Charles C. Thomas, Publisher Description: Books on child sexual abuse have proliferated in recent years. The vast majority represent case studies based on the author's experiences, describe well-publicized cases of abuse, or are training manuals for those charged with the investigation of sexual abuse allegations. The latter are typically how-to books with respect to documenting that abuse had occurred rather than a description of how to conduct an impartial and unbiased investigation. More recently, books have appeared which malign child protection agencies, promoting the view that false allegations are rampant and that child protection agencies are more interested in providing justification for increased funding than caring about the children in their charge. It is into this flurry of advocacy books, that Wakefield and Underwager have attempted to introduce rationality and common sense with the publication of Accusations of Child Sexual Abuse. Promulgating the view that child sexual abuse must be viewed from a rational and scientific perspective if the best interests of all children are to be served, this book represents the most comprehensive review and analysis of the literature related to child sexual abuse (over 800 articles, books, monographs, etc.) published to date. The literature from a broad range of diverse fields was reviewed including: cognition, memory and learning theory; social psychology and group effects; child development; prevention programming; clinical psychology; human sexuality; moral development; ethics and professional training; the law and psychology; medicine; psychological assessment; therapeutic approaches; and many more. Within each area, the authors have summarized what is known within the scientific community, and through the application of the rigors of the scientific method, evaluated the application of that knowledge in the identification, evaluation, treatment and disposition of child sexual abuse cases. What they have found, and document throughout their book, is repeated inconsistency (and in many cases, outright contradictions) between the literature that has evolved over the last 50 years and what is currently being practiced. Divided into five sections, Section 1 covers an overview of the child sexual abuse system including a discussion of the interrogation process, the role of psychologist in assessing child sexual abuse cases, issues relative to children's testimony, the response of the judicial system to sex abuse allegations, and prevention programming in the area of child sexual abuse. Section 2 elaborates upon and critiques current assessment of child sexual abuse allegations from the perspective of the child and from the accused. Section 3 is devoted to consideration of the implications of false allegations of sexual abuse and how discriminations between true and false allegations may be made more reliable. Section 4 reviews current views on the effects and treatment of child sexual abuse on the victim, the family and the perpetrator. Finally, Section 5 looks at child sexual abuse from a historical perspective. Providing an overview of child sexual abuse within a historical context, the authors analyze the trends over the last decade which have lead to an increase both in the identification of children who are being sexually abused as well as an increase in the number of false allegations of such abuse. Methods have emerged to fill the vacuum which existed regarding sexual abuse of children. Development of such methods lacks the rigor that has been traditionally associated with the development of psychological assessment devices, and which the authors contend greatly increases the likelihood of false allegation being initiated, supported and "substantiated." This book discusses at length the effects of the interrogation process on a young child's ability to recall actual events, as well as how the interviewer may subtly and gradually create, within the child, a memory for an event that never occurred. The authors report on their review and analysis of audio and videotapes of interviews and interrogations of children involved in allegations of sexual abuse. Using a rating instrument they developed, 109 interviews were analyzed for the types of statements made by the interviewer and by the child. High rates of statements which have the potential for inducing error into the interrogation process were reported (including closed questions, use of modeling, pressure tactics, rewards, aids such as dolls, and the use of paraphrasing). With the interviewer typically twice as verbally active as the child, an average of 65% of the interviewer statements were of the error-inducing type. The actual rating scale and criteria for scoring are presented in an Appendix to the book. Issues relative to the competency of young children to
testify in court as well as the reliability of their testimony are examined in
light of what is known from social psychology about suggestibility. Issues in
the assessment of children alleged to have been sexually abused as well as
assessment of the alleged perpetrator are discussed with particular attention
paid to the scientific basis (or lack thereof) for many of the assessment
techniques used. The current literature on the effects of sexual abuse on
children and on the effectiveness of various treatment modes are considered.
Lastly, factors which increase the likelihood of false allegations and how an
evaluator may discriminate between true and false allegations of abuse are
presented. Comments The comprehensiveness of Accusations of Child Sexual Abuse represents its strongest feature. Critics may argue that, at times, a bias is detected which renders this work suspect regarding its objectivity. No doubt the authors feel strongly that many cases of alleged sexual abuse are mishandled and at numerous points throughout this book, they state their opinions and perceptions. Nevertheless, these are presented in the context of a literature review and, as such, readers are free to reach their own conclusions. What cannot be disputed and what is objective is the substantial literature base presented in this book. For example, one may conclude that the authors are biased toward believing that young children are too suggestible and have too many deficits in the areas of cognitive structure and memory to make credible witnesses. But beyond that opinion, sufficient substantiation is provided through the literature to enable readers to make up their own minds. The opinions and observation interspersed throughout this book represent one of its strengths, not an inherent weakness. Any work which provides only bare objective facts fails to structure the information in a manner that makes sense to the reader. Without the narrator to provide the context and the guidance, the raw data becomes meaningless. The authors provide that structure, that context; the reader is free to accept or reject it based on the data that is presented. It may also be argued that this book is inherently dangerous because it provides information which may be used by defense attorneys to get a guilty child abuser "off." No doubt, to the extent that assessment of a child alleged to have been sexually abused is open to the criticisms outlined in this book, a defense attorney may indeed use such criticism to get an acquittal for a guilty defendant. Such has been the enduring dilemma of the ageless pursuit of knowledge and the perennial tendency to suppress that information which makes us uncomfortable or which does not support our predetermined conclusions. However, rather than suppressing such information, would not the better course, for both the child and the defendant, be promotion and use of assessment measures of higher reliability? An assessment technique which obfuscates the data hurts the abused child as well as the non-abused child. For example, the use of leading and suggestive questions to get more information from a child who has made a vague allegation of abuse, can be more damaging than the initial abuse. Of the many cases where children have eventually given incredible descriptions of horrific abuse, how many of those children never suffered any abuse, and how many suffered perhaps an isolated episode of fondling which has been exaggerated by the interrogation techniques of an over-zealous interviewer. In either case, the child's interest has not been served, and in both cases, the information in this book is likely to lead to a finding of innocence relative to the defendant. Though organizationally the book has weaknesses in the flow from chapter to chapter and section to section (e.g. a discussion of the historical context for sexual abuse would have more logically appeared in the beginning of the book rather than at the end), the content indisputably represents a monumental accomplishment in the field of child sexual abuse. Implementation of the recommendations provided within this volume would well serve both children and families by bringing science and common sense to this most complex and emotionally charged problem. Reviewed by James J. Krivacska, Educational Program Consultants, Milltown, NJ 08850.
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