Child Sexual Abuse: Its Scope and Our Failure

307 Pages·2002·2.77 MB·English

by  Rebecca M. Bolen (auth.)

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
ITS SCOPE AND OUR FAILURE
Rebecca M. Bolen
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK, BOSTON, DORDRECHT, LONDON, MOSCOW
eBook ISBN: 0-306-47200-7
Print ISBN: 0-306-46576-0
©2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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To my daughters,
Erin and Jenny,
with all my love
PREFACE
This book is the result ofan intensive review ofthe professional literature on child
sexual abuse that has occurred over an almost 10-year period. When I originally
began this manuscript several years ago, I was struck by the dearth of scholarly
books that reviewed the knowledge base as it related specifically to the scope of
child sexual abuse. Existing books then and now were more likely either to be
clinical in orientation or to focus upon a specific aspect of child sexual abuse. Often
the books echoed the salient themes of their period. Thus, a number of books currently
inprint are concerned with recovered memories ofchildhood sexual abuse, whereas
several books written in themid to late 1980s wereaboutpurported false allegations
made by children or their guardians.
Ontheotherhand, onlyafewbooksinthe last20yearshavehadastheirstated
purpose a scholarly review of the empirical literature. Yet, these books are essential
for providing easy reference to the extant knowledge base. Because the knowledge
base is now voluminous, only the most ardent professionals in this field have the
time to remain current across the breadth of the literature base. Thus, reviews of the
child sexual abuse empirical literature serve important purposes. They allow these
professionals to remain current in areas of child sexual abuse outside their primary
knowledge area. Further, they provide concise reviews for other interested professionals.
While I never deviated from the purpose ofproviding an intensive review of
this knowledge base, I also began to realize that this book would be strikingly
incomplete if it were simply a review of the literature. Indeed, the more I delved into
this literature base, the more I became struck by the inconsistencies between our
empirical literature and our professional response to the problem of child sexual
abuse. For example, I was (and remain) puzzled by the differences between the
empirical literature and the response of some professionals regarding the issue of
allegations of sexual abuse during divorce or custody disputes. If only a tiny
percentage of these cases are falsely and maliciously filed, why do we retain such a
skeptical view ofthem? I was also perplexed (and remain so) by the profession’s
narrow focus on nonoffending mothers when abuse by a father accounts for only a
small percentage of all sexual abuse. Where is our literature base on nonoffending
fathers? The answer is that it is nonexistent.
I finally began to realize that this book had to be more than a simple review of
the literature. It also had to point out the discrepancies between our empirical
knowledge base and our professional response to child sexual abuse while trying to
offer some explanation forthe often profound differences. This explanation appears
to lie in our historical conceptualization of child sexual abuse, for our professional
responsetochildsexualabuseonlymakessense when framedwithintheassumptions
deriving from this historical conceptualization. It surely does not make sense if we
lookonlyattheempiricalknowledgebase.
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viii PREFACE
The book that emerged has three important sections. The first section sets the
stage for this book by reviewing the historical context within which early theories of
child sexual abuse were developed. The second section of the book then turns to the
task of reviewing the empirical knowledge base that defines the scope of the problem
of child sexual abuse. This section considers the prevalence and incidence of child
sexual abuse, extrafamilial and intrafamilial abuse, factors associated with risk of
abuse and of offending, and nonoffending guardians. It is argued throughout this
section that child sexual abuse is an epidemic fueled by sociocultural structures and
values. The final section considers the aftermath of child sexual abuse—the
professional response to child sexual abuse.
In the important final chapter of this book, the scope of the problem of child
sexual abuse—as illustrated in the empirical knowledge base—is compared to that of
the professional response to child sexual abuse. This comparison provides striking
evidence that society’s response to child sexual abuse is failing profoundly. By
reviewing the assumptions underlying society’s response to child sexual abuse, I
argue that the reason for such a complete system failure is that the systemic response
is grounded in the historical and often myth-bound conceptualization of child sexual
abuse rather than in the empirical literature.
