CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.   Term Paper ID:21100 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: Incidence, research, gender issues, counseling, false accusations, prevention education, psychological effects, treatment. Paper Introduction:  This research paper will synthesize current writings, views, and perspectives on child sexual abuse. In the past few decades, professional and lay understanding of child sexual abuse has been transformed from a casual acknowledgment of incest at a rate of incidence of perhaps one case in a million population to wild assertions that as many as ninety percent (Wellman, 1993, citing Pierce & Pierce, 1985) of all females in the United States have been sexually abused at least once in their lifetimes. Clinical studies and critical reviews of studies have been made in varying degrees to support or refute previous research, to explore "new" methods of fabricating "control groups" (Hyland, et al., 1993) against which incidents or levels of child sexual abuse may be measured or perceived, as well as to define what may or may not constitute child sexual abuse. As child sexual abuse Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. (1993). The researchers sampled 5 men and 51 women who were parents of 7-year-old children attending one offour preschools and day-care centers in Maryland. (1993). While the revealed prevalence is comparable to most Americanresearch, this study found considerably higher rates of extrafamilialperpetrators--only 38.6 percent of perpetrators were family members, 46.4percent were otherwise known to their victims, and only 15 percent werestrangers. Conflicting, or inconclusive, results have been seen whencomparing abused children who have received (or are receiving) professionalhelp with those who have not been abused but are undergoing treatment orcounselling for other disorders, as well as with abused children who havenot had any intervention (Cosentino, 1993). Clinical studies and critical reviews of studies have been made invarying degrees to support or refute previous research, to explore "new"methods of fabricating "control groups" (Hyland, et al., 1993) againstwhich incidents or levels of child sexual abuse may be measured orperceived, as well as to define what may or may not constitute child sexualabuse. Authors Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, who wrote The Courage to Heal, aself-help book for incest survivors, claim that, "If you cannot rememberany specific incident, but still have the feeling that something didhappen, then it probably did happen" (Huygen, 1993). The result can be a spate of falsestatements, sometimes coerced by therapists, prosecutors, or others.Bernet examines 17 possibilities underlying a child's false statements.The basic problem with the vast research to date is that it has notsufficiently tracked the long-term effects of sexual abuse andinterventions. Some 92 percent hadnever attended a child sexual abuse educational program, and less than halfrecalled having read any educational material on child sexual abuse. Some are truly helpful whencombined with professional intervention, while others are praised by onesector of the professional and academic realm and scorned by at least asmany on the other side of the fence (Bower, 1993). Eventually, the mystery will be uncovered and answers will abound. Green also cites studies of prevalence conducted by the NationalCenter for Child Abuse and Neglect, which found that 155,9 children (2.5per 1, population) were sexually abused in 1986, a three-fold increasefrom 198 . This is probably anunintentional side-effect of inadequate funding for such research, but itneeds to be addressed. World Press Review, October 1993, 36-37.Hyland, K., et al. (1993). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32:5, 9 3-91 .Bower, B. The study by Horner, et al. Entire issue devoted to thetopic "Child Sexual Abuse."Elrod, J., and R. Science News, 144 (September25, 1993), 2 2-2 4.Cosentino, C., et al. Wellman's (1993) research was conducted to determine the attitudes ofmale and female college students toward child sexual abuse, as well astheir own experiences with it. How do symptoms differ in children as compared to adultsurvivors? (1993), is quite interesting. All thegirls were between ages 6 and 12. How does knowledge of the effects of child sexual abuse affecttreatment strategies--what works best? Added to the confusion among the works of distinguished academiciansand clinicians are the writings of so-called "pop-psychologists," who sellthousands of copies of self-help books. Are the kids all right? Indeed, investigators seem to be searching for one common threadwhich may reveal all the mysteries, and, hence, all the answers to theproblem of child sexual abuse. Using complex formulas, he determined that sexual abuseinvolving force and greater degrees of abuse (penetration) results ingreater risk for psychological distress. Child Abuse & Neglect, 17, 539-547.