10,741
Views
87
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Socio-Cultural Issues and Child Sexual Abuse

Child Sexual Abuse Myths: Attitudes, Beliefs, and Individual Differences

&
Pages 618-647 | Received 30 Sep 2008, Accepted 14 Oct 2009, Published online: 25 Nov 2010

Keep up to date with the latest research on this topic with citation updates for this article.

Read on this site (24)

Phillip L. Waalkes, Daniel A. DeCino, Jaimie Stickl Haugen & Emily Woodruff. (2022) A Q Methodology Investigation of School Counselors’ Beliefs and Feelings in Reporting Suspected Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 31:8, pages 911-929.
Read now
Jelisaveta Sanja Rolovic, Dejan Bokonjic, Srdjan Masic & Nikola Stevanovic. (2022) Pediatricians’ Attitudes Toward Child Sexual Abuse in the Republic of Srpska. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 31:6, pages 707-725.
Read now
Aleksandr Segal, Francesco Pompedda, Shumpei Haginoya, Goda Kaniušonytė & Pekka Santtila. (2022) Avatars with child sexual abuse (vs. no abuse) scenarios elicit different emotional reactions. Psychology, Crime & Law 0:0, pages 1-21.
Read now
Efrat Shaked, Moshe Bensimon & Rivka Tuval Mashiach. (2021) Internalization and Opposition to Stigmatized Social Discourse among Incest Survivors. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 30:7, pages 847-868.
Read now
Stjepka Popović. (2021) Presentation of Victims in the Press Coverage of Child Sexual Abuse in Croatia. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 30:2, pages 230-251.
Read now
Inês Chim, Eunice Magalhães, João Graça, Carla Antunes & Célia Ferreira. (2020) Child Sexual Abuse Myth Scale: Validity and Reliability Evidence in the Portuguese Context. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 29:7, pages 802-820.
Read now
Nicola Döring & Roberto Walter. (2020) Media Coverage of Child Sexual Abuse: A Framework of Issue-Specific Quality Criteria. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 29:4, pages 393-412.
Read now
Marina Vladimir & Derek Robertson. (2020) The Lived Experiences of Non-Offending Fathers with Children Who Survived Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 29:3, pages 312-332.
Read now
Jelisaveta Sanja Rolovic & Nikola Stevanovic. (2020) Perceived Skill and Willingness to Address Child Sexual Abuse: Assessing Serbian and Montenegrin Pediatricians. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 29:1, pages 112-128.
Read now
Christopher Leone, LouAnne B. Hawkins & Melissa Bright. (2019) Minimizing Mistreatment by Female Adults: The Influence of Gender-Based Social Categories and Personality Differences on Attitudes about Child Sexual Abuse. The Journal of Psychology 153:4, pages 361-382.
Read now
Stjepka Popović. (2018) Child Sexual Abuse News: A Systematic Review of Content Analysis Studies. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 27:7, pages 752-777.
Read now
Eleanor R. Prince, Samantha J. Andrews, Michael E. Lamb & Juliet L. H. Foster. (2018) The construction of allegedly abused children’s narratives in Scottish criminal courts. Psychology, Crime & Law 24:6, pages 621-651.
Read now
Kimmery Newsom & Karen Myers-Bowman. (2017) “I Am Not A Victim. I Am A Survivor”: Resilience as a Journey for Female Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 26:8, pages 927-947.
Read now
Craig A. Harper & Ross M. Bartels. (2017) The influence of implicit theories and offender characteristics on judgements of sexual offenders: a moderated mediation analysis. Journal of Sexual Aggression 23:2, pages 139-150.
Read now
Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Natalie Martschuk & Annie Cossins. (2017) Validation of the Child Sexual Abuse Knowledge Questionnaire. Psychology, Crime & Law 23:4, pages 391-412.
Read now
María Mercedes Márquez-Flores, Verónica V. Márquez-Hernández & Genoveva Granados-Gámez. (2016) Teachers’ Knowledge and Beliefs About Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 25:5, pages 538-555.
