Examination Findings in Legally Confirmed Child Sexual Abuse: It's Normal to be Normal

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce A. Adams ◽  
Katherine Harper ◽  
Sandra Knudson ◽  
Juliette Revilla
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Classification System ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Case Files ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Physical Findings ◽  
Behavioral Information

Background. Studies of alleged victims of child sexual abuse vary greatly in the reported frequency of physical findings based on differences in definition of abuse and of "findings." This study was designed to determine the frequency of abnormal findings in a population of children with legal confirmation of sexual abuse, using a standardized classification system for colposcopic photographic findings. Methods. Case files and colposcopic photographs of 236 children with perpetrator conviction for sexual abuse, were reviewed. The photos were reviewed blindly by a team member other than the examiner, and specific anatomical findings were noted and classified as normal to abnormal on a scale of 1 to 5. Historical and behavioral information, as well as legal outcome was recorded, and all data entered into a dBase III program. Correlations were sought between abnormal findings and other variables. Results. The mean age of the patients was 9.0 years (range 8 months to 17 years, 11 months), with 63% reporting penile-genital contact. Genital examination findings in girls were normal in 28%, nonspecific in 49%, suspicious in 9%, and abnormal in 14% of cases. Abnormal anal findings were found in only 1% of patients. Using discriminant analysis, the two factors which significantly correlated with the presence of abnormal genital findings in girls were the time since the last incident, and a history of blood being reported at the time of the molest. Conclusions. Abnormal genital findings are not common in sexually abused girls, based on a standardized classification system. More emphasis should be placed on documenting the child's description of the molestation, and educating prosecutors that, for children alleging abuse: "It's normal to be normal."

Anogenital Trauma in Sexually Abused Children

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Finkel
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Systematic Method ◽  
Abused Children ◽  
Genital Trauma ◽  
Physical Findings ◽  
Sexually Abused Children

Physical findings, when identified, lend powerful support to the validation and prosecution in child sexual abuse cases. Because of the frequent delay between the alleged molestation, disclosure, and examination, there is a need for a systematic method of identifying and interpreting the residual of anal and genital trauma after the acute signs have disappeared. The case findings of seven children who experienced acute genital and anal trauma and were observed until their injuries healed are reported.

scholarly journals Maternal History of Child Sexual Abuse and Maladaptive Outcomes in Sexually Abused Children: The Role of Maternal Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110139
Author(s):  
Rachel Langevin ◽  
Martine Hébert ◽  
Audrey Kern
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Abused Children ◽  
Maternal History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sexually Abused Children

The effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) have been found to surpass generations as maternal history of CSA is associated with increased difficulties in sexually abused children. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. The present study aimed to test maternal mental health symptoms including psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and dissociation as mediators of the relationship between maternal CSA and children’s internalizing, externalizing, and dissociation symptoms in a large sample of sexually abused children. A total of 997 sexually abused children aged 3-14 years old and their mothers were recruited at five specialized intervention centers offering services to sexually abused children and their families. The children were divided into two groups depending on their mothers’ self-reported history of CSA. Mothers completed a series of questionnaires assessing their mental health and children’s functioning. Maternal history of CSA was associated with increased maternal psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, and dissociation following children’s disclosure of CSA. In turn, maternal psychological distress and maternal dissociation were associated with increased child internalizing, externalizing, and dissociation symptoms. Maternal PTSD symptoms were associated with child internalizing symptoms. Maternal mental health difficulties mediated the association between maternal CSA and sexually abused children’s maladaptive outcomes. Clinicians should assess for possible history of CSA in mothers of sexually abused children and determine how best to support them to cope with the aftermaths of their child’s disclosure and with their own traumatic past.

scholarly journals Purification, Punishment, and Control: Eating Disorders, Self-Harm, and Child Sexual Abuse

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232110174
Author(s):  
Lisa Hodge ◽  
Amy Baker
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
And Control ◽  
Depth Interviews

Eating disorders continue to be viewed as curable diseases, forcing people into predetermined narratives of pathology that shape how they are viewed and treated. Situated in a feminist application of Bakhtin’s sociological linguistics, we were concerned with how participants understood eating disorders, the nature of their experiences, and the causes of their distress. Following a dialogical method, multiple in-depth interviews were conducted with seven women who experienced an eating disorder and who had been sexually abused previously, and participants’ own drawings and poetry were obtained to gain deeper insights into meanings and emotions. We found an eating disorder offered a perception of cleanliness and renewal that was attractive to participants who experienced overwhelming shame. It is critical that researchers use a range of visual and sensory methods to move eating disorder understandings and treatment beyond illness and pathology.

