Mental health articles

“Offenders,” it was shown that across studies only 17% to 39% of substantiated cases of sexual abuse are submitted for prosecution and that only about 60% of cases submitted are actually prosecuted.8 Because courts require more stringent levels of proof for prosecution than child protective services needs for substantiating abuse (Martone et al., 1996), it […]

Legal proceedings in child sexual abuse Few sexually abused children appear in court as witnesses. For example, Martone, Jaudes, and Cavins (1996) found that only 7% of sexually abused children had to testify in court. Even though the number of children testifying in court is low, professionals have been concerned that the process of testifying […]

Medical examination in child sexual abuse The medical examination is important for at least four reasons: it reassures the victim and parents that the child is normal and healthy; it detects, treats, or prevents medical conditions as a result of the sexual contact; it provides evidence for the protection of the child; and it provides […]

Factors affecting decisions on evaluations in sexual abuse A variety of techniques and interventions are used to determine whether sexual abuse has occurred, including the medical evaluation, the child’s interview (with or without anatomical dolls or projective techniques), and interviews with nonoffending guardians, alleged offenders, or others. Afterwards, professionals have the difficult task of determining […]

the process and structure of the interview in sexual abuse Properly conducted interviews with children are challenging and thus the interviewer requires extensive training. Because of these challenges, is not surprising that the few studies conducted have found that even with training, difficulties in the interviewing process occur. For example, one study examined 42 interview […]

The interview in sexual abuse In the early 1980s when sexual abuse began to be disclosed with increasing frequency, no guidelines for conducting interviews existed (Faller, 1996). Child protective services workers, who are required to have only a bachelor’s level education and not necessarily one in a mental health field, were also those responsible for […]

Decision to remove a child in sexual abuse Across studies, 49% to 59% of children are removed immediately after the official disclosure, and up to two-thirds of children are eventually removed (Faller, 1991b; Hunter et al., 1990; Massat & Lundy, 1998). Often these removals are lengthy or permanent. For example, Hunter et al. (1990) found […]

Decision to find sexual abuse substantiated When abuse is investigated, child protective services workers then determine whether the abuse occurred. When enough evidence exists to conclude that abuse did occur, it is said to be substantiated. Overall, child protective services only substantiates about 34% of all investigated abuse and neglect (U.S. Department of Health and […]