Children and adolescents attending for a forensic medical examination at a regional centre in Ireland: a 5-year retrospective cohort study of patients, alleged perpetrators and service provision.

Objective: This study examines the forensic medical examination (FME) service provided to children in a regional centre in Dublin, Ireland, over 5 years. It reports on patient characteristics, alleged perpetrators and service provision. The goal is to inform future service provision and prevention strategies.

Design: The retrospective cohort study included all children and adolescents who underwent FME from January 2018 to December 2022. Data was collected from encrypted child protection reports and analysed with descriptive statistics SETTING: The study was undertaken in the Laurels Clinic, one of the three regional Irish centres for FME.

Results: Of 448 patients, 79% were female, with 37.3% aged 5-11 years. Vaginal penetration occurred in 46% of cases, with digital penetration (vaginal or anal) being the most common method. Anal penetration was reported in 26%, and 6.3% had anogenital findings suggestive of child sexual abuse (CSA). CSA was most often perpetrated in the home, with nearly half of patients showing behavioural changes. About 18% had developmental concerns, and 30% lived in blended families. Alleged perpetrators were mainly male (90.1%), with over 20% being teenagers and 12.8% under 13. Over half of cases involved repeated abuse. Disclosure rates were higher with age, with 69% of disclosures made to a parent.

Conclusion: This study highlights CSA risk factors, including blended families and developmental concerns. A worrying finding was that many perpetrators were adolescents or children. Prevention programmes must address risks related to smartphone use and exposure to pornography. These findings can guide clinicians, policymakers and institutions in strengthening CSA prevention and response efforts.