List some of the important behavioral indicators of child sexual abuse.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The results of a nationwide survey of professionals experienced in evaluating suspected child sexual abuse revealed high levels of agreement concerning the following factors:

1. The child possesses age-inappropriate sexual knowledge.
2. The child engages in sexualized play.
3. The child displays precocious behavior.
4. The child engages in excessive masturbation.
5. The child is preoccupied with his or her genitals.
6. There are indications that pressure or coercion was exerted on the child.
7. The child's story remains consistent over time.
8. The child's report indicates an escalating progression of sexual abuse over time.
9. The child describes idiosyncratic details of the abuse.
10. There is physical evidence of abuse.
Note, however, that these indicators represent a broad constellation of behaviors that are frequently seen among sexually abused children as a group. Owing to the many forms sexual abuse may take and the variations in individual coping methods and personalities, every child will exhibit a different set of behaviors subsequent to abuse. Thus, a child who experienced a single abusive incident may well be consistent with his or her story over time. Conversely, a child who experienced several years of abuse by a close relative may seem to contradict his or her story over time, depending on the attitudes expressed by family members or the manner in which he or she is questioned. In other words, there is no single array of behavioral indicators that definitively identify a sexually abused child.