NCJ Number
157521
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: (1995) Pages: 67-81
Date Published
1995
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Child protective workers' perceptions of child sexual abuse were compared with their perceptions of ritual abuse, with emphasis on the type of problem the abuse is for victims, the difficulties encountered when investigating an allegation, treatment and assessment resources available in the community, and definitions of the types of abuse.
Abstract
Data were collected by a means of a survey distributed to the estimated 80 protective service workers responsible for investigating child abuse allegations in the four major populated areas in Kansas. Twenty-four usable responses were received. Results revealed that the professional community has not reached a consensus on the ritual abuse controversy. Perceptions reported in the literature range from the presentation of ritual abuse as a serious social problem that is distinctly different from sexual abuse to a consideration of the ritual abuse phenomenon as a multidimensional sexual abuse. For the protective workers in this study, ritual abuse exists and is conceptually different from sexual abuse. Future research could examine the relationship between worker perceptions and the performance of their gatekeeping functions for alleged victims of ritual and sexual abuse. 18 references (Author abstract modified)