Report: The Evaluation of Sexual Abuse in Children

How well-prepared are doctors to diagnose and evaluate sexual abuse in children?

On August 1, 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published an online press release which noted, "More than 88,000 children in the United States were confirmed victims of sexual abuse in 2002. Studies have suggested that each year approximately one percent of children experience some form of sexual abuse, resulting in the sexual victimization of 12 to 25 percent of girls and 8 to 10 percent of boys by 18 years of age.

Because many, if not most pediatricians will encounter sexually abused children in their practices, they must be informed about the best means for evaluating sexual abuse in children. A revised clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, "The Evaluation of Sexual Abuse in Children," updates information that clinicians need in order to make that evaluation, including knowledge of normal and abnormal sexual behaviors, physical signs of sexual abuse, appropriate diagnostic tests for sexually transmitted infections, and medical conditions confused with sexual abuse."

Here's a link to the AAP report entitled The Evaluation of Sexual Abuse in Children by Nancy Kellogg MD and the Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Though the report is intended primarily for the pediatric medicine community, it has valuable information for parents, concerned friends, emergency first responders, the media, and the criminal justice community.