Recognizing female-perpetrated sexual abuse: A vignette-based study on professional judgments

IF 3.4 2区心理学 Q1 FAMILY STUDIES

Child Abuse & Neglect Pub Date : 2025-09-20 DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107692

Seda Akdemir-Ekizoğlu , Zeynep Belma Gölge

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Female-perpetrated child sexual abuse (FCSA) remains under recognized, particularly in ambiguous cases involving caregiving contexts. Despite growing awareness, professionals may struggle to identify FCSA due to traditional gender roles.

Objective

This study examined how victim characteristics (age, gender), perpetrator type (mother, teacher, sex worker), and respondent background (gender and profession) influence professionals' recognition of FCSA and its harm.

Participants and setting

The sample included 502 professionals (59 % female, 20–65 years) from nine professions (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, police officers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, forensic specialists, and psychological counselors) in Turkey. Participants were grouped into three professional categories: mental health professionals/social workers, health professionals, and justice professionals.

Methods

Respondents evaluated 10 brief vignettes depicting FCSA cases varying by victim gender, victim age, and perpetrator type. For each vignette, the respondents indicated whether they considered the case to be sexual abuse and rated the perceived harm to the victim. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests, t-tests, and ANOVAs.

Results

Ambiguous cases, particularly maternal abuse, were less likely to be identified as abuse. Female and mental health/social work professionals showed higher sensitivity to FCSA and attributed greater harm. In contrast, justice professionals were the least likely to recognize abuse or its harm on the victim. Notably, sexual intercourse with a female sex worker was perceived as less harmful than with a teacher. Victim gender and age also significantly influenced abuse recognition and perceived harm.

Conclusions

Professionals' perceptions of FCSA are frequently shaped by sociocultural norms and legal framing. The results highlighting the need for specialized training and public awareness to improve detection of underreported abuse types.

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识别女性犯下的性虐待：一个基于小插曲的专业判断研究

女性犯下的儿童性虐待（FCSA）仍未得到承认，特别是在涉及照顾环境的模棱两可的案件中。尽管越来越多的人意识到这一点，但由于传统的性别角色，专业人士可能很难识别FCSA。目的探讨受害者特征（年龄、性别）、施暴者类型（母亲、教师、性工作者）和被调查者背景（性别和职业）如何影响专业人员对性暴力及其危害的认识。样本包括502名专业人员（59%为女性，20-65岁），来自土耳其的9个行业（心理学家、精神病学家、社会工作者、警察、律师、医生、护士、法医专家和心理咨询师）。参与者被分为三个专业类别：精神卫生专业人员/社会工作者、卫生专业人员和司法专业人员。方法受访者评估了10个简短的小短文，描述了不同受害者性别、受害者年龄和肇事者类型的FCSA病例。对于每个小插曲，受访者表示他们是否认为该案件是性虐待，并对受害者的感知伤害进行评级。数据分析采用卡方检验、t检验和方差分析。结果一些模棱两可的案例，尤其是母亲虐待，不太可能被认定为虐待。女性和心理健康/社会工作专业人员对FCSA表现出更高的敏感性，并将其归咎于更大的危害。相比之下，司法专业人员最不可能认识到虐待或其对受害者的伤害。值得注意的是，与女性性工作者发生性关系被认为比与教师发生性关系危害更小。受害者的性别和年龄也显著影响对虐待的认识和感知伤害。专业人员对fsa的看法经常受到社会文化规范和法律框架的影响。调查结果强调需要进行专门培训和提高公众意识，以便更好地发现漏报的虐待类型。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Child Abuse & Neglect Multiple-

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

10.40%

发文量

397

期刊介绍： Official Publication of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect The International Journal, provides an international, multidisciplinary forum on all aspects of child abuse and neglect, with special emphasis on prevention and treatment; the scope extends further to all those aspects of life which either favor or hinder child development. While contributions will primarily be from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, social work, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, legislature, education, and anthropology, the Journal encourages the concerned lay individual and child-oriented advocate organizations to contribute.