Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse: A Review of the Contemporary Empirical Literature

Abstract

Although it is widely acknowledged that the sexual assault of children is a major societal concern, it is not known how many children in the United States are victims of sexual abuse (Ceci & Friedman, 2000). There are two major reasons for this lack of data. First, current estimates of the incidence of child sexual abuse (CSA) do not reflect the number of unreported cases or the number of cases reported to agencies other than Child Protective Services (e.g., sheriff ’s offices or professionals such as mental health diversion programs). Second, the diagnosis of CSA is often difficult because definitive medical or physical evidence is lacking or inconclusive in the vast majority of cases (Bays & Chadwick, 1993; Berenson, Heger, & Andrews, 1991), and because there are no unique psychological symptoms specific to sexual abuse (KendallTacket, Williams, & Finkelhor, 1993; see Poole & Lindsay, 1998; J. Wood & Wright, 1995). Given these limitations of medical and psychological evidence, children’s statements typically comprise the central evidence for judging theoccurrence of CSA. In making these judgments, professionals often must address the thorny issue concerning how children disclose abuse.

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