NCJ Number
189976
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2001 Pages: 210-222
Date Published
2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined maternal perceptions of their child's response to the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse.
Abstract
The study sample consisted of 50 children between 4 and 12 years of age and their mothers. The mothers were interviewed 6 months after a visit to a Child Protection Clinic for a medical evaluation of alleged sexual abuse. The mothers answered a questionnaire on their child's reactions to the medical visit. More than 60 percent of the mothers were reassured about physical integrity. More than half of the children did not experience psychological distress, although some children reacted with anxiety and fear. The degree of psychological distress was independent of perpetrator's identity and severity of the abuse. Mothers considered that a hypothetical second visit would generate in their child a level of anxiety that increased with perceived intensity of fear of the examination and decreased with perceived kindness of the physician. These results suggested that the physician's behavior during the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse had an influence on the child's degree of distress that was independent of type and severity of abuse. Study results also indicated an important need for demystification and preparation for the medical examination. Children prepared for the examination with a participant modeling film were rated by nurses and mothers as less fearful, less distressed, and more compliant than children viewing a non-relevant film. Tables, references