Read now
Mona Hassan, Faye A. Gary, Renee Hotz, Cheryl Killion & Totten Vicken. (2015) Young Victims Telling their Stories of Sexual Abuse in the Emergency Department. Issues in Mental Health Nursing 36:12, pages 944-952.
Read now
Rahsan Sivis-Cetinkaya. (2015) Turkish School Counselors’ Experiences of Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: A Brief Report. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 24:8, pages 908-921.
Read now
Mona A. Hassan, Faye Gary, Cheryl Killion, Linda Lewin & Vicken Totten. (2015) Patterns of Sexual Abuse among Children: Victims’ and Perpetrators’ Characteristics. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma 24:4, pages 400-418.
Read now
Lisa Aronson Fontes & Carol Plummer. (2010) Cultural Issues in Disclosures of Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 19:5, pages 491-518.
Read now

Articles from other publishers (63)

Emily Denne, Suzanne St. George & Stacia N. Stolzenberg. (2023) Developmental Considerations in How Defense Attorneys Employ Child Sexual Abuse and Rape Myths When Questioning Alleged Victims of Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 38:23-24, pages 11914-11934.
Crossref
Annie Singh, Ben William Morrison & Natalie May Virginia Morrison. (2023) Psychologist attitudes towards disclosure and believability of childhood sexual abuse: Can biases affect perception, judgement, and action?. Child Abuse & Neglect 146, pages 106506.
Crossref
Emily Denne & Stacia N. Stolzenberg. (2023) Exploring how attorneys address grooming in criminal trials of child sexual abuse. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 41:6, pages 488-503.
Crossref
Havva KAÇAN, Funda GÜMÜŞ & Eren YILDIZ. (2023) Comparison of Child Sexual Abuse Knowledge and Attitude Levels of Parents of Special Needs Children with Normally Developing ChildrenÖzel Gereksinimli ve Normal Gelişim Gösteren Çocuğa Sahip Ebeveynlerde Çocuk Cinsel İstismarı Bilgi ve Tutum Düzeylerinin Karşılaştırılması. Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry 15:Supplement 1, pages 139-148.
Crossref
Afnan Attrash-Najjar & Carmit Katz. (2022) Child Sexual Abuse Studies in Arab Societies: A Systematic Review and Directions for Future Research. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 24:3, pages 1300-1324.
Crossref
Bengü Berkmen & Gürcan Seçim. (2019) Scale for Measuring Child Sexual Abuse Awareness for Parents: A Scale Development Study. Current Psychology 42:19, pages 15978-15990.
Crossref
Theresia Rechenberg & Georg Schomerus. (2023) The stronger and the weaker sex - gender differences in the perception of individuals who experienced physical and sexual violence in childhood. A scoping review. Child Abuse & Neglect 140, pages 106131.
Crossref
Lawrence J. Moloney, Nola Webb, Bruce M. Smyth & Robyn L. Murphy. (2022) Allegations of child sexual abuse in the Family Court of Australia: Response to Parkinson. Australian Journal of Social Issues 58:2, pages 331-342.
Crossref
Ayşe ŞENER TAPLAK & Rabia DEMİRER. (2023) Childhood Sexual Abuse Myths of Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities and Related Introductory FactorsZihinsel Yetersizliği Olan Çocukların Annelerinin Çocukluk Dönemi Cinsel İstismar Mitleri ve İlişkili Faktörler. Genel Tıp Dergisi 33:2, pages 136-141.
Crossref
Rita Žukauskienė, Aistė Bakaitytė, Goda Kaniušonytė, Aleksandr Segal, Laura Ustinavičiūtė-Klenauskė & Pekka Santtila. (2023) The lifetime prevalence of child sexual abuse assessed in young adults in Lithuania. Child Abuse & Neglect 138, pages 106061.
Crossref
Aleksandr Segal, Aistė Bakaitytė, Goda Kaniušonytė, Laura Ustinavičiūtė-Klenauskė, Shumpei Haginoya, Yikang Zhang, Francesco Pompedda, Rita Žukauskienė & Pekka Santtila. (2023) Associations between emotions and psychophysiological states and confirmation bias in question formulation in ongoing simulated investigative interviews of child sexual abuse. Frontiers in Psychology 14.
