This article describes how a Tulane early childhood mental health clinic provided trauma-informed care for a young, severely maltreated child victim of human trafficking. Effective treatment included two evidence-based therapies and psychiatric care over a span of 2 years. Therapists made decisions about intervention in response to fluctuations in…

Children's picturebooks dealing with the topic of child sexual abuse first appeared in the early 1980s with the aim of addressing the need for age-appropriate texts to teach sexual abuse prevention concepts and to provide support for young children who may be at risk of or have already experienced sexual abuse. Despite the apparent potential of…

Objective: This study examined the association between maternal drug abuse history, maltreatment exposure, and functioning, in a clinical sample of young children seeking therapy for maltreatment. Methods: Data were collected on 91 children, mean age 5.3 years (SD 1.0). The Preschool and Early Childhood Functional Assessment Scales (PECFAS) was…

This article reviews some sensitivity versus specificity imbalances in forensic investigations of child sexual abuse. It then proposes the development or further testing of additional approaches for those children who do not respond to the current, single-interview National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) protocol. Although…

Children's picture books dealing with the topic of child sexual abuse appeared in the 1980s with the aim of addressing the need for age-appropriate texts to teach sexual abuse prevention concepts and to provide support for young children who may be at risk of or have already experienced sexual abuse. Despite the apparent potential of children's…

Today, levels of mistreatment of children are internationally reported as having reached epidemic proportions. Throughout recorded history babies and young children have suffered acts of violence by parents, care providers and others. However, "some believe that, for the first time in history, we are beginning to face the true prevalence and…

Human papillomavirus is responsible for anogenital warts and could be regarded as an indicator of possible sexual abuse in children. A genital wart was detected during an investigation of anti-hepatitis C virus positivity in a four-year-old male patient. No pathological findings of another sexually transmitted disease were found except complete…

Research examining childhood abuse has shown an association between victimization and psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, depression). Historically, psychiatric diagnoses have been emphasized as a consequence of victimization, with less research examining if it also functions as a risk factor for further victimization,…

The Country Walk case in Dade County, Florida was long considered a model for how to prosecute a multi-victim child sexual abuse case involving young children. In the past 10 years, however, a contrary view has emerged that the case was tainted by improper interviewing and was likely a false conviction. This is the first scholarly effort to assess…

This pilot study assessed the performance of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) in correctly classifying the presence or absence of PTSD, as determined by the Diagnostic Interview for children and Adolescents-Parent (DICA-P). Participants included 34 children, ages 4 to 12, referred for outpatient treatment. The 11…

The convergent validity of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) was examined with a sample of 172 sexually abused outpatient treatment-seeking children and their caregivers. The TSCYC evidenced good convergent validity with other parent ratings (e.g., the Child Behavior Checklist, Child Sexual Behavior Inventory, and the…

The study with 20 children (ages 3 to 8) found that children who had been sexually abused demonstrated significantly more sexual behavior than non-abused children when playing with anatomically correct dolls. (Author/DB)

Responds to previous articles by Fincham, Beach, Moore, and Diener (this issue) on child sexual abuse. Considers how accurate very young children's recollections are about events, people, and places from their distant past, and how likely their testimony is to be biased about such matters if interviewers use leading questions or suggestive…

Conducted medical checkups on five- and seven-year-old girls (n=72), one-half of whom also received genital examinations. Later solicited girls' memories. Most girls in genital condition revealed vaginal and anal contact only when asked directly about it. Children who had nongenital examination never falsely reported genital touch in free recall…

Finds an absence of adverse effects in a questionnaire survey of 233 parents of very young children in a school-based sexual abuse program. Notes that findings should help ameliorate fears about teaching young children about the possibility and prevention of abuse. (SAK)