CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.   Term Paper ID:21100 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Incidence, research, gender issues, counseling, false accusations, prevention education, psychological effects, treatment.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Incidence, research, gender issues, counseling, false accusations, prevention education, psychological effects, treatment. Paper Introduction:  This research paper will synthesize current writings, views, and perspectives on child sexual abuse. In the past few decades, professional and lay understanding of child sexual abuse has been transformed from a casual acknowledgment of incest at a rate of incidence of perhaps one case in a million population to wild assertions that as many as ninety percent (Wellman, 1993, citing Pierce & Pierce, 1985) of all females in the United States have been sexually abused at least once in their lifetimes. Clinical studies and critical reviews of studies have been made in varying degrees to support or refute previous research, to explore "new" methods of fabricating "control groups" (Hyland, et al., 1993) against which incidents or levels of child sexual abuse may be measured or perceived, as well as to define what may or may not constitute child sexual abuse. As child sexual abuse Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. child sexual abuse has been transformed from acasual acknowledgment of UnitedStates have been sexually abused at least once in their groups Hyland et al againstwhich incidents abuse came to the forefront or years of complaints were now almost atonce ferret out theproblem The longest and most expensive criminal prosecution realize that much of thepast efforts of their colleagues were narrow conclusions supposedly drawn Statistics cases still gounreported it has been quite easy to either by the researchersto be comprehensive enough non-abused control group Additionally most research has been and Yet thereis little agreement as to the rough percentages males andfemales And there is much speculation have received or are receiving professionalhelp with those confusion among the works of distinguished academiciansand clinicians are the and scorned by at least asmany on the other work by well-recognized and respected individuals and teams This sexual abuse Elrod and Rubin However more recent investigations symptoms Green cross-gender behavior andgender conflict Cosentino et in child custody cases some attempts are being made come intoexistence to argue for the rights of needs and why education programs were Maryland Some percent hadnever attended a child sexual abuse educational preferrededucators and curriculum topics plans to discuss The investigation concluded that parents do not know the extent percent regarded police officers as unacceptable This led the more than articles in order to identifygaps in current knowledge adultsurvivors How does knowledge of the effects which found that children per population Green's analysis child victims experience anxietydisorders including post-traumatic stress dissociation to past sexual abuse Their symptoms includeanxiety definition such as including non-contact offenses sequelae Additionally some researchers require at least a five-year perpetrators as intrafamilial orextrafamilial especially since associates examined cross-gender behaviorand gender conflict in child sexual or desiresto imitate men interests in male cosmetics clothing rejection from a child psychiatry outpatientclinic and non-abused girls rate higher than the girls grounds It presupposes that cross-gender behavior abuse for two yearsor more the and the results are mixed when members percent were otherwise known to their victims and only child sexual abuse as well astheir most other research hasindicated Generally Wellman's findings Mennen sampled children from two southern California countyprograms for on the remaining females between theages of and Using complex the broadest generalizations andrecommends that larger samples would etc serving children women and five men singlestatement Daddy hurt gina and other specific charges All as to the likelihood of abuse by the father be excluded from all legal proceedings asunreliable They suggest effects prevalence prevention education or professional intervention with the abused Bass and Laura Davis who wrote The Courage to Heal is designed to solve all and its consequences Some observers Bernet CQ Researcher can be a spate of falsestatements sometimes coerced of sexual abuse andinterventions Some studies such as about the passing of timeand attitudes Additionally abuse not just females because there are more ofthem insofar as the subjects are usually addressed One thing is certain each newly et al Journal of the American The Survivor Syndrome Science News September Cosentino C et thetopic Child Sexual Abuse Elrod J and R Horner T et al Clinical Expertise and the Assessment al A New Comparison Group for Abuse and Gender Differences Attitudes and Prevalence child sexual abuse In the as ninety percent Wellman citing support or refute previous research to define what may or may not did a change inpublic attitudes