Field Of Child Sexual Abuse Research Articles

“In there but not in there”: sibling sexual abuse as a disruptor in the field of child sexual abuse

ABSTRACT In this commentary paper, which draws on the authors’ own past research and practice experience in the field of child sexual abuse prevention as well as a thorough knowledge of the extant literature, we argue that sibling sexual abuse challenges conventional thinking about child sexual abuse, both in terms of how the general public conceptualises child sexual abuse and in terms of our practice responses to it. Traditional service responses are often inadequate and inappropriate in situations involving sexual abuse between siblings. The question is further raised as to whether traditional service responses are appropriate for other forms of child sexual abuse. We argue that instead of siloed, individualist therapy and criminal or youth justice responses, whole-family responses are required, which draw on the principles of family therapy and restorative justice.

The truth project paper one-how did victims and survivors experience participation? Addressing epistemic relational inequality in the field of child sexual abuse.

The last 30 years has seen an exponential increase in Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiries. One feature of these has been to place adult survivor voices at the center of Inquiry work, meaning that child abuse victims and survivors are engaging with Inquiries, sharing their experiences, with this participation often presented as empowering and healing. This initiative challenges long held beliefs that child sexual abuse survivors are unreliable witnesses, which has led to epistemic injustice and a hermeneutical lacunae in survivor testimony. However to date there has been limited research on what survivors say about their experiences of participation. The Truth Project was one area of work of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales. It invited survivors of Child Sexual Abuse to share their experiences including the impacts of abuse and their recommendations for change. The Truth Project concluded in 2021 and heard from more than 6,000 victims of child sexual abuse. The evaluation of the Trauma Informed Approach designed to support survivors through their engagement with the project was a mixed methods, two phase methodology. A total of 66 survey responses were received. Follow-up interviews were conducted with seven survey respondents. The Trauma Informed Approach was found to be predominantly helpful in attending to victim needs and minimizing harm. However, a small number of participants reported harmful effects post-session. The positive impacts reported about taking part in the Truth Project as a one-off engagement challenges beliefs that survivors of child sexual abuse cannot safely talk about their experiences. It also provides evidence of the central role survivors should have in designing services for trauma victims. This study contributes to the epistemic justice literature which emphasizes the central role of relational ethics in the politics of knowing, and the importance of developing a testimonial sensibility when listening to marginalized groups.

“Maybe I imagined it, maybe it really was all just childish play”: Complexity and ambiguity in survivors' perceptions of harmful preadolescent sexual behavior

BackgroundHarmful preadolescent sexual behavior (HPSB) is an understudied phenomenon in the field of child sexual abuse (CSA). ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study was to analyze and describe the experiences and perceptions of adult survivors of HPSB. Participants and setting16 survivors of HPSB were recruited as part of a purposeful sample. Their ages at the time of the study ranged from 21 to 50; they were Jewish-Israeli, secular, and Hebrew-speaking. MethodsSemi-structured interviews and qualitative thematic analysis were conducted based on a descriptive phenomenological-psychological approach. ResultsParticipants described elements of complexity in their perceptions of the “truthiness” of their memories and the mutuality of the HPSB experiences, as well as their primacy, seriousness, and life impact. They also described elements of support during disclosure, but mostly exposed the challenges and hardship involved, particularly the lack of legitimacy in exposing harmful sexual behavior perpetrated by other children. ConclusionsBoth the HPSB experiences themselves and the subsequent disclosure contributed to the development of detached, mistrustful identities among the participants.

To split or include? Child sexual abuse mandate reporting in the ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Israel

