NCJ Number
205865
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 489-503
Date Published
April 2001
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the usefulness of including children's sexual behavior problems as a diagnostic indicator of their sexual abuse.
Abstract
The study hypothesized that children's sexual behavior problems stem from many and varied factors and will therefore be variably related to sexual abuse. A sample of 247 children were assessed for sexual abuse at a multidisciplinary forensic child abuse evaluation clinic. The children were administered the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI). The scores from these instruments were compared with the results of a structured abuse assessment performed independent of the CBCL and CSBI scores. The assessment by the forensic team found evidence of sexual abuse (strong or moderate) in 24 percent of the children and no evidence of such abuse in 61 percent of the children. The remaining 15 percent were classified as "Don't Know." As a group, the children exhibited a high level of both sexual and nonsexual behavior problems. A series of one-way analyses of variance were calculated to test the hypothesis. The study found no significant relationship between sexual abuse diagnosis and sexual behavior problems. There was a high level of correlation between the sexual behavior problem scores and the scores for other behavior problems, indicating a strong relationship between sexual behavior problems and other behavioral and emotional problems in children. Although some sexually abused children exhibited serious sexual behavior problems, community professionals should not assume that sexual behavior problems are necessarily rooted in the child's sexual abuse. 7 tables and 31 references