CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE EVALUATIONS - THE SCIENTIST-PRACTITIONER MODEL

The scientist-practitioner model is presented as a format for conducti ng child sexual abuse evaluations. This model bases conclusions on emp irically established relationships between data and the behavior of in terest, rather than on subjective opinions. Using empirically derived evidence, the scientist-practitioner defines child sexual abuse as a l ife event rather than a clinical syndrome, relies on base rates of beh avior for distinguishing and understanding differences between nonsexu ally abused and sexually abused children, and considers issues of inst rument sensitivity and specificity when utilizing assessment tools in child sexual abuse evaluations. This model enlists safeguards to keep the evaluator from inappropriately forming cause and effect associatio ns between a child's single response (e.g., behavioral and emotional s ymptoms, interactions with anatomically detailed dolls, drawing genita lia) and the occurrence of an event (e.g., sexual abuse). (C) 1998 Joh n Wiley & Sons, Ltd.