Child sexual abuse II: treatment

To evaluate the scientific literature concerning the treatment of child sexual abuse.

A critical review of the scientific literature.

There are only nine published research studies in which subjects were randomly assigned to an index treatment or treatments and a comparison treatment or no-treatment control group. In seven of the studies, the index treatment exceeded the control or comparison group in regard to treatment outcome; in two studies it did not. The successful treatments involved group therapy, combined individual and group play therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy.

Treatment should be based on an explicit conceptual model of the psychopathology of sexual abuse. The University of Queensland Sexual Abuse Treatment Project, which is based on a transactional model, is described.