Statement Validity Analysis: Its Application to a Sample of Dutch Children Who May Have Been Sexually Abused (From Maltreatment in Early Childhood: Tools for Research-Based Intervention, P 59-81, 1999, Kathleen C. Faller, ed.)

• NCJ Number: 182581
• Author(s): Francien Lamers-Winkelman
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 23 pages
• Sale Source: Haworth Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article analyzes application of the Statement Validity Checklist (VC) to a sample of Dutch children who may have been sexually abused.

Abstract

All information regarding 103 Dutch sexual abuse cases was analyzed using the VC, the second part of the Statement Validity Analysis procedure. The fulfillment of the VC items was compared for four different age groups. Only two VC items differed significantly between the age groups. There was only a weak relationship between the fulfillment of the CBCA criteria and the VC items together and the outcome of the cases. Results suggest that Statement Validity Analysis cannot yet be used as a scientifically validated instrument for judging the truthfulness of allegations of child sexual abuse. The SVA procedure was never intended to be a test, but was developed as a systematic framework. Its value lies in the systematization of the interview and evaluation procedure, which helps to organize data and inferences as well as assist in weighting various data. Tables, references