NCJ Number
175121
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 21 Issue: 6 Dated: June 1997 Pages: 541-556
Date Published
1997
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article attempts to document the behavior of 87 children involved in multiple victim/multiple perpetrator sexual abuse by developing and administering surveys to families.
Abstract
Data gathered at 2.5 years (1990) and 7 years (1994) after the disclosures indicated the behavioral status of the children at different developmental stages. These data were compared to clinical information available prior to the abuse, and initial survey data rendered at 6 weeks after disclosure in order to document victims' behavior during the healing process. A questionnaire was sent to the parents of 87 children who were abused in 1987. The parents returned the completed questionnaire and were interviewed in a clinic. Thirty-nine percent of the children, who lived in supportive family environments, changed as a result of the abuse. They exhibited behavior within acceptable, normal guidelines for childhood development. In 1994, 7 percent of the children involved showed signs of more severe behavioral disorders. The most important conclusion drawn from this study is that there were physical and behavioral signs that were not recognized at the time the events occurred. Tables, references, figures