Crossref
Sheila Ramaswamy, Meetali Devgun, Shekhar Seshadri & Joske Bunders-Aelen. (2023) Balancing the law with children’s rights to participation and decision-making: Practice guidelines for mandatory reporting processes in child sexual abuse. Asian Journal of Psychiatry 81, pages 103464.
Crossref
Bengü Berkmen. (2023) Examining the Awareness Levels of Parents on Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, pages 097313422311564.
Crossref
Muharrem KOÇ, Nilüfer KOÇTÜRK & Tolga ZENCİR. (2023) Prevalence of The Child Sexual Abuse in Turkey: A Scoping ReviewPrevalence of The Child Sexual Abuse in Turkey: A Scoping Review. Toplum ve Sosyal Hizmet 34:1, pages 209-226.
Crossref
Emily Denne, Suzanne St George & Stacia N. Stolzenberg. (2022) Myths and Misunderstandings About Child Sexual Abuse in Criminal Investigations. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 38:1-2, pages 1893-1919.
Crossref
Syed Saleem Abbas & Tahira Jabeen. (2021) Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan: Using Evidence Based Social Ecological Model for Explanation and Policy Formulation. Community Health Equity Research & Policy 43:2, pages 219-228.
Crossref
Yuhong Zhu, Chenyang Xiao & Bin Zhu. (2023) Gender differences in child sexual abuse in China: Do one-child status and repeated victimization matter?. Children and Youth Services Review 144, pages 106743.
Crossref
Ami Rokach & Shauna Clayton. 2023. Adverse Childhood Experiences and their Life-Long Impact. Adverse Childhood Experiences and their Life-Long Impact 379 418 .
Nilüfer Koçtürk & Fadime Yüksel. (2021) Individual and familial characteristics of sexual abuse victims with intellectual disability. Current Psychology 42:3, pages 2006-2013.
Crossref
Sophie King-Hill, Kieran McCartan, Abby Gilsenan, Jonathan Beavis & Amy AdamsSophie King-Hill, Kieran McCartan, Abby Gilsenan, Jonathan Beavis & Amy Adams. 2023. Understanding and Responding to Sibling Sexual Abuse. Understanding and Responding to Sibling Sexual Abuse 9 55 .
Zilan UĞURLU. (2022) Toplumsal Cinsiyete Dayalı Şiddetin Çocuğa Yansıması: Çocuk İstismarıReflection of Gender-Based Violence on Children: Child Abuse. Türkiye Sosyal Hizmet Araştırmaları Dergisi 6:2, pages 160-174.
Crossref
Flavia Glina, Joana Carvalho, Ricardo Barroso & Daniel Cardoso. (2022) Lay People´s Myths Regarding Pedophilia and Child Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review. Sexual Medicine Reviews 10:4, pages 596-619.
Crossref
Suzanne St. George, Emily Denne & Stacia N. Stolzenberg. (2021) Blaming Children: How Rape Myths Manifest in Defense Attorneys’ Questions to Children Testifying About Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37:17-18, pages NP16623-NP16646.
Crossref
Suminder Kaur, Simarpreet Kaur, Banita Rawat & Rakesh Sharma. (2022) A multidisciplinary approach in pre-pubertal child sexual assault cases – forensic evaluation and suggestions. Legal Medicine 58, pages 102097.
Crossref
Eunice Magalhães, João Graça, Carla Antunes, Célia Ferreira & Micaela Pinheiro. (2021) Why Are Men More Likely to Endorse Myths About Child Sexual Abuse Than Women? Evidence From Disposition and Situation-Based Approaches. Child Maltreatment 27:3, pages 356-365.
Crossref
Rudong Zhang, Yun Liang, Wenzhen Cao, Leixiao Zeng & Kun Tang. (2022) Sex and Urban–Rural Differences in the Relationship between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Mental Health among Chinese College Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19:15, pages 9225.
Crossref
Pilar Rueda, Marta Ferragut, M. Victoria Cerezo & Margarita Ortiz-Tallo. (2021) Knowledge and Myths About Child Sexual Abuse in Mexican Women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37:13-14, pages NP11743-NP11760.