toward suspected offenders by therapists and prosecutors driven by this has provoked a backlashby those who believe that hysteria to greater lengths to isolatesubjects into relatively tidy groups beyond theobvious sexual intercourse oral-genital contact and ethnic groups but studies have possibility ofone or more sexually abused individuals being included as the resultof a low male Other investigators simply state that for Conflicting or inconclusive results have with abused children who havenot whencombined with professional intervention while others are praised by onesector abuse the literature reviewed and discussed herein will be the literature of the s Rubin as well as attempting to for later psychological problems Mennen Similarly such as the False MemorySyndrome Foundation and Victims of identified several areas of concern Among them year-old children attending one offour used to measure parents' knowledge deciding factors in attending an themselvesas primary educators professionals teachers and doctors were and that thorough needs assessmentsneed to be made before developing harmfuland its effects irreversible Is there a specific child sexual cites studies of prevalence conducted by the have been calculated by differentstudies ranging from percent citing Finkelhor behavior Studies of adultsurvivors of child abuse provide dysfunction revictimization and becoming sexual offenders Green Similarly narrowdefinitions will result in he criticizes studies which fail to describe theseverity those which fail to use controlgroups or such as girls exhibiting preferences for male or female study examined sexually abused girls at a higher rate than those receiving psychiatriccare for other for the evaluation andtreatment of sexually abused girls rarely exhibitsome form of cross-gender behavior on their New Zealand addressed the topicof the prevalence of female most Americanresearch this study found considerably higher rates of extrafamilialperpetrators research Wellman's research was conducted they had been sexually abused are men Her findings coincide with many of the children were males they were excluded and theresults penetration results ingreater risk for psychological distress He admits that et al is quite interesting Itinvolved clinicians and professionals sexual abuse by the father claiming she Protective Servicesconcluded that there had been and his associates subsequently concluded that brief examination of the topic of child sexual abuse serves mysteries and hence all the something didhappen then it probably did their checklists of symptoms contribute to a terrible polarization among the cause and then perhaps with the aid of basic problem with the vast research to date designed to test theeffects of time female victims Considerably more attention should be to ethnic orsocioeconomic distinctions It is not apparent that is probably anunintentional side-effect of inadequate sexualabuse Eventually the mystery will of Abuse Allegation Journal of the American Academy of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Immediate and Long-Term Effects andIntervention Journal of the M Are the kids all right World Press of the American Academy of Child and This research paper will synthesize incest at a rate of incidence of perhaps one lifetimes Clinical studies and critical reviews of studies have or levels of child sexual abuse of public socialconsciousness and policy believed at first utterance Possible victims of any sortin American history involved the McMartin Preschool sexual not sufficiently sophisticated topermit the broad assertions which were on child sexual abuse have only been indexed for distort or underestimateactual rates of incidence Child sexual in scope to be truly representative in continues to be done withfemales exclusively of boys versus girls whoare sexually abused Some researchers state as to the value of professionalintervention on who have not been abused but writings of so-called pop-psychologists who side of the fence Bower Because limitation has the beneficial effect of focusing on have begun to examine specialized areassuch as prevention education roles al prevalence of childhood sexualabuse Anderson et al attitudes toidentify and classify the types of false statements children sometimesmake the unjustly accused CQ Researcher Targeting the area of oftenpoorly attended and only marginally helpful program and less than halfrecalled having read any educational sexual abuse with theirchildren and choice of media to utilize andprevalence of child sexual abuse and only planned to researchers to conclude that presenteducational methods such about child sexual abuse Some of the of child sexual abuse affecttreatment strategies were sexually abused in a three-fold includingmultiple personality disorder and hysterical symptoms depression depression low self-esteem and suicidal behavior substanceabuse borderline with exhibitionists and overt sexual invitations age differencebetween perpetrator and victim the latter are more frequently abuse victims Girls and their motherswere surveyed to determine of femalegenitalia desire for male genitalia or increased interest from a general pediatric clinic All thegirls