Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Symptoms Reported by Parents of Sexually Abused, Nonabused, and Allegedly Abused Prepubescent Females

• NCJ Number: 154548
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1995) Pages: 155-164
• Author(s): R D Wells; J McCann; J Adams; J Voris; J Ensign
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Three groups, each consisting of 68 prepubescent females, were studied to compare symptom reports in girls who represented three levels of risk for having been sexually abused: a substantiated sexually abused group (SA); an alleged abuse group (AA); and a normal, nonabused group (NA).

Abstract

The children in all three samples had a mean age of 7 years with a range from 2 years to 11 years, 5 months. All girls in the SA sample were referred for physical evaluation by Children's Protective Services due to significant concerns about sexual molestation. As part of their evaluation, the Structured Interview for Signs Associated with Sexual Abuse interview was conducted with their parents. The evaluation of the AA group was the same as the SA group, but there were no records of a perpetrator confession. For the NA group, a thorough physical exam with detailed anogenital evaluation was conducted, and parents were interviewed using the Structured Interview for Signs Associated with Sexual Abuse. The results suggest that parent symptom reports can be useful as part of the assessment regarding the likelihood of sexual abuse. Sudden changes in children's behaviors and particularly increased and specific fears and heightened interest and curiosity regarding sexual matters appears to happen relatively infrequently in the nonabused sample, but are present in 30 percent to 66 percent of children who are suspected victims of abuse. Although there were few differences between the SA group and the AA group, the obtained differences focus on fearfulness and body self-consciousness. The study concludes that when parents report the presence of changes commensurate with symptoms of sexual abuse, it is reasonable to consider the likelihood of childhood sexual molestation; on the other hand, a majority of children with known abuse did not have specific symptoms endorsed by their parents. The lack of symptom reports by parents does not necessarily confer safety from victimization. 2 tables and 27 references