NCJ Number
145805
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 32 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1993) Pages: 890-902
Date Published
1993
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This review highlights progress made in the area of child sexual abuse during the past decade and identifies gaps in knowledge about the effects of child sexual abuse and appropriate interventions.
Abstract
More than 100 articles on child sexual abuse were reviewed, most of which were written since 1980 concerning the demographics of child sexual abuse, the psychological effects of child sexual victimization, the psychopathology encountered in adult survivors of child sexual abuse, hypotheses regarding the nature of trauma, and intervention approaches. Although many psychological effects were documented in sexually abused children referred for evaluation or treatment, considerable variation occurred in the severity of symptoms. Further, some children became symptomatic only in adult life. Despite an increased focus on child sexual abuse in the 1980's, many knowledge gaps prevail, and prospective, longitudinal followup studies of sexually abused children and treatment outcome studies are urgently needed. Methodological difficulties in child sexual abuse research are noted, including problems with definition, failure to measure abuse severity, sampling problems, failure to use standardized or appropriate instruments, problems with validation, and failure to use control groups. Problems experienced by adult survivors of child sexual abuse are noted, such as anxiety, substance abuse, borderline personality disorder, multiple personality disorder, and sexual dysfunction. 110 references