ISSN:
1365-2524
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
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.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2524.1993.tb00221.x
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