Child sexual abuse evaluations: the scientist-practitioner model

The scientist-practitioner model is presented as a format for conducting child sexual abuse evaluations. This model bases conclusions on empirically established relationships between data and the behavior of interest, rather than on subjective opinions. Using empirically derived evidence, the scientist-practitioner defines child sexual abuse as a life event rather than a clinical syndrome, relies on base rates of behavior for distinguishing and understanding differences between nonsexually abused and sexually abused children, and considers issues of instrument sensitivity and specificity when utilizing assessment tools in child sexual abuse evaluations. This model enlists safeguards to keep the evaluator from inappropriately forming cause and effect associations between a child's single response (e.g., behavioral and emotional symptoms, interactions with anatomically detailed dolls, drawing genitalia) and the occurrence of an event (e.g., sexual abuse).