Child Sexual Abuse Lecture Flashcards

A set of 100 question-and-answer flashcards based on the lecture transcript about child sexual abuse, prevalence, legal competence, and interviewing techniques.

Why is child sexual abuse (CSA) different from physical abuse or neglect in terms of the legal system?

It is a criminal activity that goes to the criminal court (the adult court) rather than just being handled as a child protection issue.

What argument do defense attorneys often use regarding child witness competence?

They argue that you cannot believe a child and that they are not competent to report on what they have experienced.

Why are children considered 'powerless' in the context of abuse?

Because adults control the socialization process, provide food, control the purse strings, determine where the child lives, and children are dependent on them.

What is the 'discounting principle' in child development?

The ability to discount the 'niceness' of an adult if an external reward (like ice cream) is being offered, which typically develops around age $6$ or $7$.

Why do some parents object to teaching children about sexual abuse in schools?

They do not want their children's 'innocence disturbed' by teaching them about sexual issues at a young age.

In the Australian prevalence study by Matthews (2023), what percentage of participants experienced physical abuse?

$$32 \%$$

In the Matthews (2023) study, what percentage of participants experienced sexual abuse?

$$28 \%$$

According to ABS data, what percentage of women who experienced CSA had more than one incident?

$$69 \%$$

What age group was identified as a major area for the first incident of sexual abuse in women?

Between the ages of $5$ and $9$, accounting for $49 \%$ of cases.

According to the transcript, what percentage of women never told the police about their abuse?

$$84 \%$$

What percentage of women knew the perpetrator of their child sexual abuse?

$$88 \%$$

In family-based abuse, what percentage of perpetrators were non-immediate adult male relatives?

$$25 \%$$

What percentage of female victims reported their father or stepbroker was the perpetrator?

$$16 \%$$

For the $343,500$ men who experienced CSA, what was the most common age for the first incident?

Between the ages of $10$ and $14$.

What percentage of men who experienced child sexual abuse never told the police?

$$99 \%$$

What trend was observed in 'Risk of Serious Harm' (ROSH) reports during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The allegation rates/reports increased because people were 'more glued to their families.'

What is the trend of child sexual abuse reporting in the US according to David Finkelhor?

Child sexual abuse is declining in the US, along with all other kinds of abuse.

Unlike the US, what is the trend of CSA reports in Australia?

Reports have been 'seeming to increase year on year.'

In what year did psychologists become mandated reporters in Australia?

$$1988$$

When did the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse occur in Australia?

From $2012$ to $2017$.

What was a major legislative change regarding historical abuse cases prior to the Royal Commission?

The statute of limitations was changed, allowing cases to be prosecuted way beyond the typical seven years.

What is 'grooming' in the context of child exploitation?

Talking to a child online to get them 'on board' with sexual activities, which has now become a criminal offense.

According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, what percentage of children aged $9$ to $16$ have experienced regular exposure to sexual images?

$$44 \%$$

What percentage of deepfake material currently online is made up of pornographic videos?

$$98 \%$$

What percentage of deepfake imagery is targeted at women and girls?

$$99 \%$$

What special unit in Australia deals with cases of child exploitation?

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).

How many reports did the ACCCE receive in the $2022-2023$ period?

Over $40,000$ reports.

What is 'sextortion'?

A form of online blackmail where someone tricks you into sending sexual images and then threatens to share them unless demands are met.

In the Amsterdam daycare case, how many children were found to have been abused by one employee?

$125$ children, including $76$ boys.

What were the common symptoms identified in children from the Amsterdam daycare case?

Emotional upheaval, acting out, regression in toilet training, and developmental slowness.

What percentage of the children in the Amsterdam case showed no psychosocial problems?

About $50 \%$.

What is the 'abuse dichotomy' described in young children?

The black-and-white thinking where the child believes either the perpetrator is bad or 'I am the bad one.'

What finding did Kendall-Tackett report regarding children and abuse-related problems?

About $40 \%$ did not develop any kind of abuse-related problems.

Which child victims are unlikely to have major long-term problems?

