A comparative study of attitudes toward child sexual abuse among social work and judicial system professionals. 1988

E J Saunders
University of Iowa School of Social Work, Des Moines Educational Center 50311.

To meet the needs of mutual clients, perpetrators and victims, social service and judicial system professionals share an obligation to collaborate in cases of child sexual abuse. Unknown is the extent to which individuals in counter professions share common beliefs about perpetrators and victims of child sexual abuse. This paper reports an inquiry into the attitudes of five professional groups within an urban criminal justice system specific to victim credibility, victim culpability, offender culpability, and the crime and punishment of child sexual abuse. As predicted, statistically significant differences in attitudes were found among child welfare social workers, police officers, district attorneys, public defenders, and judges. In particular, groups differed in their beliefs about victim credibility and punishment of offenders, suggesting conflict in addressing two fundamental questions in these cases: (1) Can a child be believed when he or she reports sexual abuse? and (2) How should the system deal with offenders? Both questions beg the continuing attention of all professionals invested in these cases, ultimately benefiting victims and offenders. Both quantitative and qualitative findings are provided in this report.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007603 Jurisprudence The science or philosophy of law. Also, the application of the principles of law and justice to health and medicine. Litigation,Medical Jurisprudence,Constitutional Law,Court Decision,Law,Legal Aspects,Legal Obligations,Legal Status,State Interest,Aspect, Legal,Aspects, Legal,Constitutional Laws,Court Decisions,Decision, Court,Decisions, Court,Interest, State,Interests, State,Jurisprudence, Medical,Law, Constitutional,Laws,Laws, Constitutional,Legal Aspect,Legal Obligation,Litigations,Obligation, Legal,Obligations, Legal,State Interests,Status, Legal
D008297 Male Males
D010378 Pedophilia A sexual disorder occurring in a person 16 years or older and that is recurrent with intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child (generally age 13 or younger). (from APA, DSM-IV, 1994). Pederasty,Pederasties,Pedophilias
D011678 Punishment The application of an unpleasant stimulus or penalty for the purpose of eliminating or correcting undesirable behavior. Punishments
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002650 Child Abuse, Sexual Sexual maltreatment of the child or minor. Child Molestation,Child Molestation, Sexual,Molestation, Sexual, Child,Sexual Abuse of Child,Sexual Abuse, Child,Abuse, Child Sexual,Child Sexual Abuse,Molestation, Child,Sexual Child Abuse,Sexual Child Molestation
D003416 Criminal Law A branch of law that defines criminal offenses, regulates the apprehension, charging and trial of suspected persons, and fixes the penalties and modes of treatment applicable to convicted offenders. Criminal Justice,Criminal Laws,Justice, Criminal,Law, Criminal,Laws, Criminal
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults

Related Publications

E J Saunders
February 2023, International journal of environmental research and public health,
E J Saunders
January 1987, Child abuse & neglect,
E J Saunders
January 1990, Child abuse & neglect,
E J Saunders
January 2018, Journal of child sexual abuse,
E J Saunders
January 2019, Journal of professional nursing : official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing,
E J Saunders
January 2022, Journal of child sexual abuse,
Copied contents to your clipboard!