A validation study was conducted on the Child Sex Abuse Attitude Scale (CSAAS) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the factor structure of three comparative CFA models. Multitrait multimethod analysis was also used to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the CSAAS. The instrument was developed based on the theory of…

A study examined whether theatrical performances can communicate appropriate help-seeking skills to children for avoiding sexual abuse. The study compared the effectiveness of a play in which characters seek help for sexual abuse with that of a similar videotaped presentation, and with a control group that viewed neither the play nor the…

Teachers have a special trust with students that includes not taking advantage of or abusing them. To ensure that sexual abuse is handled correctly in the school system, a policy must be adopted that requires employees to report incidences of abuse and make sure that the reporting requirement is balanced against the accused individual's rights.…

To determine how often children falsely report being sexually abused, this study asked professionals to indicate the percentage of children with whom they had worked who had made false reports. In addition, this study examined the variables that might be associated with the percentage of false allegations reported by professionals. The factors…

Since children who have been abused much of their lives may be unaware that what is happening is unusual, it may be necessary for teachers to take the initiative in educating young children to recognize that abuse is not normal and to talk with someone if and when they realize they are a victim. This education can take place through the use of…

Radical feminist Andrea Dworkin has been instrumental in efforts to curtail pornography by defining it as a violation of women's civil rights and allowing individual women to sue the distributors for damages. Dworkin's position derives from the tension between "what should be" and "what is." Her conception of the difference…

Recognizing the necessity of cooperation between human service organizations and schools in dealing with child abuse, a collaborative teacher inservice model has been developed in Calgary, Canada. In addition to staff development mechanisms in the Calgary school districts, the University of Calgary has established an inservice project on treatment…

While some researchers question whether women can be more vulnerable to sexual assault because of personal characteristics and/or behavioral styles, typical research designs into this question draw on retrospective comparisons of victims and non-victims, making it difficult to determine whether the observed differences are causes, correlates, or…

Peer-to-peer sexual harassment is rampant in elementary and secondary schools. While sometimes identified and curtailed, it is usually tolerated and characterized as normal. Regardless of the ways school authorities regard sexual harassment, it interferes with a student's right to receive equal educational opportunities and violates Title IX. This…

Severely emotionally disturbed (SED) adolescents are at high risk for substance abuse, self-abuse, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. A study explored the prevalence of depression and suicidal thoughts among Mexican American youth identified as SED, and examined teacher and student experiences of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among SED…

The past decade has witnessed a growing awareness of the prevalence and consequences of childhood sexual abuse. This paper presents findings from numerous studies which indicate that adult survivors of incest suffer from devastating personal and interpersonal difficulties. Recent studies on incest claim that some 20 percent of females and over 16…

The article describes a 5-day winter camping expedition experienced conjointly by two groups: one a blend of able-bodied and physically disabled adults, and the second consisting of sexually exploited adolescents who were placed in a group home setting. The first group were members of Wilderness Inquiry II, a community based adventure program that…

Analyses of deviant sexual behaviors have most often derived from psychodynamic or behavioral theory. Little systematic research attention has been paid to the role of intervening cognitive variables such as social perception and the causal attribution process. Two studies were conducted to examine differences in cognition between child molesters…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that used cluster analysis to identify groups/clusters of children (n=158) with severe emotional disturbances receiving services at a rural, mental health center in Southeastern Ohio. Extensive data were gathered at intake that included information regarding child and family characteristics and the…

The research needs in the epidemiology of child sexual abuse are discussed in terms of: a definition of epidemiology, the clash between the medical and legal cultures, statistical concerns, the relationship of social class or poverty with child sexual abuse, the need for cross-cultural research, intervention studies, studies of service…