Assessment of sexual abuse allegations in child custody cases.

Family courts frequently rely on the expertise of mental health professionals to assess allegations of sexual abuse within the context of child custody evaluations. Such evaluations are complex and require knowledge of techniques used in sexual abuse and sexual offender evaluations, as well as knowledge of child custody practices. Preliminary findings from a national survey of 84 psychologists indicated that respondents tend to adhere to the child custody guidelines of the American Psychological Association. However, few practitioners followed formal models, protocols, or guidelines when evaluating alleged victims or alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse in conjunction with child custody disputes. Implications for professional practice are discussed, along with a proposed comprehensive model for assessing sexual abuse allegations in child custody cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood Sexual and Physical Abuse and the 1-Year Prevalence of Medical Problems in the National Comorbidity Survey.

In a population sample (N = 5,877; ages 15 to 54), the authors found childhood sexual and physical abuse to be associated with the 1-year prevalence of serious health problems for both men and women. The authors also found that participants' psychiatric disorders partially mediated the effects of physical and sexual abuse on adult health. However, childhood abuse continued to independently influence health status after the authors controlled for psychiatric disorders. Contrary to expectations, individuals who experienced a combination of sexual and physical abuse did not have a higher frequency of health problems than those who experienced either type of abuse alone. Implications for these findings are discussed, including possible mechanisms that may account for the association between childhood abuse and adult health problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Impact of Complainant Sexual History Evidence on Jurors' Decisions: Considerations From a Psychological Perspective.

Although Canada's sexual assault laws have undergone considerable modification and revision since the late 1970s and early 1980s, it has only been within the past decade that a "rape shield" protection has applied to the complainant's prior sexual conduct with the defendant. Although the admission of evidence concerning the complainant's prior sexual conduct with the defendant now receives legislative protection, it can still, under some circumstances, be admitted at trial. Specifically, if the trial judge determines that the evidence pertaining to the complainant's prior sexual conduct with the defendant is of significant probative value to a fact at issue (other than the complainant's consent or credibility) and that this value is not outweighed by any potential prejudicial effects, it may be admitted at trial. Drawing on psychological research investigating the role played by complainant/defendant relational history in people's evaluations of sexual assault, the current article critically examines the potential impact that this evidence may have on jurors' decisions in sexual assault trials. This review suggests that significant dangers are associated with its introduction at trial and also includes a discussion of the legal implications of these research findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

étudier l'impact des contacts sexuels précoces: Commentaire sur l'article de Forouzan et Van Gijseghem.

A recent controversy in Psychology is the question of whether sexual contact between adults and children always and necessarily results in measurable long-term psychological harm for the children. Rind, Tromovich and Bauserman (1998) concluded that there is little or no correlation between child sexual abuse and later psychopathology in college students who had suffered such abuse. This caused a fire storm of debate, including an unprecedented step by the U.S. Congress which passed a resolution condemning the American Psychological Association and its journal Psychological Bulletin for publishing the Rind et al. article. In the aftermath, cooler heads have noted that psychologists should be aware of the way in which research may be used by contending parties in current social debates. There is general agreement that psychology and other social sciences must seize every opportunity to educate policymakers, the news media, and the public about psychological research, peer review, and controversies in science. In an article in this issue of Canadian Psychology/Psychologic canadienne, Forouzan and Van Gijseghem (see record 2004-11200-006) present a careful review of the literature on the latter effects of early sexual contact. Among other things, these authors also find that some... (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse: What Does the Research Tell Us About the Ways That Children Tell?

The empirical basis for the child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome (CSAAS), a theoretical model that posits that sexually abused children frequently display secrecy, tentative disclosures, and retractions of abuse statements was reviewed. Two data sources were evaluated: retrospective studies of adults' reports of having been abused as children and concurrent or chart-review studies of children undergoing evaluation or treatment for sexual abuse. The evidence indicates that the majority of abused children do not reveal abuse during childhood. However, the evidence fails to support the notion that denials, tentative disclosures, and recantations characterize the disclosure patterns of children with validated histories of sexual abuse. These results are discussed in terms of their implications governing the admissibility of expert testimony on CSAAS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judging the credibility of historic child sexual abuse complainants: How judges describe their decisions.

Criminal prosecutions of child sexual abuse alleged to have occurred in the distant past raise myriad challenges. One significant challenge involves assessing the credibility of complainants. In the present study, 51 bench trials involving 87 complainants were coded into categories related to complainants’ memory for the offense, as well as credibility of the complainant, reliability of the evidence, and judicial inferences. A total of 4,827 judicial comments were identified and categorized. Judges were more likely to describe the allegations specifically than generally; however, they were sensitive to the predictably impoverished nature of memory after such a long delay. Consistent with psychological evidence, there were more judicial comments about inconsistencies in acquit cases than in convict cases and more comments about corroboration in convict than in acquit cases, although neither inconsistencies nor corroboration were strongly associated with verdict. Of some concern was the apparent and considerable judicial interest in complainants’ behavior and emotions around the time of the alleged abuse and around the time of disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex with children is abuse: Comment on Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998).