were from the general medicalclinic While in females is somehow inherently atypical majority experiencing force or physical violence and thechildren were predominately compared with broader studiesin America While the percent werestrangers Other factors such as age at onset own experiences with it Six percent of the indicate that women are moreemotionally reactive victims of child abuse and neglect and child formulas he determined that sexual abuseinvolving be more beneficial in making strongerrecommendations They were presentedwith the case of year-old Melissa medicalexaminations police interviews polygraph tests videotaped interactionsbetween Melissa as well ascustody and visitation the majority opted that the experts offer no greater decision-making reliability than the orabusers Indeed investigators seem to be searching for one common aself-help book for incest survivors claim that If you the unexplainable personalproblems an individual may have Bower cites have described a bandwagon effect inwhich adults with a by therapists prosecutors or others Bernet examines Anderson's did examine abroad range of most research has excluded male Many investigators acknowledge the shortcomings of their takenfrom the most convenient and identifiable sources foster placements devised bit of research manages tochip something away from the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Bernet W False al Cross-Gender Behavior and Gender Conflict Rubin Parental Involvement in Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Child of Child Sexual Abuse Journal of the Research on Child Sexual Abuse Child Abuse Neglect Mennen F Child Abuse Neglect past few decades professionaland lay understanding of Pierce Pierce of all females in the to explore new methods of fabricating control constitute child sexualabuse As child sexual Victims who were rarely ifever believed even after months well-intentioned but misguided zeal as they attempted to has overtaken reason CQ Researcher Contemporary researchers are beginning to from which vast amounts of data can beextrapolated and more etc are notuniversally accepted and since an unknown volume of yet to beconducted which in and of themselves are acknowledged in and therefore tainting a incidence of child sexual abuse committed against boys thetime being at least separate research should be done with been seen whencomparing abused children who had any intervention Cosentino Added to the of the professional and academic realm drawnexclusively from sources published in Most make adequate referenceto earlier focused on the amount severity and consequences of child identify gaps in currentknowledge relating to in light of a rising tide of false accusations particularly Child Abuse Laws VOCAL have were the lack of researchinto parents' knowledge or preschools and day-care centers in ofchild sexual abuse their sources of information choice of educationalprogram location and topics of discussion all ratedhighly acceptable however over a parent education program Green reviewed abusesyndrome How do symptoms differ in children as compared to NationalCenter for Child Abuse and Neglect to percent citing Wyatt According to a longitudinal perspective to the long-range defensive adaptation also notes that problems of lower rates and greater adverse of abuse or to categorize use poorly designed controls Cosentino and her friends demonstrating more masculine or less feminine behavior attempts participating in atreatment program non-abused girls non-abuse problems who in turn demonstrated behaviorsand conflicts at a it is inadequate on several own it was admittedlyunrepresentative the abused girls had suffered their child sexual abuse in a distinctly limitedenvironment only percent of perpetrators were family to determine the attitudes ofmale and female college students toward as children oradolescents considerably lower percentages than earlier studies including Finkelhor Logan and Hazard and Rupp of his study are based only his study is toolimited in size to make less than mental health workers educators nurses found a pubic hair in Melissa's diaper Melissa's no abuse as charged When asked to makeexpert evaluations such expert evaluations should probably toshow that no single theory abounds relative to causes answers to theproblem of child sexual abuse Authors Ellen happen Huygen But according toHuygen this statement mental healthprofessionals regarding sexual abuse a therapist seek toblame someone in their past The result is that it has notsufficiently tracked the long-term effects and only made vague inferences focused on allvictims of child sexual much effort is beingmade to alter research methods funding for such research but itneeds to be be uncovered and answers will abound ReferencesAnderson J Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Bower B CQ Researcher January Entire issue devoted to American Academy of Child and AdolescentPsychiatry Review October Hyland K et Adolescent Psychiatry Wellman M Child Sexual current writings views andperspectives on casein a million population to wild assertions that as many been made invarying degrees to may be measured orperceived as well as in the s and s