----------------------- 11 12 Parental Involvement in Sexual Abuse Prevention Education. Melissa's mother alleged sexual abuse by the father,claiming she found a "pubic" hair in Melissa's diaper, Melissa's singlestatement, "Daddy hurt 'gina," and other specific charges. (1993). Some observers(Bernet, 1993; CQ Researcher, 1993) have described a "bandwagon effect" inwhich adults with a multitude of personal problems decide that sexual abusemust be the cause and then, perhaps with the aid of a therapist, seek toblame someone in their past. Prevalence rates for women have been calculated by differentstudies ranging from 19 percent (citing Finkelhor, 1979) to 45 percent(citing Wyatt, 1985). Generally, the literature of the 198 s focused on the amount,severity, and consequences of child sexual abuse (Elrod and Rubin, 1993).However, more recent investigations have begun to examine specialized areassuch as prevention education roles parents take or would prefer to take(Elrod and Rubin, 1993), as well as attempting to identify gaps in currentknowledge relating to symptoms (Green, 1993), cross-gender behavior andgender conflict (Cosentino, et al., 1993), prevalence of childhood sexualabuse (Anderson, et al., 1993), attitudes toward child sexual abuse(Wellman, 1993), or risk factors for later psychological problems (Mennen,1993). Rubin. Targeting the area of prevention education, Elrod and Rubin (1993)identified several areas of concern. The Survivor Syndrome. Evaluation of Risk Factors in Childhood Sexual Abuse.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32:5,934-939.Wellman, M. Additionally, most research has excluded male victims, yet makesassertions, generalizations, and recommendations applicable to both maleand female victims. Child Abuse & Neglect, 17, 367-37 .Mennen, F. The investigation concluded that parents do not know the extent andprevalence of child sexual abuse, and only planned to discuss the leastthreatening topics with their children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32:5, 911-919.Bernet, W. The longest and most expensive criminal prosecution of any sortin American history involved the McMartin Preschool sexual abuse trial inLos Angeles County between 1984 and 199 , and this has provoked a backlashby those who believe that hysteria has overtaken reason (CQ Researcher,1993). Yet thereis little agreement as to the rough percentages of boys versus girls whoare sexually abused. Considerably more attention should be focused on allvictims of child sexual abuse, not just females because there are more ofthem. A New Comparison Group for Research on Child Sexual Abuse. (1993). Child sexual abuse apparently transcends allsocioeconomic classes and ethnic groups, but studies have yet to beconducted which, in and of themselves, are acknowledged by the researchersto be comprehensive enough in scope to be truly representative in ethnicityor social status, or even totally unbiased because of the possibility ofone or more sexually abused individuals being included in, and, therefore,tainting, a non-abused control group. Victims who were rarely, ifever, believed even after months or years of complaints were now, almost atonce, believed at first utterance. While parents preferred themselvesas primary educators, professionals, teachers and doctors were all ratedhighly acceptable; however, over 5 percent regarded police officers as"unacceptable." This led the researchers to conclude that presenteducational methods (such as "Officer Friendly" programs) do notnecessarily reflect what parents want, and that thorough needs assessmentsneed to be made before developing a parent education program. This research paper will synthesize current writings, views, andperspectives on child sexual abuse. Green also notes that problems of definition (such as including non-contact offenses with exhibitionists and overt sexual invitations) can andwill affect prevalence rates and outcome studies. One thing is certain: each newly devised bit of research manages tochip something away from the shroud of mystery which surrounds child sexualabuse. This brief examination of the topic of child sexual abuse serves toshow that no single theory abounds relative to causes, effects, prevalence,prevention education, or professional intervention (with the abused orabusers). Some of the topics heidentified as unresolved include: Is child sexual abuse inevitably harmfuland its effects irreversible? Studies of adultsurvivors of child abuse provide "a longitudinal perspective to the long-range defensive adaptation" to past sexual abuse. Girls and their motherswere surveyed to determine whether sexual abuse had a causal relationshipin areas such as girls exhibiting preferences for male or female friends,demonstrating more masculine or less feminine behavior, attempts or desiresto imitate men (interests in male cosmetics, clothing), rejection of femalegenitalia (desire for male genitalia), or increased interest orparticipation in contact sports. Bower (1993) cites the assertion bypsychologist Carol Tavris that such self-help books, and their "checklists"of symptoms, contribute to a "terrible polarization" among mental healthprofessionals regarding sexual abuse and its consequences. Among them were the lack of researchinto parents' knowledge or needs, and why education programs were oftenpoorly attended and only marginally helpful. Cross-Gender Behavior and Gender Conflict in Sexually Abused Girls. Similarly, narrowdefinitions will result in lower rates and greater adverse sequelae.Additionally, some researchers require at least a five-year age differencebetween perpetrator and victim, while others include same-aged peers asperpetrators. Cosentino and her associates (1993) examined cross-gender behaviorand gender conflict in child sexual abuse victims. Child Sexual Abuse: Immediate and Long-Term Effects andIntervention. ReferencesAnderson, J., et al. Child Abuse & Neglect, 17, 527-538.Green, A. Is there a specific child sexual abusesyndrome? Child Sexual Abuse and Gender Differences: Attitudes and Prevalence. Some researchers state that over one-third of sexualabuse victims are male. (1993). Contemporary researchers are beginning to realize that much of thepast efforts of their colleagues were not sufficiently sophisticated topermit the broad assertions which were subsequently published.Consequently, more recent research has gone to greater lengths to isolatesubjects into relatively tidy groups from which vast amounts of data can beextrapolated and more narrow conclusions supposedly drawn. Possible victims and non-victims weresometimes goaded and coaxed by therapists and prosecutors driven by well-intentioned, but misguided, zeal as they attempted to ferret out theproblem. A telephonic questionnaire was used to measure parents' knowledge ofchild sexual abuse, their sources of information, choice of preferrededucators and curriculum topics, plans to discuss sexual abuse with theirchildren and choice of media to utilize, as well as topics relating toparent education such as deciding factors in attending an educationalprogram, location, and topics of discussion. Horner and his associates subsequently concluded that such "expert"evaluations should probably be excluded from all legal proceedings asunreliable. Journal of the American Academy of Child and AdolescentPsychiatry, 32:5, 89 -9 2.Horner, T., et al. Many investigators acknowledge the shortcomings of their inquiries,usually related to inadequate sample size, or skewing due to ethnic orsocioeconomic distinctions. They were presentedwith the case of 3-year-old "Melissa" whose parents were involved in acustody dispute. In the past few decades, professionaland lay understanding of child sexual abuse has been transformed from acasual acknowledgment of incest at a rate of incidence of perhaps one casein a million population to wild assertions that as many as ninety percent(Wellman, 1993, citing Pierce & Pierce, 1985) of all females in the UnitedStates have been sexually abused at least once in their lifetimes. When asked to makeexpert evaluations as to the likelihood of abuse by the father, as well ascustody and visitation, the majority opted for either termination offather's visitations or only supervised visitations. Other investigators simply state that, for thetime being at least, separate research should be done with males andfemales. Similarly, in light of a rising tide of false accusations,particularly in child custody cases, some attempts are being made toidentify and classify the types of false statements children sometimesmake, and why (Bernet, 1993). Other factors, such as age at onset of abuse and duration ofabuse, were largely consistent with American research. Itinvolved 48 clinicians and professionals (mental health workers, educators,nurses, etc.) serving children--43 women and five men. And there is much speculation as to the value of professionalintervention on the part of social workers, counselors, psychotherapists,and others. Most make adequate referenceto earlier work by well-recognized and respected individuals and teams.This limitation has the beneficial effect of focusing on contemporarythemes and most recent research. (1993). Clinical Expertise and the Assessment of Child Sexual Abuse. And organizations such as the False MemorySyndrome Foundation and Victims of Child Abuse Laws (VOCAL) have come intoexistence to argue for the rights of the [unjustly] accused (CQ Researcher,1993). False Statements and the Differential Diagnosis of Abuse Allegation. (1993). All medicalexaminations, police interviews, polygraph tests, videotaped interactionsbetween Melissa and her father, and reports from Protective Servicesconcluded that there had been no abuse as charged. The study examined 2 sexually abused girls participating in atreatment program, 2 non-abused girls from a