Diagnosis or Dilemma: Drawings of Sexually Abused Children

Abstract

The incidence of child sexual abuse in both the United States and Great Britain has been reported in increasing numbers over the past 20 years (American Humane Association, 1984; Miles, 1989). In Cleveland, England, in 1987, a national scandal arose (The Cleveland Incident) from the reporting of a large number of alleged cases of child sexual abuse by two pediatricians (“Cleveland Inquiry,” 1988). This resulted in the traumatic and, in some cases, inappropriate removal of many children from their homes by child protection authorities. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) released figures which reflected twice as many cases reported from April 1988 to April 1989 as were reported in the preceding year (Miles, 1989). The alleged case of ritual sexual abuse in the Orkney Islands in Scotland currently is being investigated in a hearing which will continue through June 1992. The need for better diagnostic tools on behalf of sexually abused children in the United Kingdom has become increasingly apparent.Psychotherapists and art therapists working with children identified as having been sexually abused have noticed certain graphic indicators seemingly peculiar to the artwork of these children. The use of art therapy in the treatment of sexually abused children has been well substantiated. Studies have been carried out to determine what characteristics appear more frequently in the drawings of children who have been sexually abused.

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