Child sexual abuse: factors affecting victims' removal from home

This study was conducted to examine factors associated with children's protective service workers' decision to remove sexually abused children from the family home. The decision to remove was analyzed relative to the following six factors: (1) nature of the abuse, (2) severity of abuse, (3) frequency of abuse (4) mothers' employment status, (5) mothers' compliance with a recommended treatment plan, and (6) mothers' belief of the victim. Discriminant function analysis revealed that the discriminant function containing mothers' compliance, mothers' belief, severity of abuse, mothers' employment status, and frequency of abuse, in order of importance of contribution, was significantly related to victims' removal from the home.