Crossref
Joana Alexandre, Catarina Castro, Maria Gama & Patrícia Antunes. (2022) Perceptions of Sexual Abuse in Sport: A Qualitative Study in the Portuguese Sports Community. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 4.
Crossref
Melissa S. de Roos & Daniel N. Jones. (2020) Empowerment or Threat: Perceptions of Childhood Sexual Abuse in the #MeToo Era. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37:7-8, pages NP4212-NP4237.
Crossref
Francieli Sufredini, Carmen Leontina Ojeda Ocampo Moré, Scheila Krenkel & Maria Aparecida Crepaldi. (2020) Narratives of Mothers Whose Children Had Been Sexually Abused: Maternal Reactions and Comprehension Regarding Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37:5-6, pages NP3320-NP3345.
Crossref
Maria Helena Santos, Eduardo Ferreira Cruz & António Manuel Marques. (2022) GENDER AND PRE-SCHOOL: THE EXPERIENCES AND STRATEGIES OF MALE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. Cadernos de Pesquisa 52.
Crossref
Maria Helena Santos, Eduardo Ferreira Cruz & António Manuel Marques. (2022) GÊNERO E PRÉ-ESCOLA: EXPERIÊNCIAS E ESTRATÉGIAS DE HOMENS EDUCADORES DE INFÂNCIA. Cadernos de Pesquisa 52.
Crossref
Marta Ferragut, Pilar Rueda, M. Victoria Cerezo & Margarita Ortiz-Tallo. (2020) What Do We Know About Child Sexual Abuse? Myths and Truths in Spain. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37:1-2, pages NP757-NP775.
Crossref
Lina Acca Mathew. 2022. Handbook of Health and Well-Being. Handbook of Health and Well-Being 741 760 .
Yahya AKTU & Mücahit DİLEKMEN. (2021) Çocuk İstismarına İlişkin Bilişler Ölçeği: Ebeveyn FormuChild Abuse Cognitions Scale: Parents Form. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar 13:Ek 1, pages 388-404.
Crossref
Megan Rothwell, Dean Fido & Nadja Heym. (2021) Perceptions around adult and child sex offenders and their rehabilitation as a function of education in forensic psychology independent of traditionalism and perpetrator sex. Forensic Science International: Mind and Law 2, pages 100039.
Crossref
Yanuar Farida Wismayanti, Patrick O'Leary, Clare Tilbury & Yenny Tjoe. (2021) The problematization of child sexual abuse in policy and law: The Indonesian example. Child Abuse & Neglect 118, pages 105157.
Crossref
Peter Choate & Radha Sharan. (2021) The Need to Act: Incest as a Crime Given Low Priority—A View with India as an Example. Social Sciences 10:4, pages 142.
Crossref
Ailise Bulfin. (2021) ‘I'll touch whatever I want’: Representing Child Sexual Abuse in Contemporary Children's and Young Adult Gothic. Gothic Studies 23:1, pages 21-42.
Crossref
Meetali Devgun, Roopesh B.N.Shekhar Seshadri. (2021) Breaking the silence: Development of a qualitative measure for inquiry of child sexual abuse (CSA) awareness and perceived barriers to CSA disclosure. Asian Journal of Psychiatry 57, pages 102558.
Crossref
Alok Atreya, Rijen Shrestha, Binu Nepal, Samata Nepal, Deepak Shrestha & Sweta Mahato. (2020) When sexual offence is an unexpected diagnosis – exploration of medical, legal and social aspects in Nepalese scenario. Medico-Legal Journal 88:4, pages 192-195.
Crossref
Alessandro Tadei, Pekka Santtila & Jan Antfolk. (2019) The Police Use of Background Information Related to Alleged Victims in Mock Evaluations of Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology 35:4, pages 414-421.
Crossref
Pooja Sawrikar. (2020) Service providers’ understanding of cross-cultural differences in belief of myths about child sexual abuse: Results from a program evaluation study in Australia. Children and Youth Services Review 118, pages 105391.
Crossref
Sherri Simmons‐Horton. 2019. The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime. The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime 1 4 .