Those who experience a single incident of less intrusive abuse and disclose it to a supportive parent who protects them.

According to forensic records, what long-term risks are significantly higher for CSA victims $44$ years later?

Significantly higher rates of suicide or accidental overdose.

Which risk factor had the strongest effect on child sexual abuse according to a meta-analysis?

Prior victimization of the child or their family members.

Who proposed the Routine Activities Theory in 1979?

Cohen and Felson.

What are the three components of the Routine Activities Theory?

Interaction of a potential offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian.

Which psychologist based his CSA theory on Bronfenbrenner's ecological perspective?

Belsky.

Whose Social Cognitive Theory involves the interaction between person, environment, and behavior?

Bandura.

Who proposed the 'Ecological Transactional and Developmental Model' of child sexual abuse?

Bolan.

What is a 'victim schema' in children of overprotective parents?

A conception where they view parents as controlling and themselves as weak and helpless, making them easy targets for offenders.

Why was the 'uncorroborated evidence warning' from judges problematic?

It suggested to jurors that a conviction based only on the child's word was risky, leading to fewer convictions; it was changed about $6$ years ago.

What was the primary focus of Gail Goodman's research over the last $30$ years?

Proving that children have the relevant memory to report accurately on what they witnessed.

How do younger children differ from older children in free recall situations?

They give as accurate information but offer less total information.

What is the relationship between suggestive questioning and accuracy in young children?

Suggestive questions increase the amount of information provided but also increase the level of inaccuracy.

Why were anatomically correct dolls disallowed as interviewing props?

Because younger children found them interesting/exciting and began playing with the genitals, leading to more inaccurate evidence.

What is 'narrative elaboration' in child interviewing?

A technique where children are given cards (house, park, etc.) and asked to tell everything about that location.

What is 'Cognitive Context Reinstatement'?

Asking a child to 'draw a picture in their head' and relive their story mentally to retrieve as much information as possible.

Which interview protocol was developed by Geiselman in $1984$ and adopted by Sayowitz for children?

The Cognitive Interview.

What does the acronym NICHD stand for in interview protocols?

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

What is the difference between an 'elaborative' and a 'directive' prompt?

An elaborative prompt follows up immediately on something the child just said, whereas a directive prompt returns to a detail mentioned earlier in the interview.

Why are elaborative prompts preferred over directive prompts?

Children are far more accurate when reporting from elaborative prompts because they are still engaged and focused on that material.

What is a 'transgressive event' in research scenarios?

A staged event where an adult commits a 'wrong' act (like stealing) to test a child's disclosure and memory.

What percentage of CSA victims tell someone at the time of the abuse?

Fewer than half ($50 \%$).

Who are middle school/high school students most likely to disclose abuse to?

A friend or peer.

According to the Matthews study, what was the sex ratio (girls to boys) of reported abuse in $1993$?

$2.1$ to $1$

How did the sex ratio of reported abuse change by $2012$?

It changed to $1.14$ to $1$, meaning boys were disclosing more frequently.

What is Summit's model of disclosure?

A psychiatrist's model showing that disclosure is a delayed, conflicted process, intended to explain to courts why delayed reports are not necessarily false.

What are the four motivational factors for disclosure identified by the lecturer?

Know the terms, expected parental response, expected personal feelings, and perceived consequences.

Why was Piaget's 'Moral Judgement of the Child' (1932) problematic for determining child competence in court?

The questions were too complex and children often labeled lies based on adult status rather than actual truth/falsehood.

What is a 'false denial'?

When an abuse victim denies that the abuse occurred (nondisclosure).

What is a 'false allegation'?

When a child claims abuse occurred when it did not, which can be spontaneous or coached.

What was the findings of the 12-week coaching study (Ceci et al.) regarding false events?

After repeated suggestions, young children ($3$ to $4$ year olds) started to acquiesce and believe false events actually occurred.

What percentage of children in the Ceci coaching study reversed their false story after being told the interviewer made a mistake?

$75 \%$, while $25 \%$ stayed with the false story.

Is suggestive questioning allowed in cross-examination?

Yes, it is allowed by the defense attorney to support their client, unlike in direct examination or police interviews.

