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Denne E, Stolzenberg SN, Neal TMS. The effects of evidence-based expert testimony on perceptions of child sexual abuse involving recantation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254961. [PMID: 34351935 PMCID: PMC8341590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Child sexual abuse (CSA) cases involving recantation invoke concerns about children’s reliability. Expert testimony can help explain the complexities of these cases. Experts have historically relied on Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome (CSAAS), yet this is not science-based. In a CSA case involving recantation, how would evidence-based testimony affect perceptions of child credibility when compared to CSAAS? Across 2 studies, we test the effects of expert testimony based on evidence-based science, nonscientific evidence, and experience-based evidence on outcomes in CSA cases involving recantation. Evidence-based testimony led to higher perceptions of credibility and scientific rigor of the evidence when compared to CSAAS testimony. Evidence-based testimony also led to more guilty verdicts when compared to the control. In sum, jurors had some ability to detect evidence strength, such that evidence-based expert testimony was superior to CSAAS testimony in many respects, and consistently superior to experience-based testimony in these cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Denne
- New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale, Arizona, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Stacia N. Stolzenberg
- Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Tess M. S. Neal
- New College of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale, Arizona, United States of America
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Baía PAD, Alberto IMM, Dell'Aglio DD. Predictors of recantation after child sexual abuse disclosure among a Brazilian sample. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2021; 115:105006. [PMID: 33711777 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recantation after child sexual abuse (CSA) disclosure refers to the complete denial of prior reports by a victim. In substantiated cases of CSA, recantation has negative effects on criminal proceedings and the protection of current and future victims. Past studies have identified the socio-family factors and CSA characteristics that are associated with recantation. However, the systematization of these risk factors remains limited. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to identify the predictors of recantation using a sample of criminal cases of CSA. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS The sample consisted of 108 criminal cases of CSA with (n = 46) and without recantation (n = 62). All the cases had been judged in a Brazilian court of law between 2010 and 2016. RESULTS The final logistic regression model consisted of the following five significant predictors of recantation: a lack of support from the caregiver (odds ratio [OR] = 15.90, p < .001), disclosure to a single individual (OR = 13.75, p = .001), parental offending (OR = 12.44, p = .001), a long time interval (i.e., >one week) between disclosure and the reporting of the abuse to the authorities (OR = 8.64, p = .003), and a higher number of formal interviews (OR = 1.50, p = .052). CONCLUSIONS The present findings underscore not only the effects of socio-family factors and the number of interviews on recantation but also the importance of examining the contexts within which previous disclosures of CSA have been made to the assessment of the risk of recantation.
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Celik G, Tahiroğlu A, Yoruldu B, Varmiş D, Çekin N, Avci A, Evliyaoğlu N, Nasiroğlu S. Recantation of Sexual Abuse Disclosure Among Child Victims: Accommodation Syndrome. JOURNAL OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 2018; 27:612-621. [PMID: 30028238 DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2018.1477216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disclosing the sexual abuse may be related on many individual and/or environmental factors in all age groups. The sociocultural context is the most influential factor of the disclosing process especially for those living in patriarchal cultural values. This study compares the impacts of sexual abuse and other sociodemographic variables between recanting and non-recanting victimized groups in Adana city from Turkey. METHODS The samples attending our department were divided into two groups: group 1 comprised victims who recanted their first abuse disclosure, and group 2 comprised victims who insisted on the veracity of their first report at further evaluations. The characteristics of the child, family, and abuser were compared between recanting victims and non-recanting victims by retrospective data. RESULTS Each group included 27 children, for a total of 54 subjects. All adverse social reactions after the sexual abuse, including keeping secrets and a repressive family attitude, were higher among group 1 victims than group 2 victims (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Although they are victimized by protecting family integrity, victims may show a tendency to keep secrets and to not immediately disclose an abuse event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonca Celik
- a Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Adana , Turkey
| | - Ayşegül Tahiroğlu
- a Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Adana , Turkey
| | - Belgin Yoruldu
- b İskenderun State Hospital , Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic , Hatay , Turkey
| | - Dilek Varmiş
- c Osmaniye State Hospital , Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic , Osmaniye , Turkey
| | - Necmi Çekin
- d Department of Forensic Medicine , Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine , Adana , Turkey
| | - Ayşe Avci
- a Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Adana , Turkey