Ben MathewsBen Mathews. 2019. New International Frontiers in Child Sexual Abuse. New International Frontiers in Child Sexual Abuse 41 85 .
Nilüfer Koçtürk & Seval Kızıldağ. (2018) Çocukluk Dönemi Cinsel İstismarına İlişkin Mitler Ölçeği’nin Geliştirilmesi: Geçerlik Ve Güvenirlik ÇalışmasıThe Development of The Childhood Sexual Abuse Myths Scale: Validity and Reliability Study. Adıyaman Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi:30, pages 778-808.
Crossref
Gail Hornor & Rosie Zeno. (2018) Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrators: What Forensic Nurses Need to Know. Journal of Forensic Nursing 14:4, pages 206-213.
Crossref
Alexandra Page & Natalie M.V. Morrison. (2018) The effects of gender, personal trauma history and memory continuity on the believability of child sexual abuse disclosure among psychologists. Child Abuse & Neglect 80, pages 1-8.
Crossref
Craig A. Harper & Ross M. Bartels. (2016) Implicit Theories and Offender Representativeness in Judgments About Sexual Crime. Sexual Abuse 30:3, pages 276-295.
Crossref
Amber Joy Powell, Heather R. Hlavka & Sameena Mulla. (2017) Intersectionality and Credibility in Child Sexual Assault Trials. Gender & Society 31:4, pages 457-480.
Crossref
Dafna Tener & Zvi Eisikovits. (2015) Torn: Social Expectations Concerning Forgiveness Among Women Who Have Experienced Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 32:16, pages 2496-2514.
Crossref
Ben Mathews, Leah Bromfield, Kerryann Walsh, Qinglu Cheng & Rosana E. Norman. (2017) Reports of child sexual abuse of boys and girls: Longitudinal trends over a 20-year period in Victoria, Australia. Child Abuse & Neglect 66, pages 9-22.
Crossref
Vladimir Filippov, Anastasia Atabekova & Maria Simonova. (2017) University Capacity for Children's Education to Prevent their Abuse and Exploitation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 237, pages 698-704.
Crossref
Ellert Nijenhuis. 2016. Die Trauma-Trinität: Ignoranz – Fragilität – Kontrolle. Die Trauma-Trinität: Ignoranz – Fragilität – Kontrolle 639 702 .
Ben Mathews & Delphine Collin-Vézina. (2016) Child sexual abuse: Raising awareness and empathy is essential to promote new public health responses. Journal of Public Health Policy 37:3, pages 304-314.
Crossref
Katherine C. Cunningham & Lisa DeMarni Cromer. (2014) Attitudes About Human Trafficking. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 31:2, pages 228-244.
Crossref
Julia Lynn Mesler, George Anderson & Cynthia Calkins. 2016. Advances in Psychology and Law. Advances in Psychology and Law 217 248 .
Mona Hassan, Cheryl Killion, Linda Lewin, Vicken Totten & Faye Gary. (2015) Gender-Related Sexual Abuse Experiences Reported by Children Who Were Examined in an Emergency Department. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 29:3, pages 148-154.
Crossref
Ellert Nijenhuis. 2015. The Trinity of Trauma: Ignorance, Fragility, and Control. The Trinity of Trauma: Ignorance, Fragility, and Control 553 614 .
Laura K. Murray, Amanda Nguyen & Judith A. Cohen. (2014) Child Sexual Abuse. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America 23:2, pages 321-337.
Crossref
Michael Hyman, Haseeb Shabbir, Simos Chari & Aikaterini Oikonomou. (2014) Anti-child-abuse ads: believability and willingness-to-act. Journal of Social Marketing 4:1, pages 58-76.
Crossref
Reinhard B. Dettmeyer, Marcel A. Verhoff & Harald F. SchützReinhard B. Dettmeyer, Marcel A. Verhoff & Harald F. Schütz. 2014. Forensic Medicine. Forensic Medicine 309 319 .
Diederik F. Janssen. (2012) Sexual Sabotage: How One Mad Scientist Unleashed a Plague of Corruption and Contagion on America. Archives of Sexual Behavior 41:5, pages 1315-1318.
Crossref

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.