NCJ Number
148164
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1994) Pages: 387- 392
Date Published
1994
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The relative severity of psychological victimization caused by satanic ritual abuse was investigated.
Abstract
The subjects were 87 women who reported a history of sexual abuse including penetration starting before age 12 and lasting at least 12 months. They were divided into two groups according to whether they alleged that their abuse involved satanic ritual abuse (SRA; n=39) or not (non-SRA; n=48). The two groups' scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) were compared. There were few differences in terms of general psychology as measured by the MMPI; both groups had high levels of psychiatric disturbance. The SRA group showed more frequent severe symptomatology as revealed in their scores on the DES, in the range often characteristic of patients with multiple personality disorders. It is acknowledged that victims may fabricate claims of SRA, but the data of this study suggest that claims generally are authentic. 2 tables, 21 references