An exploratory study to determine how child sexual abuse was defined at installation Air Force Family Advocacy Programs, characteristics of reported child sexual abuse cases, and differences in cases labeled "suspected" and "established." All 121 Air Force Family Advocacy Officers were mailed questionnaires which addressed the bases' definitions of child sexual abuse and characteristics of cases reported in 1985. Data were collected from 58 bases on 376 cases. Findings indicated that the Family Advocacy Programs lacked a uniform definition of child sexual abuse. Contrary to Air Force regulation, 37% of the programs did not limit services to cases involving abuse by perpetrators who were in caretaker relationships with their victims. Variations in characteristics of cases from those previously reported included: younger ages of victims (M = 8.56), a higher percentage of male victims (22%), and a high rate of cases initially reported by victims and non-offending parents (66%). At least 25% of isolated incidents of abuse (perpetrated by perpetrators known to victims) involved anal/genital penetration, suggesting a progression of sexually abusive behaviors may not be an essential aspect of case validation. Recommendations for revision of Family Advocacy Program regulations, enhancement of program services, and areas for future research were identified. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-08, Section: A, page: 3191. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75923 |
| Contributors | TARPLEY, ALICE POWERS., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 346 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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