Methodological Issues in Research on Child Sexual Abuse Attributions

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate methodological influences in research on child sexual abuse attributions. Two hundred and forty respondents were exposed to a newspaper report of a child sexual abuse incident. Methodological influences on attributional thinking were assessed using a 2 (population: university students VS. general population) x 2 (lexical description of abuse: the language of abusive VS. consensual sexual activity) x 2 (probe questions: closed VS. open-ended) factorial design with attributions of culpability being entered as dependent measures. The results showed that respondents were significantly more likely to attribute some degree of culpability: (a) to the victim when closed probe questions were used, when the language of consensual sexual activity was used to describe the abuse, and when the respondent was a university student; (b) to the offender when closed probe questions were used; (c) to the non-offending parent when closed probe questions were used and when respondents were drawn from the general population; and (d) to society in general when closed probe questions were used, when 'abusive' language was used to describe the abuse incident, and when respondents were drawn from the general population .

Sexual Preference, Gender, and Blame Attributions in Adolescent Sexual Assault

“…Similarly, whilst the use of a student sample limits the generalizability of current findings to some degree (cf. Collings & Bodill, 2003), our findings are generally supportive of earlier work based on general population samples. Thus, the current methodology seems justified, with current data providing a valuable contribution to the victim blame literature.…”

Hear No Evil, See No Evil? Associations of Gender, Trauma History, and Values with Believing Trauma Vignettes

“…They are subtly reinforced by the media's lexical choices. Words like “affair” or “fondling” appear to further obfuscate the harm of CSA (Collings & Bodill, 2003, p. 170). Additionally, perpetrators and defense attorneys may spin CSA, arguing that there is no harm if children experience pleasure or physical affection (Hamilton, 2008).…”

What Influences Believing Child Sexual Abuse Disclosures? The Roles of Depicted Memory Persistence, Participant Gender, Trauma History, and Sexism

“…Another myth is that child sexual abuse is not actually abuse, nor is it harmful to the child (Collings, 1997). Evidence of the existence of this myth is seen in the lexical depiction of abuse, used by researchers and by the media, when descriptions contain consensual overtones such as “sexual intercourse” or “fondling” (Collings & Bodill, 2003, p. 170). Tamarack (1986) noted similar myths that put positive spins on child sexual abuse and that state that children experience love, pleasure, and physical affection when they are the victims of incest.…”