Author(s)

Marcella M. Donaruma-Kwoh¹, K. K. Lopez¹, A. N. Bachim¹, A. T. Cruz^2,3, C. S. Greeley¹

¹Sections of Public Health Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
²Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
³Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

Study Objective: To describe histories provided by sexually abused children whose ano-genital examinations demonstrated injury consistent with abuse. Design: This was a nested cohort study within a larger epidemiologic study of child sexual abuse. Setting: A large urban children’s assessment center (CAC) medical clinic population seen in a single calendar year. Participants: Children aged 6 to 16 years who provided a medical history directly to a pediatric medical care provider. Main Outcome Measures: The elements of a history provided by abused children in the context of a corroborative physical exam were described through qualitative analysis. Results and Conclusions: Both school-aged children and adolescents identify their perpetrators, outline the mechanics of abusive contact, and can provide relevant details for medical and forensic evaluation. This was also true in the subgroup of children with learning disabilities and psychiatric comorbidities. Children shared an array of troubled emotions provoked by their abuse experience; narratives of resistance were more common in younger children, while older adolescents focused most on their fear. In this study, we demonstrate that abused children are able to share details of their sexual abuse experiences clearly, with abnormal exams supporting their disclosure narratives.

Child Molestation, Child Molestation, Sexual, Molestation, Sexual, Child, Sexual Abuse of Child, Sexual Abuse, Child

Donaruma-Kwoh, M. , Lopez, K. , Bachim, A. , Cruz, A. and Greeley, C. (2021) Children Should Be Seen and Heard: A Qualitative Analysis of Abuse Histories Provided by Children with Ano-Genital Injury Consistent with Sexual Contact. Advances in Applied Sociology, 11, 724-734. doi: 10.4236/aasoci.2021.1112059.