Physical symptoms in very young children assessed for sexual abuse: a mixed method analysis from the ASAC study.

ABSTRACT: So far, a recognizable pattern of clinical symptoms for child sexual abuse (CSA), especially in young male children, is lacking. To improve early recognition of CSA, we reviewed physical complaints, physical examination, and tests on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in confirmed victims (predominantly preschool boys) of CSA from the Amsterdam sexual abuse case (ASAC). We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of the primary assessment using mixed methods: descriptive analysis of physical complaints, physical exams, and STI tests from medical files and a qualitative analysis on expert's interpretations of physical complaints and children's behavior during physical examination. We included 54 confirmed CSA victims, median age 3.2 (0-6) years, 43 boys (80%), and 11 girls (20%). Physical

SUBMITTER: Vrolijk-Bosschaart TF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5607905 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature