Confirmed, unconfirmed, and false allegations of abuse made by adults withmental retardation who are members of a class action lawsuit

Objective: The purpose is to explore differences in confirmed, unconfirmed, and false allegations of abuse made by consumers with mental retardation i n regards to type of abuse and perpetrator. Method: Interviews were conducted with 1,220 people with mental retardation who were part of a class action lawsuit in North Carolina. A content analy sis of abuse allegations was performed. Frequencies of responses, and subgr oup differences are reported for type of abuse allegation and perpetrator. Results: Unconfirmed claims are the most frequent. Females made more allega tions of abuse than males in general, and more allegations of rape. There a re no significant differences among the subgroups (confirmed, unconfirmed, and false allegations) by type of abuse allegation. There are significant d ifferences among the subgroups in regard to the alleged perpetrator. Other consumers with mental retardation are most frequently accused of confirmed assaults. Staff members are most frequently accused in false allegations. Conclusion: Ability of the alleged victim to report information and timing of the investigation are important factors in substantiating abuse. Awarene ss of consumer-to-consumer violence and prevalence of false accusations aga inst staff necessitates increased safeguards for both consumers and staff. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.