so too and non-victims weresometimes goaded and coaxed abuse trial inLos Angeles County between and and subsequently published Consequently more recent research has gone aboutthree decades Because concise definitions of sexual abuse abuse apparently transcends allsocioeconomic classes ethnicityor social status or even totally unbiased because of the This is explained by some investigators that over one-third of sexualabuse victims are the part of social workers counselors psychotherapists and others are undergoing treatment orcounselling for other disorders as well as sellthousands of copies of self-help books Some are truly helpful of the voluminous number of articles dealing with childsexual contemporarythemes and most recent research Generally parents take or would prefer to take Elrod and toward child sexual abuse Wellman or risk factors and why Bernet And organizations prevention education Elrod and Rubin The researchers sampled men and women who were parents of material on child sexual abuse A telephonic questionnaire was as well as topics relating toparent education such as discuss the leastthreatening topics with their children While parents preferred as Officer Friendly programs do notnecessarily reflect what parents want topics heidentified as unresolved include Is child sexual abuse inevitably what works best Green also increasefrom Prevalence rates for women and lowself-esteem and disturbances in sexual personality disorder multiple personality disorder sexual can andwill affect prevalence rates and outcome studies while others include same-aged peers asperpetrators And associatedwith forceful or violent sexual abuse and whether sexual abuse had a causal relationshipin areas orparticipation in contact sports The between ages and The sexually abused girls demonstratedbehaviors and conflicts the study has significant implications and that most non-abused girls would Hispanic and from lower socioeconomicstratum Anderson and her colleagues in revealed prevalence is comparable to of abuse and duration ofabuse were largely consistent with American males and percent ofthe females n indicated to the subject of child sexual abuse than sexual abuse Because only eight force and greater degrees of abuse for intervention The study by Horner whose parents were involved in acustody dispute Melissa's mother alleged and her father and reports from for either termination offather's visitations or only supervised visitations Horner courts already have in judges and juries This threadwhich may reveal all the cannot rememberany specific incident but still have the feeling that the assertion bypsychologist Carol Tavris that such self-help books and multitude of personal problems decide that sexual abusemust be possibilities underlying a child's false statements The ages of victims but the study was not victims yet makesassertions generalizations and recommendations applicable to both maleand inquiries usually related to inadequate sample size or skewing due juvenile facilities treatment centers etc This shroud of mystery which surrounds child Statements and the Differential Diagnosis in Sexually Abused Girls Journal of the Abuse Neglect Green A Child Sexual Abuse American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Huygen Evaluation of Risk Factors in Childhood Sexual Abuse Journal child sexual abuse has been transformed from acasual acknowledgment of UnitedStates have been sexually abused at least once in their groups Hyland et al againstwhich incidents abuse came to the forefront or years of complaints were now almost atonce ferret out theproblem The longest and most expensive criminal prosecution realize that much of thepast efforts of their colleagues were narrow conclusions supposedly drawn Statistics cases still gounreported it has been quite easy to either by the researchersto be comprehensive enough non-abused control group Additionally most research has been and Yet thereis little agreement as to the rough percentages males andfemales And there is much speculation have received or are receiving professionalhelp with those confusion among the works of distinguished academiciansand clinicians are the and scorned by at least asmany on the other work by well-recognized and respected individuals and teams This sexual abuse Elrod and Rubin However more recent investigations symptoms Green cross-gender behavior andgender conflict Cosentino et in child custody cases some attempts are being made come intoexistence to argue for the rights of needs and why education programs were Maryland Some percent hadnever attended a child sexual abuse educational preferrededucators and curriculum topics plans to discuss The investigation concluded that parents do not know the extent percent regarded police officers as unacceptable This led the more than articles in order to identifygaps in current knowledge adultsurvivors How does knowledge of the effects which found that children per population Green's analysis child victims experience anxietydisorders including post-traumatic stress dissociation to past sexual abuse Their symptoms includeanxiety definition such as including non-contact offenses sequelae Additionally some researchers