**Part 1**

**The Psychology of Sexual Victimization** 

**1** 

*USA* 

Donald J. Levis

*Binghamton University (SUNY)* 

**A Review of Childhood Abuse Questionnaires** 

The focus of this chapter is on providing a review of childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse and combined abuse assessment questionnaires. Prevalence rates of childhood abuse in the United States will also be provided along with symptom and diagnostic correlates found to be associated with a childhood history of abuse. The following seven abuse screens are reviewed. (1) The Rape Aftermath Symptom Test; (2) The Scarlett O'Hara v. MMPI Configuration; (3) The Child Abuse and Trauma Scale; (4) The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; (5) The Trauma Symptom Checklist; (6) The Trauma Symptom Inventory; and (7) The Binghamton Abuse Screen. Finally, a brief discussion of two recommended adult childhood abuse survivor treatment approaches, cognitive behavior therapy and

Demause (1991) found following a comprehensive review of the literature that agreement exists between social scientists and historians that probation against incest within the immediate family can be found in every known culture. He concluded that it is incest and related forms of childhood abuse itself, not the absence of incest, which represents the true universal statement. Demause's review found that statistical reviews of child molestation in the United States only go back to 1929. He noted that the official incidence figures from the American Humane Association, working from reports from child protective agencies, estimated only 7,000 incidents of child abuse occurred in the United States for 1976. These estimates rose steadily to 113,000 incidents for 1985, which at that time, represented under one percent of American children. It was not until the late 1970's and early 1980's that careful studies began to emerge with samples large enough to warrant statistical analysis. Once these studies were published, the mental health field was altered to the alarming, frequent and disturbing prevalence rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and physical abuse (CPA) in our society. Estimates were made that one in five women and one in eleven men had experienced some form of childhood abuse (CA) prior to the age of eighteen (Doyle-Peters, Wyatt & Finkelhor, 1986; Wyatt & Doyle-Peters, 1986; Martin, Jesse, Romans, Mullen, & O'Shea, 1993). The magnitude of these earlier reported (CA) prevalence rates were confirmed by later research. For example, Finkelhor, Hotaling, Lewis & Smith (1990) suggested that as many as 27% of all women and 16% of men have experienced some form

**1. Introduction** 

prolonged exposure techniques will be provided.

**2. The prevalence of childhood abuse** 

**and Suggested Treatment Approaches** 