| | - Nurdan Evliyaoğlu
- e Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine , Cukurova University , Adana , Turkey
| | - Serhat Nasiroğlu
- f Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Sakarya , Turkey
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Hampton A, Rakel D. Journaling for Health. Integr Med (Encinitas) 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-35868-2.00098-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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“Why Didn’t You Tell?” Helping Families and Children Weather the Process Following a Sexual Abuse Disclosure. PARENTING AND FAMILY PROCESSES IN CHILD MALTREATMENT AND INTERVENTION 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-40920-7_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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O'Donohue W, Benuto LT, Fondren RN, Tolle L, Vijay A, Fanetti M. Dimensions of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: What is Unusual and What is Not? JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/15228932.2013.838103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Zajac R, Garry M, London K, Goodyear-Smith F, Hayne H. Misconceptions about childhood sexual abuse and child witnesses: Implications for psychological experts in the courtroom. Memory 2013; 21:608-617. [DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2013.778287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Rakel D. Journaling for Health. Integr Med (Encinitas) 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-1-4377-1793-8.00080-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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London K, Bruck M, Wright DB, Ceci SJ. Review of the contemporary literature on how children report sexual abuse to others: Findings, methodological issues, and implications for forensic interviewers. Memory 2008; 16:29-47. [PMID: 18158687 DOI: 10.1080/09658210701725732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Hershkowitz I, Lanes O, Lamb ME. Exploring the disclosure of child sexual abuse with alleged victims and their parents. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2007; 31:111-23. [PMID: 17316793 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2005] [Revised: 08/24/2006] [Accepted: 09/12/2006] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The goal of the present study was to examine how children disclosed sexual abuse by alleged perpetrators who were not family members. METHODOLOGY Thirty alleged victims of sexual abuse and their parents were interviewed. The children were interviewed using the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol by six experienced youth investigators. The same principles were followed when the parents were asked to describe in detail what had happened since the abusive incidents. The statements made by the children and parents were then content analyzed. Major characteristics of the children's and parents' reported behaviors were identified by two independent raters. FINDINGS More than half (53%) of the children delayed disclosure for between 1 week and 2 years, fewer than half first disclosed to their parents, and over 40% did not disclose spontaneously but did so only after they were prompted; 50% of the children reported feeling afraid or ashamed of their parents' responses, and their parents indeed tended to blame the children or act angrily. The disclosure process varied depending on the children's ages, the severity and frequency of abuse, the parents' expected reactions, the suspects' identities, and the strategies they had used to foster secrecy. CONCLUSIONS The children's willingness to disclose abuse to their parents promptly and spontaneously decreased when they expected negative reactions, especially when the abuse was more serious. A strong correlation between predicted and actual parental reactions suggested that the children anticipated their parents' likely reactions very well.
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Schreiber N, Bellah LD, Martinez Y, McLaurin KA, Strok R, Garven S, Wood JM. Suggestive interviewing in the McMartin Preschool and Kelly Michaels daycare abuse cases: A case study. SOCIAL INFLUENCE 2006. [DOI: 10.1080/15534510500361739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Hershkowitz I, Horowitz D, Lamb ME. Trends in children's disclosure of abuse in Israel: a national study. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2005; 29:1203-14. [PMID: 16260036 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2004] [Revised: 03/16/2005] [Accepted: 04/09/2005] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify characteristics of suspected child abuse victims that are associated with disclosure and nondisclosure during formal investigations. METHODOLOGY The database included all suspected cases of physical and sexual abuse investigated in the state of Israel between 1998 and 2002. All investigative interviews were conducted using a single standardized protocol, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol. FINDINGS Overall, 65% of the 26,446 children made allegations when interviewed, but rates of disclosure were greater in the case of sexual (71%) than physical (61%) abuse. Children of all ages were less likely to disclose/allege abuse when a parent was the suspected perpetrator. Rates of disclosure/allegation increased as children grew older, with 50% of the 3- to 6-year-olds, 67% of the 7- to 10-year-olds, and 74% of the 11- to 14-year-olds disclosing abuse when questioned. CONCLUSIONS Although most interviews of suspected victims yielded allegations, such rates of disclosure varied systematically depending on the nature of the alleged offences, the relationship between alleged victims and suspected perpetrators, and the age of the suspected victims. The findings obtained in this large and unselected data set confirm patterns previously reported in smaller and quite selective samples, most of them obtained in the United States.
