Children's response to the medical visit for allegations of sexual abuse: maternal perceptions and predicting variables

This study examined maternal perceptions of their child's response to the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse. A total of 50 mothers were interviewed 6 months after a visit to a Child Protection Clinic for a medical evaluation of alleged sexual abuse. The mothers answered a questionnaire on their child's reactions to the medical visit. More than 60% of children were perceived as being reassured about physical integrity. The degree of psychological distress was independent of perpetrator's identity and severity of the abuse. Mothers considered that a hypothetical second visit would generate in their child a level of anxiety that increased with perceived intensity of fear of the examination and decreased with perceived kindness of the physician. These results suggest that the physician's behaviour during the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse has an influence on the child's degree of distress that is independent of type and severity of abuse. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Cette etude avait pour but d'examiner comment les meres percevaient la reaction de leur enfant a une evaluation medicale pour suspicion d'un abus sexuel. 50 meres ont ete rencontrees 6 mois apres la visite de leur enfant dans une clinique specialisee pour une evaluation medicale de l'abus sexuel. Les meres ont repondu a un questionnaire sur les reactions de leur enfant a cette visite. Plus de 60% des enfants ont paru rassures sur leur integrite physique. Le niveau de detresse psychologique etait independant de l'identite de l'agresseur et de la severite de l'abus. Dans l'hypothese d'une seconde visite medicale, les meres considerent que la crainte face au premier examen et l'attitude du medecin sont les facteurs qui contribuent a predire l'anxiete de l'enfant. L'attitude du medecin lors de l'evaluation medicale d'une situation d'abus sexuel a donc une influence sur le niveau de detresse de l'enfant, independamment du type et de la severite des sevices sexuels.