Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 22 April 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5721, p. 501
DOI: 10.1126/science.1108066
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Policy Forum

PSYCHOLOGY:
The Science of Child Sexual Abuse

Jennifer J. Freyd,1* Frank W. Putnam,2 Thomas D. Lyon,3 Kathryn A. Becker-Blease,4 Ross E. Cheit,5 Nancy B. Siegel,6 Kathy Pezdek7

Child sexual abuse (CSA) involving sexual contact between an adult and a child has been reported by approximately 20% of women and 5 to 10% of men worldwide. A history of CSA leads to serious mental and physical health problems, substance abuse, and criminality in adulthood. Scientific study of CSA is currently underfunded, obscured by contentious forensic controversy, and fragmented by discipline. From public health, economic, ethical, and scientific perspectives, the authors of this Policy Forum recommend interdisciplinary consensus panels and increased intellectual investment in CSA research, prevention, intervention, and education.

1Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1227; 2Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229; 3 Law School, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089; 4Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824; 5Department of Political Science, Brown University, Providence, RI; 02912 6NBS Associates, Columbia, MD 21046; 7Department of Psychology, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.

*Author for correspondence. E-mail: jjf{at}dynamic. uoregon.edu

Read the Full Text

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)