The assessment of child sexual abuse (CSA) allegations is a complex, challenging, high-stakes undertaking. The consequences of sloppy assessments leading to false positive or false negative court decisions are clearly severe. Despite this, many professionals and paraprofessionals who undertake such assessments continue to perform substandard child sexual abuse investigations. This article presents some of the common errors made by CSA investigators and suggests the use of research-based investigative protocols and ongoing training as ways of improving this situation.
AdamsJ.A.HarperK.KnudsonS. & RevillaJ. (1994). Examination findings in legally confirmed child sexual abuse: It's normal to be normal. Pediatrics, 94(3), 310–317.
2.
The American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (1998). Guidelines for the clinical evaluation of child and adolescent sexual abuse. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 655–657.
3.
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. (1990, 1997). Guidelines for the evaluation of suspected sexual abuse in young children. Chicago, IL: Author.
4.
American Psychological Association. (1999). Guidelines for psychological evaluations in child protection matters. American Psychologist, 54, 586–593.
5.
BondC.F.Jr., & DePauloB.M. (2006). Accuracy of deception judgments. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 214–234.
6.
CeciS.J., & BruckM. (1995). Jeopardy in the courtroom: A scientific analysis of children's testimony. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
7.
FanettiM.O'DonohueW., & BradleyA. (2006). A method for evaluating child forensic interviews. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 24(3), 5–27.
8.
FisherR. (1995). Interviewing victims and witnesses of crime. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 1(4), 732–764.
9.
FreidrichW.N.FisherJ.L.DittnerC.A.ActonR.BerlinerL.ButlerJ. (2001). Child sexual behavior inventory: Normative, psychiatric, and sexual abuse comparisons. Child Maltreatment, 6(1), 37–49.
10.
HershkowitzI.FisherS.LambM.E., & HorowitzD. (2007). Improving credibility assessment in child sexual abuse allegations: The role of the NICHD investigative interview protocol. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(2), 99–110.
11.
KuehnleK. (1996). Assessing allegations of child sexual abuse. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Exchange.
12.
LambM. E.HershkowitzI.OrbachY., & EsplinP. (2008). Tell me what happened: Structured investigative interviews of child victims and witnesses. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
13.
PooleD., & LambM. (1998). Investigative interviews of children: A guide for helping professionals. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
14.
RosenfeldA.BaileyR.SiegalB., & BaileyG. (1986). Determining incestuous contact between parent and child: Frequency of children touching parents' genitals in a nonclinical population. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 25(4), 481–484.
15.
SternbergK. J.LambM. E.EsplinP.W., & BaradaranL. (1999). Using a scripted protocol to guide investigative interview: A pilot study. Applied Developmental Science, 3(2), 70–76.