• Society heterogeneity and child maltreatment reporting is under-researched. • Moral standpoints compounded disputes about how to manage child sexual abuse. • Investigating communities' mandatory reporting requires methodological competence. • Mandatory reporting tells little on how society protect children from maltreatment. Remarkably little priority is given in the literature to minority groups’ perspectives vis-à-vis mandatory reporting legislation of child maltreatment. This study examined how mandatory reporting legislation is perceived and implemented in the ultra-orthodox Jewish population in Israel. This minority group is suspected of failing to report child maltreatment and yet remains significantly underresearched. The study focused on child sexual abuse. Thirty ultra-orthodox Jewish leaders participated in the study: 12 rabbis, 6 community activists, and 12 professionals (social workers and criminologists). All participants were well-known figures in their community for their involvement in the field of child sexual abuse. Data were collected through semistructured face-to-face interviews. The process of data analysis followed Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory approach. Two competing approaches to human nature were identified: inclusive and splitting positions. The analysis uncovered how these underlying moral standpoints were tidily linked to participants’ attitudes and actions regarding child sexual abuse and compounded existing disputes about how it should be managed, including reporting. Mandatory reporting cannot be fully considered in isolation of wider social, cultural and multicultural, moral, and ethical dimensions of human life, perspectives, and philosophy.

False memories, false innocence belief syndrome (FIBS) and ‘mind control’

IntroductionChild sexual abuse allegations are extremely tricky matters to deal with as situations can range from ritual violence at one extreme to complete fabrication by vested interests at the other. A level headed approach is required that does not fall into the trap of categorizing all early childhood memories as ‘false memories’ while also being alert to possible ‘mind control’ coaching of false allegations.ObjectivesThe presentation covers the origins of the false memory syndrome group and the implantation of false memories that is seemingly practiced by vested interests.AimsChild custody and criminal cases are frequently decided based on testimony of mental health professionals who routinely appear to be poorly informed and blatantly biased.MethodsA review of articles in the BPS publication ‘The Psychologist’ uncovered a large amount of materials written by advocates of the BFMS prompting further research.ResultsThere appears to be a multitude of articles written by BFMS associates in The Psychologist. Furthermore, instances of BPS ‘censorship’ are disconcerting. On top of this, concerns have been raised in the US about the ethics of Elizabeth Loftus–the academic ‘darling’ of the false memory movement. Finally cases have come to light where false memories were seemingly implanted by vested interests to ‘snatch’ children into authority care.ConclusionsThe mine field of child sexual abuse needs to be tackled with an even-handed manner considering the full range of possibilities in assessment.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

THE VIEWS OF PROFESSIONALS ON FAMILY PLAY THERAPY IN THE CONTEXT OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA

This article reports on the information gathering and synthesis phase of an intervention research process. The aim was to obtain the views of professionals working in the field of child sexual abuse (CSA) in South Africa on family play therapy. This article outlines the findings based on data gathered from focus groups with professionals. Data were analysed and four themes emerged. The first theme centred on the importance of moving increasingly to systemic approaches in the context of CSA. Theme 2 outlined the views of professionals on inadequate knowledge and skills to engage in family play therapy. The third theme expanded on a family play therapy framework with suggestions that gestalt therapy theory can be valuable. Theme 4 pointed to a structured an individualised approach with a helping process where there is a balance between process goals and problem goals.

Ethnic differences in help-seeking behaviour following child sexual abuse: a multi-method study

In Western societies, groups from a minority ethnic background are under-represented in formal mental health care. However, it is unknown if the minority ethnic victims of child sexual abuse differ from majority ethnic victims regarding their help-seeking behaviours. This study used a multi-method design to investigate the prevalence of (in) formal help-seeking after child sexual abuse and the influence of attitudes towards gender roles and sexuality on help-seeking among the Dutch minority ethnic and majority ethnic victims. We also examined differences in reasons not to seek help. Quantitative survey data on help-seeking patterns among 1496 child sexual abuse victims were collected. Four qualitative focus groups were conducted with professionals working in the field of child sexual abuse and minority ethnic groups to explore help-seeking behaviour. No significant differences between ethnicity emerged in help-seeking rates. However, respondents with more liberal gender attitudes were more likely to disclose than conservative respondents. Additionally, an interaction effect was observed between ethnicity and gender attitudes, indicating that, contrary to the main effect, young people of Moroccan and Turkish heritage with more liberal gender attitudes were less likely to disclose abuse. Reasons for not seeking help differed among groups. Focus group members emphasised mistrust towards counsellors and perceptions that inhibit minority ethnic youth from seeking help.