Father-perpetrators of child sexual abuse who commit suicide

1990 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Walford ◽  
Marie-Therese Kennedy ◽  
Morna K. C Manwell ◽  
Noel McCune
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Recent Letter ◽  
The Family ◽  
Sex Offences ◽  
The Guardian ◽  
The Impact

Two cases of fathers who committed suicide following the revelation that they had sexually abused their own or other children, are described. The importance of being alert to the possibility of suicide and suicidal acts by family members following a disclosure, is emphasised. Improved liaison and co-ordination between agencies working with these families may enable vulnerable cases to be more readily identified and consequently offered appropriate support and treatment.The revelation that the father in a family has sexually abused his own or other children often precipitates a crisis within the family. The distress suffered by the children themselves and by their mothers is well documented. (Browne and Finkelhor, Hildebrand and Forbes). Goodwin reported suicide attempts in 11 of 201 families, in which sexual abuse had been confirmed. Eight of the attempts were made by daughter-victims. In three of the five cases of mothers who attempted suicide, the abuse was intrafamilial. The impact on father perpetrators, previously a less well researched field, has been receiving more attention of late. Maisch, in a sample of 63 fathers convicted of incest reported that two fathers subsequently committed suicide. Wild has reported on six cases of suicide and three of attempted suicide by perpetrators following disclosure of child sexual abuse. The Cleveland Inquiry Report mentions one father, charged with several sex offences, who committed suicide while awaiting trial. A recent letter to The Guardian newspaper (18th February 1989) by 11 local paediatricians in that area suggests that there are now two such cases of suicide committed by alleged perpetrators.

Relaxation and Examination for Sexual Abuse

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 745-745
Author(s):  
KAREN KIRHOFER HANSEN ◽  
WILLIAM M. PALMER
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Vaginal Opening ◽  
Physical Findings ◽  
Sexually Abused Girls

To the Editor.— We were pleased with the article by Herman-Giddens and Frothingham concerning physical findings in sexually abused girls (Pediatrics 1987;80:203-208). Their experiences were similar to ours after evaluation of more than 2,263 cases of alleged sexual abuse since 1980. No mention was made, however, of the effect of the degree of a patient's relaxation during the examination on the appearance of the vaginal opening. We have seen numerous children in whom the truly enlarged size of an apparently small vaginal opening became obvious when the patient relaxed.

Child Sexual Abuse

2018 ◽  
pp. 229-258
Author(s):  
Shubham Thukral ◽  
Tania Debra Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Familial Risk ◽  
The Status ◽  
Familial Risk Factors ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Evaluation

This chapter outlines briefly the dynamics of the interplay between Child Sexual Abuse and Family. Child abuse is a state of emotional, physical, economic and sexual maltreatment meted out to a person below the age of eighteen and is a globally prevalent phenomenon. Child abuse is a violation of the basic human rights of a child and is an outcome of a set of inter-related familial factors among other ones. The primary focus is on the issues of intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse, familial risk factors for abuse and broadly some theories that contribute to the understanding of intrafamilial child sexual abuse. The chapter also explores reactions of the family to the sexually abused child, evaluation of the interventions suitable for the same and the status of psychotherapy with respect to the sexually abused child and their family.

Child Sexual Abuse

2019 ◽  
pp. 345-375
Author(s):  
Shubham Thukral ◽  
Tania Debra Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Familial Risk ◽  
The Status ◽  
Familial Risk Factors ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Evaluation

This chapter outlines briefly the dynamics of the interplay between Child Sexual Abuse and Family. Child abuse is a state of emotional, physical, economic and sexual maltreatment meted out to a person below the age of eighteen and is a globally prevalent phenomenon. Child abuse is a violation of the basic human rights of a child and is an outcome of a set of inter-related familial factors among other ones. The primary focus is on the issues of intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse, familial risk factors for abuse and broadly some theories that contribute to the understanding of intrafamilial child sexual abuse. The chapter also explores reactions of the family to the sexually abused child, evaluation of the interventions suitable for the same and the status of psychotherapy with respect to the sexually abused child and their family.

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