Comments on the article by B. Rind, P. Tromovitch and R. Bauserman (see record 1998-04232-002) which reported a meta-analysis of the relation between sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence and psychological functioning among college students. Sever aspects of their work have proven highly controversial, including their assertion that the relation between child sexual abuse and adjustment is quite small and their questioning of whether child sexual abuse should be labeled abuse in scientific inquiry. In this commentary, the authors summarize the controversy that has ensued, place it in a historical context, discuss the limitations of B. Rind et al.'s findings, and critique the manner in which those findings are presented. The authors also argue for the appropriateness of the term abuse and for scientific terminology that reflects rather than contradicts consensual public morality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical characteristics of adults reporting repressed, recovered, or continuous memories of childhood sexual abuse.

The authors assessed women and men who either reported continuous memories of their childhood sexual abuse (CSA, n = 92), reported recovering memories of CSA (n = 38), reported believing they harbored repressed memories of CSA (n = 42), or reported never having been sexually abused (n = 36). Men and women were indistinguishable on all clinical and psychometric measures. The 3 groups that reported abuse scored similarly on measures of anxiety, depression, dissociation, and absorption. These groups also scored higher than the control group. Inconsistent with betrayal trauma theory, recovered memory participants were not more likely to report abuse by a parent or stepparent than were continuous memory participants. Rates of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder did not differ between the continuous and recovered memory groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between prior sexual abuse and reactions to sexual harrassment: Literature review and empirical study.

This article examines whether individuals who have had prior sexual abuse experiences, including sexual harassment (SH) and child sexual abuse, are hypersensitive to potential SH-related stimuli or overreact to social sexual experiences. Some psychologists and legal scholars suggest that previous sexual abuse or exposure to violence against women produces altered perceptions of current interactions and situations in those women. The review of the extant empirical literature examining such relationships and the findings presented here in an interrelated set of 5 studies provide little general or consistent support for a relationship between prior abuse experiences and current perceptions about SH. Caution is advised in judging either the veracity of an SH complaint or the objectivity of a potential juror's reaction to such a claim on the basis of her prior sexual abuse experiences. The literature review and empirical study lend weight to the irrelevance of such inquiries in judging credibility of SH complainants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anger as a vehicle in the treatment of women who are sexual abuse survivors: Reattributing responsibility and accessing personal power.

Some clinicians view client anger as a problematic symptom to be reduced, whereas others view it as an opportunity for therapeutic development. The present authors describe how client anger, a fitting emotional response to abuse, can work as a vehicle to help sexual abuse survivors reattribute responsibility and develop personal efficacy. The role of anger in the healing process of the sexual abuse survivor is explored through 2 case studies. It is suggested that by reframing anger as a vehicle for recovery rather than a symptom, therapists can learn to effectively incorporate anger work (which involves successfully negotiating any dynamics that cause therapist discomfort) into the treatment of survivors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Les défis diagnostiques posés par l'évaluation clinique des allégations de sévices sexuels concernant des enfants.

Knowledge and expertise acquired in clinical and empirical psychology are increasingly requested by social and judicial authorities when confronted with allegations of sexual abuse on children. In view of this increased demand, various evaluation methods and techniques have been developed, some for which the measurement value and conceptual relevance have not been demonstrated. The article brings us up to date on evaluation methods pertaining to allegations of sexual abuse on children and suggests a practical framework that takes into account recognized clinical principles and recent research results in this field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wethinks the author doth protest too much: A reply to Esterson (2002).

A. Esterson (see record 2002-10275-005) responded to the authors' (see record 1999-01068-004) analysis of recent reformulations of Freud's seduction theory and alleged sexual abuse discoveries. Esterson gave several additional examples of the same type of problematic writing the authors discussed in their original article. His commentary is largely a repetition of several already-published arguments, and his numerous criticisms of the article are, in the authors' opinion, without merit. The authors address confusion over inferring abuse from symptoms, treatment of symptoms versus resolution of cases, and fathers as perpetrators of abuse. It is clear that, as long as the topic of child sexual abuse elicits heated debate, so will Freud's seduction theory, but there may be times when one needs to step back to allow a debate to move forward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

La relation entre l'abus sexuel subi durant l'enfance et la satisfaction conjugale chez l'homme.

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between child sexual abuse and men's dyadic adjustment, using a theoretical model integrating attachment, that is anxiety about abandonment and avoidance of proximity, and psychological distress. Participants were 316 men forming a probabilistic sample of French-Quebecer living in couple. Structural equation analyses showed that sexual abuse predicted dyadic adjustment through anxiety about abandonment and psychological distress. Moreover, there was no relationship between sexual abuse and avoidance of proximity, while this variable was associated to dyadic adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The admissibility of expert testimony based upon clinical judgment and scientific research.

