Navigating the complex terrain of childhood sexual assault allegations: Mimics of sexual assault in the paediatric population

IF 1.2 4区医学 Q3 MEDICINE, LEGAL

Journal of forensic and legal medicine Pub Date : 2025-04-25 DOI:10.1016/j.jflm.2025.102880

La-Toniá Arthur

{"title":"Navigating the complex terrain of childhood sexual assault allegations: Mimics of sexual assault in the paediatric population","authors":"La-Toniá Arthur","doi":"10.1016/j.jflm.2025.102880","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reports of sexual assault are inherently distressing for all parties involved, and this emotional burden intensifies when the victim is a child.</div><div>Encountering a potential case of sexual assault, coupled with the complexity of childhood memory and communication, creates a challenging diagnostic landscape. Untrained or inexperienced physicians may misdiagnose or over-diagnose cases of childhood sexual assault, inadvertently triggering a cascade of mental and emotional distress for all parties involved. This paper examines the mimics of sexual assault. It sheds light on the critical need for sensitivity, education, and support for healthcare professionals and their patients when dealing with childhood sexual assault allegations, ultimately aiming to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and the emotional anguish that can follow. In addition, with the greater than 10-year backlog in sexual assault cases waiting to be tried in Barbados, the child may be an adult by the time a trial occurs and this skews the process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16098,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 102880"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of forensic and legal medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X25000812","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"MEDICINE, LEGAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Reports of sexual assault are inherently distressing for all parties involved, and this emotional burden intensifies when the victim is a child.

Encountering a potential case of sexual assault, coupled with the complexity of childhood memory and communication, creates a challenging diagnostic landscape. Untrained or inexperienced physicians may misdiagnose or over-diagnose cases of childhood sexual assault, inadvertently triggering a cascade of mental and emotional distress for all parties involved. This paper examines the mimics of sexual assault. It sheds light on the critical need for sensitivity, education, and support for healthcare professionals and their patients when dealing with childhood sexual assault allegations, ultimately aiming to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and the emotional anguish that can follow. In addition, with the greater than 10-year backlog in sexual assault cases waiting to be tried in Barbados, the child may be an adult by the time a trial occurs and this skews the process.

查看原文本刊更多论文

导航儿童性侵犯指控的复杂地形：儿童性侵犯的模仿者

性侵犯的报道对所有相关方来说都是痛苦的，当受害者是一个孩子时，这种情感负担会加剧。遇到一个潜在的性侵犯案件，再加上童年记忆和沟通的复杂性，创造了一个具有挑战性的诊断环境。未经训练或缺乏经验的医生可能会误诊或过度诊断儿童性侵犯病例，无意中引发各方精神和情感上的痛苦。这篇论文研究了性侵犯的模仿。它揭示了在处理儿童性侵犯指控时，对医疗保健专业人员及其患者的敏感性、教育和支持的迫切需要，最终目的是减少误诊的风险和随之而来的情感痛苦。此外，由于巴巴多斯积压了超过10年的性侵犯案件等待审判，当审判开始时，孩子可能已经成年，这就扭曲了整个过程。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of forensic and legal medicine MEDICINE, LEGAL-

CiteScore

2.70

自引率

6.70%

发文量

106

审稿时长

57 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine publishes topical articles on aspects of forensic and legal medicine. Specifically the Journal supports research that explores the medical principles of care and forensic assessment of individuals, whether adult or child, in contact with the judicial system. It is a fully peer-review hybrid journal with a broad international perspective. The Journal accepts submissions of original research, review articles, and pertinent case studies, editorials, and commentaries in relevant areas of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Context of Practice, and Education and Training. The Journal adheres to strict publication ethical guidelines, and actively supports a culture of inclusive and representative publication.