It is my hope that this book will add momentum for restructuring the existing
child welfare system. As the evidence put forth in this book clearly shows, a
restructuring of society’s response to child sexual abuse is an ethical and moral
imperative. It is also my hope that this book can serve as an accessible reference for
professionals in understanding the scope of the problem of child sexual abuse as
explicated in the empirical knowledge base. Finally, it is my hope that this book will
compel readers to advocate for those changes in society that will be necessary to
reduce the epidemic of child sexual abuse. Until we are willing to look at the role of
society (and thus its citizens) in maintaining child sexual abuse, this epidemic will
continue.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As my work on this book has spanned almost 10 years andthree universities, many
individuals Ihaveknownbothprofessionallyandpersonallyhave influencedme.
Whenthis bookfirstbegantotake shape, one ofthe professors atthe School of
Social Work at the University ofTennessee, Nashville Branch, Dr. Hia Rubenstein,
was gracious enough to read portions of an early draft of this book. Others whom I
knew personally also supported me in this early process. I would especially like to
thank Theresa McRedmond, Beth Richardson, and Maryann McCue. My former
husband, Larry Bolen, was also steadfastly supportive, and I am grateful for his
encouragementduringthoseyears.
Many ofthe ideas forthis book, spawned at the University ofTennessee, took
shape while I was at the University of Texas at Arlington. Several professors had a
major influence upon me, including Doreen Elliott, Charles Mindel, Maria
Scannapieco, Dick Schoech, andColeen Shannon. I would also like toacknowledge
two friends and colleagues—Leah Lamb and Liz Hodges—with whom I have had
rich and rewarding collaborations. Liz Hodges, as well as Jennifer Gradante, also
offered excellent suggestions on selected chapters of the book. Other friends in the
Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex also offered great support, especially Sue Gardner,
Janice Garner, Jo Ann Stevenson, and Guillermina Garza Treviño.
During my time at the University of Texas at Arlington, I developed a working
relationship with Diana Russell, with whom I recently wrote The Epidemic of Rape
and Child Sexual Abuse in the United States. Her exceptional prevalence study
profoundly influenced my development as a researcher. Other influential researchers
whohavecontributedmuchtomyunderstandingofchildsexualabuseareJohnBriere,
JonConte,DavidFinkelhor,KathleenFaller,JudithHerman,LindaWilliams,andGail
Wyatt, among many others.
My final stop with this book has been at my present affiliation, the Boston
University School of Social Work. I am most grateful to a group of colleagues with
whom I shared my ideas for this book. Their excellent feedback focused the final
shape of this book. To Trudy Duffy, Christine Flynn Saulnier, Robert Hudson,
Cynthia Poindexter, Betty Ruth, and Lee Staples I offer my thanks. Robert Hudson
and Susan Fineran’s advice and feedback on selected chapters were also invaluable.
Likewise, I wish to acknowledge the support of the Dean, Wilma Peebles-Wilkins.
Dana Cooper, my copy editor for this book, was extremely helpful. She was an
excellent resource as she read the book and made suggestions for consistency or
clarification. Jayde Campbell also provided valuable and timely assistance. Further, I
wish to thank the editor at Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, Mariclaire Cloutier,
who provided the forum for this book and who shepherded it through the final and
critical steps.
My family has also been extremely supportive of my efforts, including my
mother, Billie Morris, and brothers, Eric, Mike, and Jeff Morris. I would especially
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x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
like to acknowledge my sister, Melani Jolly, who has believed in me and supported
me through the many ups and downs in my life.
Finally, I wish to express my deep love for my children, Erin and Jenny, and I
want them to know how grateful I am for their presence in my life. They are my
inspiration, for I have seen in them the eyes of the child and the pristine future I wish
not only for them, but for all children in our nation and in our world.
It is for my children and all children that I write, working toward the future
they so deserve.
CONTENTS
PARTI. SOCIOHISTORICAL CONTEXT
1. Introduction 3
2. HistoricalOverview 11
3. Theories of Child Sexual Abuse: An Historical and Sociocultural
Perspective 27
PART II. SCOPE OFTHE PROBLEM
4. Methodology 41
5. IncidenceandPrevalenceof ChildSexualAbuse 65
6. ExtrafamilialAbuse 91
7. lntrafamilialAbuse 113
8. RiskFactorsforChildSexualAbuseVictimization 135
9. Offenders 163
10. Nonoffending Guardians 187
PART III. AFTERMATH
11. Professional Response to Child Sexual Abuse 219
12. Conclusions 245
Epilogue: It Takes a Village 273
References 279
Index 303
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