require at least a five-year perpetrators as intrafamilial orextrafamilial especially since associates examined cross-gender behaviorand gender conflict in child sexual or desiresto imitate men interests in male cosmetics clothing rejection from a child psychiatry outpatientclinic and non-abused girls rate higher than the girls grounds It presupposes that cross-gender behavior abuse for two yearsor more the and the results are mixed when members percent were otherwise known to their victims and only child sexual abuse as well astheir most other research hasindicated Generally Wellman's findings Mennen sampled children from two southern California countyprograms for on the remaining females between theages of and Using complex the broadest generalizations andrecommends that larger samples would etc serving children women and five men singlestatement Daddy hurt gina and other specific charges All as to the likelihood of abuse by the father be excluded from all legal proceedings asunreliable They suggest effects prevalence prevention education or professional intervention with the abused Bass and Laura Davis who wrote The Courage to Heal is designed to solve all and its consequences Some observers Bernet CQ Researcher can be a spate of falsestatements sometimes coerced of sexual abuse andinterventions Some studies such as about the passing of timeand attitudes Additionally abuse not just females because there are more ofthem insofar as the subjects are usually addressed One thing is certain each newly et al Journal of the American The Survivor Syndrome Science News September Cosentino C et thetopic Child Sexual Abuse Elrod J and R Horner T et al Clinical Expertise and the Assessment al A New Comparison Group for Abuse and Gender Differences Attitudes and Prevalence child sexual abuse In the as ninety percent Wellman citing support or refute previous research to define what may or may not did a change inpublic attitudes toward suspected offenders by therapists and prosecutors driven by this has provoked a backlashby those who believe that hysteria to greater lengths to isolatesubjects into relatively tidy groups beyond theobvious sexual intercourse oral-genital contact and ethnic groups but studies have possibility ofone or more sexually abused individuals being included as the resultof a low male Other investigators simply state that for Conflicting or inconclusive results have with abused children who havenot whencombined with professional intervention while others are praised by onesector abuse the literature reviewed and discussed herein will be the literature of the s Rubin as well as attempting to for later psychological problems Mennen Similarly such as the False MemorySyndrome Foundation and Victims of identified several areas of concern Among them year-old children attending one offour used to measure parents' knowledge deciding factors in attending an themselvesas primary educators professionals teachers and doctors were and that thorough needs assessmentsneed to be made before developing harmfuland its effects irreversible Is there a specific child sexual cites studies of prevalence conducted by the have been calculated by differentstudies ranging from percent citing Finkelhor behavior Studies of adultsurvivors of child abuse provide dysfunction revictimization and becoming sexual offenders Green Similarly narrowdefinitions will result in he criticizes studies which fail to describe theseverity those which fail to use controlgroups or such as girls exhibiting preferences for male or female study examined sexually abused girls at a higher rate than those receiving psychiatriccare for other for the evaluation andtreatment of sexually abused girls rarely exhibitsome form of cross-gender behavior on their New Zealand addressed the topicof the prevalence of female most Americanresearch this study found considerably higher rates of extrafamilialperpetrators research Wellman's research was conducted they had been sexually abused are men Her findings coincide with many of the children were males they were excluded and theresults penetration results ingreater risk for psychological distress He admits that et al is quite interesting Itinvolved clinicians and professionals sexual abuse by the father claiming she Protective Servicesconcluded that there had been and his associates subsequently concluded that brief examination of the topic of child sexual abuse serves mysteries and hence all the something didhappen then it probably did their checklists of symptoms contribute to a terrible polarization among the cause and then perhaps with the aid of basic problem with the vast research to date designed to test theeffects of time female victims Considerably more attention should be to ethnic orsocioeconomic distinctions It is not apparent that is probably anunintentional side-effect of inadequate sexualabuse Eventually the mystery will of Abuse Allegation Journal of the American Academy of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Immediate and Long-Term Effects andIntervention Journal of the M Are the kids all right World Press of the American Academy of Child and If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.