What did the Zajac and Hayne study find regarding cross-examination of 5-6 year olds?

$85 \%$ of children changed their response from their initial direct examination when subjected to cross-examination.

Which legal scholar called cross-examination 'the greatest legal engine ever invented for the discovery of truth'?

Wigmore (the transcript refers to 'one of the legal scholars').

What percentage of defense lawyers' questions were found to be 'leading' in Powell's research?

$$60 \%$$

What is 'rhetorical negative' questioning?

A complex form of questioning often used by lawyers, such as: 'You had a bruise, did you not?'

What did the Royal Commission recommend regarding persistent child sexual abuse?

A maximum life sentence.

Which professional group is still exempt from mandated reporting under the 'seal of the confessional'?

The clergy.

What age group in men saw their first incident of abuse most frequently?

Ages $10$ to $14$.

According to the lecturer, what is the 'black box' that needs more research?

The specific mechanisms/interaction between personal factors and environmental factors in abuse victimization.

In the Ceci coaching study, how many separate occasions was a child told a false event happened before they started to believe it?

$12$ separate occasions.

What is the 'Stepwise interview'?

An interview protocol that focuses on the sequencing of questions, starting generally and moving to specific details.

Why do boys disclose less frequently than girls?

Due to different nature of sexuality and concerns about being labeled as homosexual.

What happened to children's accuracy in the study comparing 'Direct followed by Direct' vs 'Direct followed by Cross'?

Accuracy plummeted in the cross-examination group but stayed the same in the group with two direct examinations.

How many reports are received on average per day for child exploitation in the early 2023-2024 data?

$160$ per day.

What was the reported increase in child exploitation reports between 2019 and 2023?

$$92 \%$$

What is 'Physical Context Reinstatement'?

Taking a child back to the actual location where the abuse occurred to aid memory.

Why is physical context reinstatement often impractical?

Abuse is rarely disclosed immediately, and the layout of the place may have changed significantly by the time of investigation.

How do children under age $5$ typically view 'bad things'?

Dichotomously: 'If something bad is happening to me, I must be bad.'

What did the lecturer note about the reporting requirements for bystanders?

New offences were introduced for 'failure to report' if an individual knows what is happening and does nothing.

What did the Amsterdam daycare case discover regarding 'market value'?

There was a large market across the world for buying images of children being abused.

What was the increase in total ACCCE reports for 2023-2024?

Reports increased to $58,000$.

What does the transcript suggest as the 'best outcome' for a child victim?

The child reports, is believed, and the mother acts immediately.

What percentage of men reported only one perpetrator involved in their abuse?

$$94 \%$$

What percentage of men's first incidents involved someone they knew?

$$82 \%$$

What did the lecturer mean by 'curiosity about bodies' in early childhood?

That children are naturally curious, and a lack of developmental-appropriate knowledge about sexuality can make them vulnerable.

What is the 'historical data' problem mentioned by the lecturer?

The difficulty in collecting data on abuse when children are under $16$ due to ethical notification requirements.

What is 'live streaming' in the context of child exploitation?

Forcing children to perform activities on the internet for a live audience.

What is a 'summary statement' in a forensic interview?

A recap used by the interviewer to help rehearse memory and sometimes encourage the child to talk about more issues.

In the Matthews study, what percentage of the participants were female victims?

The raw number mentioned was over a million women.

What was the findings about perpetrator gender in the ABS data?

The common perpetrators were family members, specifically adult male relatives.

What percentage of men experienced more than one incident of CSA?

$$52 \%$$

How does 'over-protection' relate to child abuse risk?

It may prevent children from developing negotiation or push-back skills, making them 'easy targets.'

What did the lecturer identify as a 'confounding variable' in assessing CSA effects?

Factors associated with the home environment or other pre-existing adjustment issues.

Which interview protocol uses an 'avatar training' simulation?

A new direction mentioned to train interviewers using algorithms that mimic real children's behavior.

Why are children 'uninformed about the trust of adults' initially?

They assume all adults, especially parents and familiar faces, can be trusted implicitly.