NCJ Number
236999
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 20 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2011 Pages: 588-605
Date Published
October 2011
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article discusses that there is more involved than just a medical examination when child sexual abuse is suspected.
Abstract
The medical evaluation of children with suspected sexual abuse includes more than just the physical examination of the child. The importance of taking a detailed medical history from the parents and a history from the child about physical sensations following sexual contact has been emphasized in other articles in the medical literature. The examination is important, however, and medical providers who examine children need to be aware of published research on findings in nonabused children, studies of healing of injuries, and studies documenting the association between sexual contact and the diagnosis of sexually transmissible infections in children. This article reviews the current approach to interpreting findings in children who may have been sexually abused and why additional research is needed. (Published Abstract)