child psychiatry outpatientclinic, and 2 non-abused girls from a general pediatric clinic. Their symptoms includeanxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and suicidal behavior, substanceabuse, borderline personality disorder, multiple personality disorder,sexual dysfunction, revictimization, and becoming sexual offenders. While the study has significant implications for the evaluation andtreatment of sexually abused girls, it is inadequate on several grounds.It presupposes that cross-gender behavior in females is, somehow,inherently "atypical" and that most non-abused girls would rarely exhibitsome form of cross-gender behavior on their own; it was admittedlyunrepresentative --the abused girls had suffered their abuse for two yearsor more, the majority experiencing force or physical violence; and thechildren were predominately Hispanic and from "lower socioeconomicstratum." Anderson and her colleagues in New Zealand (1993) addressed the topicof the prevalence of female child sexual abuse in a distinctly limitedenvironment, and the results are mixed when compared with broader studiesin America. Some studies, such as Anderson's (1993), did examine abroad range of ages of victims, but the study was not designed to test theeffects of time, and only made vague inferences about the passing of timeand attitudes. He admits that his study is toolimited in size to make less than the broadest generalizations, andrecommends that larger samples would be more beneficial in making strongerrecommendations for intervention. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32:5, 94 -948.CQ Researcher, 3:2 (January 15, 1993), 26-47. According to Green's analysis, child victims experience anxietydisorders (including post-traumatic stress), dissociation (includingmultiple personality disorder) and hysterical symptoms, depression and lowself-esteem, and disturbances in sexual behavior. Six percent of the males and 13 percent ofthe females (n=824) indicated they had been sexually abused as children oradolescents--considerably lower percentages than most other research hasindicated. This is explained by some investigators as the resultof a low incidence of child sexual abuse committed against boys. But, according toHuygen, this statement is designed to solve all the unexplainable personalproblems an individual may have. (1993). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32:5, 925-933.Huygen, M. Mennen (1993) sampled 83 children from two southern California countyprograms for victims of child abuse and neglect, and child sexual abuse.Because only eight of the children were males, they were excluded, and theresults of his study are based only on the remaining 75 females between theages of 6 and 18. Statistics on child sexual abuse have only been indexed for aboutthree decades. (1993). As child sexual abuse came to the forefront of public socialconsciousness and policy in the 196 s and 197 s, so, too, did a change inpublic attitudes toward suspected offenders. They suggest that the "experts" offer no greater decision-making reliability than the courts already have in judges and juries. It is not apparent that much effort is beingmade to alter research methods, insofar as the subjects are usually takenfrom the most convenient and identifiable sources (foster placements,juvenile facilities, treatment centers, etc.). Because of the voluminous number of articles dealing with childsexual abuse, the literature reviewed and discussed herein will be drawnexclusively from sources published in 1993. The sexually abused girls demonstratedbehaviors and conflicts at a higher rate than those receiving psychiatriccare for other (non-abuse) problems, who, in turn, demonstrated behaviorsand conflicts at a rate higher than the girls from the general medicalclinic. Because concise definitions of sexual abuse--beyond theobvious: sexual intercourse, oral-genital contact, etc.--are notuniversally accepted, and since an unknown volume of cases still gounreported, it has been quite easy to either distort or underestimateactual rates of incidence. And he criticizes studies which fail to describe theseverity of abuse, or to categorize perpetrators as intrafamilial orextrafamilial (especially since the latter are more frequently associatedwith forceful or violent sexual abuse), and those which fail to use controlgroups or use poorly designed controls. Green (1993) reviewed more than 1 articles in order to identifygaps in current knowledge about child sexual abuse. Additionally, most research has been, and continues to be, done withfemales exclusively. (1993). Generally, Wellman's findings indicate that women are moreemotionally reactive to the subject of child sexual abuse than are men.Her findings coincide with many earlier studies including Finkelhor (1979),Logan (198 ), and Hazard and Rupp (1986). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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