An evidence-based approach for estimating present and future damages from child sexual abuse.
This article illustrates the use of evidence-based practice to develop conclusions for a forensic report. The authors present a case vignette in which an early adolescent boy was sexually abused by an employee of a private school, and a lawsuit ensued. They explain how to utilize relevant research regarding the prognosis of victims of sexual abuse to address the forensic issues of psychological injury and future damages. It is notable that the two authors, who have at times testified on opposite sides of similar cases, were able to agree on conclusions that were based on relevant published research.
Bernet
William
W
The Psychiatric Hospital at Vanderbilt, 1601 Twenty-Third Avenue South, Suite 3050, Nashville, TN 37212, USA. william.bernet@vanderbilt.edu
Corwin
David
D
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D005544:Forecasting; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D014481:United States