In reading the American Psychological Association Final Report on the Investigation of Memories of Childhood Abuse (J. L. Alpert et al, see record 2000-13581-002), the authors recognized that one of its most important implications for the law is whether and to what extent clinical testimony on recovered repressed memories of childhood abuse should be admitted into evidence in a court of law. A review of the legal literature suggested that the law did not have a satisfactory answer to the question, and that any proposed answer would have to apply to all clinical and scientific expert testimony if it is to accepted and used by the courts. This article uses examples that are far beyond the scope of the Working Group's report, and provides a suggested legal framework for courts to use when addressing both types of proffered testimony across the legal spectrum. It is suggested that the solution proposed is most poignantly illustrated in the case of claims of recovered repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women's history of sexual abuse, their sexuality, and sexual self-schemas.

In this study, the authors assessed 48 female survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) and 71 female control participants using measures of adult sexual function, psychological function (i.e., depression and anxiety), and sexual self-schemas. The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether differences existed between women with and without a history of CSA in the way that they viewed themselves as a sexual person and, if so, whether such differences mediated the link between early unwanted sexual experiences and later adult sexuality. CSA survivors were found to view themselves as less romantic and passionate than women who were not abused. In particular, CSA survivors showed an inverse relationship between romantic/passionate sexual self-schemas and negative sexual affect during sexual arousal. The relationship between CSA and negative sexual affect was independent from symptoms of depression and anxiety, suggesting that the impact of CSA on sexual self-schemas may be independent from the impact that the abuse may have in other areas of the survivor's life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Victimization Over the Life Span: A Comparison of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Siblings.

Lifetime victimization was examined in a primarily European American sample that comprised 557 lesbian/gay, 163 bisexual, and 525 heterosexual adults. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) participants were recruited via LGB e-mail lists, periodicals, and organizations; these participants recruited 1 or more siblings for participation in the study (81% heterosexual, 19% LGB). In hierarchical linear modeling analyses, sexual orientation was a significant predictor of most of the victimization variables. Compared with heterosexual participants, LGB participants reported more childhood psychological and physical abuse by parents or caretakers, more childhood sexual abuse, more partner psychological and physical victimization in adulthood, and more sexual assault experiences in adulthood. Sexual orientation differences in sexual victimization were greater among men than among women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Alcohol and substance abuse in adolescence.

Reviews the book, Alcohol and substance abuse in adolescence edited by J. S. Brock, D. J. Lettieri, D. W. Brook, and Barry Stimmell (1985). The introductory "editorial" in this volume sets three goals which sound more like a handbook: elucidate the reasons why youth turn to drugs, how to manage those afflicted and how to educate for prevention. The papers focus largely on the first, and leave the latter two for the readers to infer. Most of the usual themes of adolescent drug use are covered: the influence of peer groups, the influence (or lack thereof) of parents, psychological development of identity and individuation. Drug use is discussed in relation to social influences, personality dynamics and adolescent development and maturation. However, the authors seem to equate any adolescent drug use (particularly marijuana) with excessive involvement. Surely it is important to examine the variations in why and how various drugs are used by that age group. It remains for others to explore the boundaries between drug use and abuse, to identify high risk patterns and to develop strategies to promote normal, healthy maturation of adolescents in a drug-drenched society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Compelled mental health examinations, liability decisions, and damage awards in sexual harrassment cases: Issues for jury research.

Controversy surrounds the role that expert psychological testimony may play in sexual harassment litigation. In some circumstances, the defense may compel sexual harassment plaintiffs to submit to a mental health examination by a defense expert. This examination may be used to discover whether the plaintiff has a previous history of sexual victimization, which the defense could use to weaken the plaintiff s claims that the sexual behavior was unwelcome and/or damaging. Some advocates have advised that plaintiffs not place their mental health into controversy, so that they can avoid these compelled examinations. In this article, the authors (a) review the legal basis for compelled mental health examinations, (b) review the relevant psychological literature on jury decision making in sexual harassment cases, and (c) examine the implications of compelled mental health examinations for jury decision making, suggesting avenues for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating Parenting Capacity: Validity Problems With the MMPI-2, PAI, CAPI, and Ratings of Child Adjustment.

Practitioners who conduct assessments of parenting capacity for the courts are faced with the challenge of determining the extent to which positive self-presentation by parents distorts test findings. This study examined positive self-presentation bias on commonly used psychological tests in cases referred following removal of children from the home because of abuse or neglect. Substantial positive self-presentation bias was apparent on the measures examined, and parents who presented themselves positively on one test tended to do so on others. Intellectual functioning did not account for these findings. The results demonstrate the pervasive problem of positive self-presentation bias in compromising the validity of test results in this population. Recommendations for conducting clinical assessments with this population are offered, including direction for the use and interpretation of psychological tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)