Child Sexual Abuse

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Sociohistorical Context

   1. Introduction

      Pages 3-9

   2. Historical Overview

      Pages 11-25

   3. Theories of Child Sexual Abuse: An Historical and Sociocultural Perspective

      Pages 27-38

3. Scope of the Problem

   1. Methodology

      Pages 41-63

   2. Incidence and Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse

      Pages 65-89

   3. Extrafamilial Abuse

      Pages 91-112

   4. Intrafamilial Abuse

      Pages 113-134

   5. Risk Factors for Child Sexual Abuse Victimization

      Pages 135-161

   6. Offenders

      Pages 163-185

   7. Nonoffending Guardians

      Pages 187-216

4. Aftermath

   1. Professional Response to Child Sexual Abuse

      Pages 219-244

   2. Conclusions

      Pages 245-278

5. Back Matter

   Pages 279-306

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Child sexual abuse has become a prevalent topic of study and discussion in the fields of Child Psychology, Pediatrics, Law Enforcement, and Social Work. But even with the widespread knowledge of identifiable behavior in its victims and abusers, society's response to child sexual abuse is failing profoundly.
Rebecca Bolen's authoritative book, Child Sexual Abuse: Its Scope and Our Failure, clearly defines the scope of child sexual abuse and addresses society's ability to respond to the problem. It is her thesis that society's response to child sexual abuse is failing because the policies, programs, and statutes designed to assess and identify abuse are grounded in historical and myth-bound theoretical child sexual abuse literature rather than in the empirical knowledge base. This comprehensive text on child sexual abuse covers:

The historical conceptualization of child sexual abuse, starting with Freud.

A review of the empirical literature on the incidence and prevalence of child sexual abuse.

The professional response to child sexual abuse.

The most sophisticated model of risk of child sexual abuse done to date.

Two new models of understanding reactions by nonoffending guardians.

The pervasiveness of the threat of extrafamilial abuse. £/LIST£ This text is divided into three main areas of discussion: Sociohistorical Context, Scope of the Problem, and Aftermath.
This comprehensive review can be used not only as a text, but also as a primary reference for professionals in government, law enforcement, medical, mental health, and any agency that works with child sexual abuse offenders and victims.

• behavior
• child psychology
• psychology
• social work
• sexual behaviour

• Boston University, Boston

  Rebecca M. Bolen

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