title: False allegations of sexual abuse by children and adolescents.
abstract: The frequency of false allegations of sexual abuse by children and adolescents is of significant legal and clinical importance. The rate of false allegations of sexual abuse is examined in a large sample of Child Protective Services (CPS) cases. The criteria used by CPS workers in judging the validity of allegations are considered, and the relationship between substantiation rates and attitudes about the trustworthiness of child reports of abuse is explored. Many professionals in the field of child sexual abuse are more skeptical of child and adolescent claims of sexual abuse than available research suggests is warranted.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Everson
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Boat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012947:Social Work; D014342:Truth Disclosure