The interest in juvenile perpetrators of sexual abuse is one of the most momentous developments in the field of sexual assault prevention and treatment. It is hoped that by working with juvenile perpetrators, counselors will have the greatest chance of identifying and stopping patterns of sexually abusive behavior before it becomes a more serious…

For the adult survivor of incest, the evolution from victim to survivor occurs in complex and creative ways. Often journal writing can be a means of exposing and exploring past abuse. The process of journal writing is special in that it allows the adult survivor to break the silence and shame imposed by the perpetrator while remaining essentially…

Summarizes highlights of a discussion among nine leaders in the field of child sexual abuse on issues in the epidemiology of child sexual abuse. (DB)

The mother's reaction to the disclosure of sexual abuse is often dramatic and her particular type of response in turn affects the daughter's coping mechanisms to deal with the abuse and the disclosure. The type of symptoms developed are thus considered in part dependent on the mother's reaction. Mothers of children who have been sexually abused…

There is a reluctance to bring cases of alleged child sexual abuse to trial because the trial process itself can be difficult for the child witness. Certain procedural reforms have been suggested to reduce the trauma of the trial for the child while maintaining the credibility of the child witness and the constitutional right of the defendant to…

Women exhibit a wide range of responses to a sexual assault. This study focused on two factors that may either hinder or facilitate postrape recovery and which are potentially modifiable: (1) causal attributions; and (2) coping strategies. Rape survivors (n=105) seen at a sexual assault resource service in Minneapolis, Minnesota, completed…

The problem of child sexual abuse has gained an increasing amount of national attention in the past decade. Intra-familial sexual relations, incest, appears to be the predominant form of child sexual abuse. Seventy to 80 percent of sexual abuse occurs with affinity systems--families, relatives, friends, and neighbors. Child sexual abuse has been…

Summarizes a discussion by ten leaders in the field of child sexual abuse concerning the medical consequences of child sexual abuse. (DB)

The purpose of this study was to explore the sexual conduct of troubled clergy toward age-inappropriate individuals. Study participants were males who had sought residential treatment at Southdown, a Canadian institution which assists clergy and other religious professionals in dealing with spiritual, emotional, and psychological issues in their…

Clinical approaches to child sexual abuse have been constrained by limited knowledge of the family dimensions of the problem. This study compared the psychiatric responses of women with and without sexual abuse histories to disclosures of their children's sexual abuse, and assessed the relationship of these histories to the nature of the child's…

This study examined children's conceptions of authority in sexually abusive situations. It aimed to determine: (1) whether children's perceptions of adult authority in sexually abusive situations differed from their perceptions of adult authority in benign situations; (2) whether children's conceptions of authority changed as a result of…

It has been estimated that 20 to 38% of females and 10% of males have been sexually abused prior to age 18. This study reviewed the treatment literature to determine any differential interests in the topic of child sexual abuse across the disciplines of social work, psychology, psychiatry, and medicine. Ten professional journals, considered…

The role of women as sexual victims has been recognized and documented in cultural and social history. However, men too can be the victims of unwanted and aggressive heterosexual behavior. This study explored the incidence of sexually aggressive behaviors performed by women (N=212) who were students in sexuality classes. Specifically, three…

Because violent crime may produce persistent stress-related problems for many victims, it is important to determine what factors best predict development and persistence of stress-related problems. A study was conducted to examine the extent to which development and persistence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) could be predicted on the…

This commentary on a paper (EC 619 273) about the appearance of acute, healing, and healed anogenital injuries in children who have been sexually abused urges the development of guidelines to interpret the physical findings found in children. Limitations of current practice and clinical studies are noted. A research procedure for the development…