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Measuring Child Sexual Abuse in Children and Youth
Journal article

Measuring Child Sexual Abuse in Children and Youth

Abstract

Asking children and adolescents directly about their experience of sexual victimization overcomes some of the methodological weaknesses inherent in other approaches. Yet complex legal, ethical, and methodological issues remain. This paper reviews the psychometric properties of those questions or instruments that have measured exposure to child sexual abuse directly. A search of four electronic databases using descriptors "child sexual abuse" and "measurement" or "instrumentation" yielded four telephone administered tools, 13 face-to-face interviews, and 32 self-administered questionnaires. Few instruments had been subjected to rigorous evaluation. Establishing the validity and reliability of instruments measuring child sexual abuse and other forms of victimization are critical for the growth and expansion of the field.

Authors

Walsh C; Jamieson E; MacMillan H; Trocmé N

Journal

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 39–68

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Publication Date

August 13, 2004

DOI

10.1300/j070v13n01_03

ISSN

1053-8712

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