Differential patterns of disclosure of child abuse among boys and girls: Implications for practitioners

Abstract

An assessment of 56 reports generated directly following the presentation of 48 child abuse prevention programs to 1,920 children and faculty members over a 15 month period revealed that in contrast to the commonly accepted reports associated with hotline notification after incidents of sexual abuse, solicited reports following prevention programs reflect a smaller discrepancy between the incidence of reports concerning female and male victims. These data are discussed in terms of gender and cultural expectations with implications for the practitioner.