Impact of interviewers’ supportive comments and children's reluctance to cooperate during sexual abuse disclosure

In the field of child sexual abuse (CSA) disclosure, many studies have been conducted on the impact of interviewers’ questioning style, but few have examined the impact of interviewers’ supportive comments on children's cooperative and reluctant disclosure of substantive details. This field study used a sample of children ranging from 4 to 13 years of age who have all disclosed CSA. The first objective was to examine if the interviewer's and the child's comments during CSA interviews would vary as a function of the use of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Protocol. The second objective was to identify the strongest correlates of the proportion of details disclosed by the children during forensic interviews. A total of 90 matched NICHD Protocol and non-Protocol interviews done by the same interviewers were audio-taped, transcribed, and coded using verbal subscales. The goal was to explore if differences exist between the interviewers’ supportive and non-supportive comments as well as children's cooperative and reluctant statements during investigative interviews conducted prior to or after the NICHD Protocol training. Results of a MANCOVA showed that the use of the NICHD Protocol had no influence on interviewers’ and children's demeanors. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis controlling for relevant variables (e.g., child's age and NICHD Protocol) showed that children's reluctance and interviewers’ non-support were associated with a lesser proportion of details. Overall, these results indicate that in order to promote detailed disclosure of CSA, interviewers should decrease their non-supportive comments and learn to deal more effectively with children's reluctance during forensic interviews. As such, protocols and training should encourage investigative interviewers to devote more time identifying early signs of children's verbal reluctance and to understand the negative impact of non-supportive comments on the disclosure of substantive details.

Responding to Historical Child Sexual Abuse and the Needs of Survivors

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsJudy CashmoreJudy Cashmore AO is an Associate Professor in Socio-Legal Studies at Sydney Law School, University of Sydney. She has a PhD in developmental psychology and a Masters degree in education. Her research concerns children's involvement in civil and criminal proceedings and other processes in which decisions are made about children's lives. The special focus of this research has been on children's experience and perceptions of the process and the implications for social policy. Judy has worked as a consultant to various government agencies and been involved in numerous state and federal government committees concerning children and families. Together with colleagues Patrick Parkinson and Rita Shackel, Judy is currently researching ‘The impact of delayed reporting on the prosecution of child sexual assault cases and the outcomes' under a grant from the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Email: judith.cashmore@sydney.edu.au.Rita ShackelRita Shackel is an Associate Professor at Sydney Law School, University of Sydney. She holds undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in law, science, psychology and education. She has worked as a lawyer, legal policy officer and academic in a range of settings. One of her primary research interests is the evaluation and reform of legal and social justice processes, particularly vis-à-vis victims of crime, with a specific focus on gender-based violence and children's interaction with the law. Rita has worked and published broadly in the field of child sexual abuse. She has a particular interest in the dynamics of child sexual assault and how victims and survivors disclose their assaults and the evidentiary issues that arise in such cases. In 2012 she received the Medico-Legal Society of Sri Lanka Oration Medal and the Professor CC de Silva Memorial Oration Medal for her work on child sexual abuse in Sri Lanka. Email: rita.shackel@sydney.edu.au.

“It's Just an Image, Right?”: Practitioners’ Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse Images Online and Effects on Victims

Child sexual abuse images online (CSAIO) present new and daunting challenges for practitioners working in the field of child sexual abuse (CSA). Current understanding of the phenomenon is severely limited due to a lack of theoretical and empirical research in the area. This article reports findings from a study that examined practitioners’ experiences with, and views of, CSAIO. Participants differed in how they conceptualized what constituted online CSA images and held varying degrees of concern regarding the potential effects of CSAIO on the child. Some practitioners were uncertain about whether child victims of CSAIO experience particular effects different from or over and above those caused by conventional (non-Internet related) CSA. A key finding was that most practitioners did not have a clear understanding of CSAIO. This article includes recommendations for future research regarding the implications of technology in the field of CSA.

Young female survivors of sexual abuse in Malaysia and depression: What factors are associated with better outcome?

