Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors

by Whitfield, Charles L.; Silberg, Joyanna L.; Fink, Paul Jay

• ISBN13: 9780789019004
• ISBN10: 0789019000
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-04-12
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Successfully navigate the minefield of misinformation that can prevent justice from being done in child sexual abuse cases! From the Foreword, by Robert Geffner, PhD, editor of the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: "Too often, the public and some professionals have been misled by media publicity and articles . . . that appear scientific, but in reality, are biased opinions or over-generalized research. Forensic cases are being decided in many courts based upon the recommendations of so-called 'expert witnesses'who do not actually know the clinical research or understand the dynamics of such abusive relationships." This much-needed book points out and corrects misinformation that everyone who works with victims, offenders, or families in which sexual abuse has occurred needs to understand clearly. Especially vital in today's political climate, Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors gives you state-of-the-science information on such myths as "false memory syndrome," "recovered memory therapy," and the "lack of harm" to some sexually abused boys. Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors examines: forensic issues, including the "false memory" defense and how the long-term impact of childhood sexual abuse is often misrepresented in court three separate expert examinations of Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman's well-known--and often misrepresented--review of long-term child sexual abuse outcomes treatment recommendations and guidelines for addressing the memory controversy in clinical practice the fascinating case history/cautionary tale of the child molester Robert Halsey, who was convicted and sentenced to two life sentences in 1993, and how public and academic resources were misused to claim he was wrongly convicted

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction: Exposing Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors	1	(8)
Charles L. Whitfield
Joyanna Silberg
Paul Jay Fink
MISINFORMATION/DISINFORMATION ABOUT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
Crisis or Creation? A Systematic Examination of ``False Memory Syndrome''	9	(28)
Stephanie J. Dallam
The Legend of Robert Halsey	37	(16)
Ross E. Cheit
FORENSIC ISSUES
The ``False Memory'' Defense: Using Disinformation and Junk Science In and Out of Court	53	(26)
Charles L. Whitfield
(Mis) Representations of the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Courts	79	(30)
Daniel Brown
LONG TERM SEQUELAE OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Science or Propaganda? An Examination of Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman (1998)	109	(26)
Stephanie J. Dallam
A Critical Appraisal of the 1998 Meta-Analytic Review of Child Sexual Abuse Outcomes Reported by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman	135	(22)
John A. Whittenburg
Pamela Paradis Tice
Gail L. Baker
Dorothy E. Lemmey
The Real Controversy About Child Sexual Abuse Research: Contradictory Findings and Critical Issues Not Addressed by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman in Their 1998 Outcomes Meta-Analysis	157	(26)
Pamela Paradis Tice
John A. Whittenburg
Gail L. Baker
Dorothy E. Lemmey
Implications of the Memory Controversy for Clinical Practice: An Overview of Treatment Recommendations and Guidelines	183	(28)
Christine A. Courtois
Index	211