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Nereo NE, Farber BA, Hinton VJ. Willingness to Self-Disclose among Late Adolescent Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. J Youth Adolesc 2002. [DOI: 10.1023/a:1015449601844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Abstract
Self-disclosure by victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) is critical to initiate legal and therapeutic intervention. Unfortunately, research indicates that lengthy delays in disclosure and even nondisclosure are common. A comprehensive review of the clinical and research literature on CSA and an overview of related bodies of literature was conducted. Areas addressed include the context of sexual abuse as it relates to disclosure, the context and elements of children's disclosures, motivational factors inhibiting disclosure, and models of the disclosure process. Ancillary and analogue research on secrecy and disclosure are also reviewed. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary L Paine
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA
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Carnes CN, Nelson-Gardell D, Wilson C, Orgassa UC. Extended forensic evaluation when sexual abuse is suspected: a multisite field study. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2001; 6:230-242. [PMID: 11471630 DOI: 10.1177/1077559501006003004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A subset of children referred due to suspected sexual abuse require more than one interview for professionals to reach an opinion about the veracity of allegations. The National Children's Advocacy Center's forensic evaluation model was designed for that specific group of children. The multisite study of the model reported here followed a 2-year pilot study. Professionals in 12 states adopted the model and collected data for 2 years on a total of 147 participants. In 44.5% of the cases, a credible disclosure was obtained, with 73% of these cases supported in the legal system. The forensic evaluation procedure yielded clear information to be used in child protection and prosecutory decisions in 64% of the cases (combining cases with credible disclosures and abuse unlikely findings). Finally, the study examined the effects of the length of the evaluation and of the case and child characteristics on evaluation outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C N Carnes
- National Children's Advocacy Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
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Garven S, Wood JM, Malpass RS. Allegations of wrongdoing: the effects of reinforcement on children's mundane and fantastic claims. JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY 2000; 85:38-49. [PMID: 10740955 DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.85.1.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
S. Garven, J. M. Wood, R. S. Malpass, and J. S. Shaw (1998) found that the interviewing techniques used in the McMartin Preschool case can induce preschool children to make false allegations of wrong doing against a classroom visitor. In this study, 2 specific components of the McMartin interviews, reinforcement and cowitness information, were examined more closely in interviews of 120 children, ages 5 to 7 years. Children who received reinforcement made 35% false allegations against a classroom visitor, compared with 12% made by controls. When questioned about "fantastic" events (e.g., being taken from school in a helicopter), children receiving reinforcement made 52% false allegations, compared with 5% made by controls. In a second interview, children repeated the allegations even when reinforcement had been discontinued. The findings indicate that reinforcement can swiftly induce children to make persistent false allegations of wrong doing.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Garven
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso, USA.
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Assessing the accuracy of young children's reports: Lessons from the investigation of child sexual abuse. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s0962-1849(98)80019-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Hoefnagels C, Baartman H. On the threshold of disclosure. The effects of a mass media field experiment. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 1997; 21:557-573. [PMID: 9192144 DOI: 10.1016/s0145-2134(97)00012-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess whether the number of disclosures of child abuse changed as a result of a prevention strategy on a national scale in a West-European country. The child abuse involved child sexual and physical abuse, both ongoing and past. METHODS In order to assess possible intervention effects, changes in calling the Child Line were measured. For this, a 4 year longitudinal design, starting before the intervention and ending 2 and 1/2 years after it was used (N = 3,117 disclosures). In addition, data were collected from the Dutch Telecom and a newely developed Child Abuse Form (N = 1,227). Finally, two measures were introduced, the disclosure coefficient and the relative disclosure coefficient. RESULTS Most calls were silent calls, a phenomenon that deserves more attention in disclosure research. Compared to pre-intervention data, the amount of disclosures almost tripled during the intervention and was even further enhanced in the post-intervention and follow-up. In nine out of 10 cases, ongoing abuse was disclosed. Marked differences between child physical abuse and child sexual abuse were observed. CONCLUSION It is concluded that mass media communication, if well implemented, can positively influence the process of disclosure of ongoing child abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Hoefnagels
- Department of Pedagogics Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Nagel DE, Putnam FW, Noll JG, Trickett PK. Disclosure patterns of sexual abuse and psychological functioning at a 1-year follow-up. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 1997; 21:137-147. [PMID: 9056093 DOI: 10.1016/s0145-2134(96)00139-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
This study describes the disclosure processes of a sample of 68 sexually abused girls, with a focus on the manner in which abuse was revealed--on purpose, accidentally, or resulting from a precipitating event. This categorization is a more descriptive conceptualization of the disclosure process than has been proposed or assessed in previous studies. The circumstances surrounding disclosure are found to be related to long term psychological functioning. Children who disclosed accidentally were younger, experienced abuse for shorter durations, and received the most therapy. At follow-up, children who purposely disclosed had greater anxiety and greater difficulties coping. Discussion focuses on ways in which identifying and encouraging the least traumatic methods of disclosure would contribute to better outcomes for victims of sexual abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Nagel
- Unit on Developmental Traumatology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2668, USA
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Bradley AR, Wood JM. How do children tell? The disclosure process in child sexual abuse. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 1996; 20:881-91. [PMID: 8886473 DOI: 10.1016/0145-2134(96)00077-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Children's disclosure of sexual abuse has been described as a quasi-developmental process that includes stages of denial, reluctance, disclosure, recantation, and reaffirmation (Sorenson & Snow, 1991, Summit, 1983). It has been reported that nearly 75% of sexual abuse victims initially deny abuse, and that nearly 25% eventually recant their allegations (Sorenson & Snow, 1991). The present study examined disclosures in 234 sexual abuse cases validated by Protective Services in El Paso, Texas. Denial of abuse occurred in 6% of cases, and recantation in 4% of cases in which a child had already disclosed abuse. Four of the eight victims who recanted appeared to do so in response to pressure from a caretaker. The Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome described by Summit (1983) seems to be infrequent among the types of cases seen by child protection agencies. The present findings do not support the view that disclosure is a quasi-developmental process that follows sequential stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Bradley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso 79968, USA
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King GF, Yorker B. Case studies of children presenting with a history of ritualistic abuse. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING 1996; 9:18-26. [PMID: 8868836 DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6171.1996.tb00254.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
TOPIC Ritualistic child abuse is an alarming and controversial problem. Child psychiatric nurses need to increase their awareness of the clinical picture associated with this specific form of abuse. PURPOSE This article reviews the literature to date on ritualistic child abuse and addresses the controversy surrounding the phenomena. SOURCES A small research project using historical data collection methods reviewed hospital records of children with a documented history of ritualistic abuse. Results are organized into clusters of linked interrelated characteristics. CONCLUSION The symptom characteristics of these children revealed medical/somatic symptoms, distortion of self-oncept and world view, and a variety of emotional disturbances. The findings of this study are presented with implications for nurses who care for clients with a history of ritualistic abuse.
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Bordin JA. The aftermath of nonsubstantiated child abuse allegations in child care centers. CHILD & YOUTH CARE FORUM 1996. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02589300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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