AbstractIntroductionResearch in the field of child sexual abuse is lacking in Malaysia. The aims of this study are to identify the association between sociodemographic factors and depression among sexually abused females.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was conducted among 51 young sexually abused female attendees at the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) clinic of Hospital Kuala Lumpur, a tertiary referral centre. Upon obtaining informed consent from participant and guardian, participants were screened for depression using the Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) and interviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children (K‐SADS) for depressive disorders and K‐SADS‐PL (Present and Lifetime version) to diagnose depression. Sociodemographic data and details of the abuse were also obtained.ResultsOf the survivors, 33.3% were depressed. Univariate analysis showed significant association between legal guardianship, living environment and duration of abuse with depression, however, multivariate analyses later showed that the sole predictor for depression was living environment. Respondents who lived with others were 23‐times more likely to be depressed as compared to those who lived with their parents.DiscussionDepression is common among young survivors of sexual abuse. Those who lived with parents appeared to have a better outcome. Thus, further research to explore possible protective factors associated with living with parents is vital. This will help clinicians develop strategies to empower parents and families help these young survivors get back on track with their lives despite the abuse.

Narrative Research on Child Sexual Abuse: Addressing Perennial Problems in Quantitative Research

Narrative research can offer insights into perennial methodological problems facing quantitative researchers in the field of child sexual abuse. Using research data from a retrospective, narrative study of 29 adult participants who had spent their childhood in a New Zealand commune in which child sexual abuse was known to have occurred, this article explores four key methodological issues in the field of child sexual abuse research. These include problems surrounding the definition and reporting of child sexual abuse; the relationship between sexual abuse and other adverse experiences; the link between abuse and its variable psychological effects; and finally, the ethics of conducting research into child sexual abuse. Recommendations are made for future directions in child sexual abuse research.

Accounting for the ‘invisibility’ of the female paedophile: an expert-based perspective from South Africa

Female child sex offenders are, for the most part, invisible within the existing body of scholarly literature. Additionally, female child sexual offenders are met with disbelief by the public and there are rarely legal consequences for their actions. However, the few studies reporting on female child sexual interest reveal that up to a quarter of reported child sexual abuse cases may involve female perpetrators. This figure implies a discrepancy between the statistical presence of female offenders and their apparent absence as objects of research and public engagement. Taking this discrepancy as its starting point, this study explores perceptions of female child sex offenders with a focus on the paedophile as a possible subtype, by key South African professionals working in the field of child sexual abuse. This study found that the participants all held contradicting ideas and beliefs about such an offender's psychological profile and the appropriate legal consequences for female child sexual abuse perpetration. Significantly, the participants highlighted the relative absence of treatment and rehabilitation for female sexual offenders and paedophiles. These findings call for greater awareness of female child sex offenders and the specific type of female paedophile by scholars, mental health professionals and the public more broadly.

Researching Sexual Abuse: Methodological Issues

Researching Sexual Abuse: Methodological Issues

Counselling survivors of domestic abuse Christiane Sanderson Counselling survivors of domestic abuse Jessica Kingsley2008£252729781 84310 606 7184310606X

Christiane Sanderson is a well-known author in the field of child sexual abuse, previously focusing on issues relating to children, parents and the adult survivors. In this book, her focus is domestic abuse a truly insightful read with particular relevance to mental health nurses, especially given the current national focus on this area of practice.

Professionals’ beliefs about indicators of child sexual abuse

The objective of the study described here was to obtain information on the beliefs of professionals concerning possible indicators of a child having been sexually abused. Data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires, distributed at meetings on child sexual abuse. The respondents were professionals working in the field of child sexual abuse. Twenty-three social workers, 14 psychologists, 12 nurses, eight medical doctors, including three paediatricians and three psychiatrists, three policemen and two nurses participated. The variables studied were the perceived prevalence of sexual abuse in British children under the age of 10 and the perceived prevalence of various possible signs of sexual abuse in two sub-groups of these children: those who had been sexually abused, and those who had not. The signs investigated were: behavioural problems, somatic complaints, enuresis, chronic urinary infections, fear of toileting, sexualized language, sexualized behaviour, comments suggestive of sexual activity, allegations of sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and reflex anal dilatation. The results indicate that these professionals have widely differing beliefs about signs which might indicate that a child has been sexually abused. We conclude that data on the prevalence of indicators of child sexual abuse are essential to ensure that appropriate informed and consistent decisions can be made.

