapeutique dans les cadres de médiations (culturelles, corporelles), afin de favoriser dans la rencontre engagée, apaisée, et signifiante avec des soignants, la détermination d’une forme, d’une direction, et in fine d’un sens, à ces passages à l’acte.