"Moral panic" has affected child abuse professionals in their perceptions of dealing with children and with other professionals, and has lessened their willingness to become involved in the justice system. Professionals in adjunct fields seem to line up on opposite sides of the debate, further adding to the problem. (JPS)

Examines variables associated with positive treatment outcomes for 47 children who received sexual abuse treatment. Variables associated with a higher percentage of treatment objectives accomplished are examined, as well as variables associated with positive placement outcome. A higher percentage of applicable treatment objectives accomplished was…

Discusses child sex abuse cases from a prosecutor's view with particular emphasis on the Little Rascals Day Care Center case (Edenton, NC). The author addresses issues that can lead to a successful prosecution, such as pretrial preparation and having witnesses approach the jury with clear, concise statements. (JPS)

Discusses reasons that the Little Rascals Day Care Center case (Edenton, NC) was successfully prosecuted, including picking witnesses to testify according to their verbal ability, challenging the judge's decision to try the defendants together, and keeping victims' parents informed. One prosecutor developed a "court school" to familiarize child…

Discusses potential reasons for successful prosecutions in the Little Rascals Day Care Center case (Edenton, NC), most notably how little time elapsed between the testimony of the children and the decision of the jury. Other cases around the country have not been successfully prosecuted, perhaps because of the victim testimony timing. (JPS)

Articulates a model of treatment-facilitated recovery from sexual trauma. The model integrates an ecological view of psychological trauma, progressive stages of recovery, and a multifaceted definition of what constitutes recovery from a psychological trauma. Presents applications of the model and implications for treatment and research. (JPS)

Professionalism when dealing with sex offenders requires recognition of both sadistic and humanistic feelings, and management of the impact such feelings have on patient care. Multidisciplinary teams can protect against inappropriate actions resulting from positive or negative feelings toward clients or patients. (JPS)

The clinician and the sexually acting-out client each come to the therapeutic relationship as sensitive, sexual beings. Although therapists are vulnerable to negative countertransference feelings, they are also vulnerable to positive ones. Therapists should not censor or compartmentalize their thoughts and report only those perceived to be…

Compares child protective service workers' perceptions of sexual abuse to their perceptions of ritual abuse. Perceptual elements examined include the type of problem the abuse is for the victims, difficulties encountered in investigating an allegation, treatment and assessment resources, and definitions of sexual and ritual abuse. The professional…

College students (n=114) completed the Attitudes toward Women Scale and an adaptation of the Sexual Experiences Survey. Those who had experienced or perpetrated minimal levels of sexual abuse had significantly more positive attitudes toward women and their rights than did those who had experienced or perpetrated serious levels of sexual abuse.…

College women (n=114) completed measures of suicidality, reasons for living, and incidence and impact of maltreatment. Women who reported sexual maltreatment in combination with other types of maltreatment were significantly more suicidal than those not maltreated or those who reported other types of maltreatment. (JPS)

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…

Describes awareness workshops designed to promote awareness of sexual assault and to provide education about such assaults on college campuses. Concludes that such workshops can increase individual and campus-wide awareness of appropriate resources in the event of a sexual assault and can provide knowledge as a form of improvement. (Author/NB)

Differences in family trauma, stressors, and dysfunction among adolescent psychiatric inpatients grouped by sexual abuse self-reports were investigated. Family trauma/dysfunction was determined from a composite score derived from the Traumatic Antecedents Scale. The results indicated that sexually abused adolescents reported more family…

Utilizes psychoanalytic and family systems theories to describe dynamics in families with father-daughter incest. The pattern in incest is explained via the concept of projective identification; experiences of victimization are played out in the marriage. The victimized daughter is later triangulated into this marital dynamic, setting the stage…