Stockholm Syndrome and Child Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT This article, based on an analysis of unstructured interviews, identifies that the emotional bond between survivors of child sexual abuse and the people who perpetrated the abuse against them is similar to that of the powerful bi-directional relationship central to Stockholm Syndrome as described by Graham (1994). Aspects of Stockholm Syndrome could be identified in the responses of adult survivors of child sexual abuse, which appeared to impact on their ability to criminally report offenders. An emotional bond, which has enabled the sexual abuse of children, has served to protect the offender long after the abuse has ceased. The implications of Stockholm Syndrome could offer valuable insights to those working in the field of child sexual abuse.

Feminist Dilemmas in Data Analysis

In this article, I seek to explore some of the theoretical and political dilemmas I faced as a feminist qualitative researcher in the field of child sexual abuse. The article draws on my research into the use of creative writing by women survivors of sexual abuse. I begin my article with a discussion of how I entered the research process as a feminist researcher. I consider how my choice of research topic raised a number of ethical issues. I then engage in a discussion of the challenges of data analysis for feminist researchers. In order to illustrate the challenges I faced in my research, I focus on how women survivors use writing to explore memory. Theoretical perspectives on memory and women survivors of sexual abuse are explored, before I summarize my findings in this area. In analysing women’s use of writing to explore memory, I outline the interpretive tensions I faced at a range of levels of analysis. I demonstrate how I tried to ensure that women survivors’ voices were privileged, while I also engaged in the theoretical and political debates in the field. I conclude that feminist researchers need to develop epistemologies that can meet the complexity of the world as experienced and understood by our research subjects.

Issues in pediatric sexual abuse—What we think we know and where we need to go

C hild sexual abuse was overlooked for many years in the field of pediatrics and was described as a “hidden pediatric problem” in 1977 by Kempe. Since then, significant gains have been made in terms of studying child sexual abuse and increasing clinician awareness of the problem. Through the past two decades, substantial advances have been made in knowledge of the normal genital anatomy of children and normal variants. Through the study of abused and nonabused children, certain findings that were initially thought to be indicators of abuse were found to be normal variants. The use of the colposcope for sexual abuse evaluations has greatly increased since initially described by Teixeira in 1981, and many recent research studies have used this technology. Despite these scientific gains, many questions in the field of child sexual abuse remain to be answered.

Screening for sexually transmitted infections in children and adolescents in the United Kingdom: British Co-operative Clinical Group.

Our objectives were (1) to assess the number of young people aged under 16 years attending genitourinary medicine (GUM) departments in the UK in 1998; (2) to identify clinical activity and policy; (3) to determine the knowledge and training needs of healthcare professionals within GUM providing care for this client group. In July 1999 a questionnaire was circulated via the 18 regional British Co-operative Clinical Group (BCCG) representatives to the consultants in charge of all 197 main GUM departments in the UK. One hundred and sixty out of 197 (81%) completed questionnaires were returned and analysed. The reported number of under-16-year-olds attending in 1998 varied considerably between clinics; for females ranging from 0 to 256 and for males between 0 and 50, with a male to female ratio of 1:4.4. The majority of responding clinics, 139/160 (87%) had been involved in the screening of abused children/adolescents for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Most clinics were prepared to screen for STI (86%), HIV test (79%) and assess contraceptive needs (50%) in this age group. Staff involved in care included health advisers (74), nurses (59), and doctors (138) in the responding clinics. Only 31/160 clinics (19%) had a written policy for the management of children/adolescents attending their clinic. The majority of respondents were aware of their child protection policy [122/154 (79%)] and designated child sexual abuse doctor, [125/157 (80%)] in their district. When questioned on previous and current training needs, 134/160 (84%) respondents identified their need for further training in the area of adolescent sexual health and 124/160 (78%) in child sex abuse. The publication Physical Signs of Sexual Abuse in Children, was known to 112/160 (70%) respondents, of whom 58/112 (52%) who answered this question had read the publication. Genitourinary physicians in the UK are aware of the increasing number of children and adolescents accessing their services, and recognize the need to identify those in abusive situations. Written policies dealing with children and adolescents in GUM clinics in the UK are lacking. This needs to be rectified urgently. This survey identifies that further training in the field of child sexual abuse and adolescent sexual health would be welcomed by the respondents.