ABSTRACT
The sexual abuse of children is, unfortunately, not new. In The History of Child-hood, Lloyd deMause (1974) presents evidence that sexual behavior between adults and children was prevalent in antiquity. Sexual activity between adult males and boys was particularly common. Boy brothels and services that rented boys to men were commonplace. There is evidence in literature and art from ancient times that young girls were also used sexually by adults. Although some laws were eventually passed in an attempt to restrict sexual behavior with children in ancient times,
it appears that they were not well enforced. Although the sexual abuse of children has its roots in ancient time, only recently has it become the focus of scientifi c research within the psychological literature (see Focus on Research 7.1 ). Case studies began to appear in the professional literature in the 1970s. These studies described victims and sometimes their families. While these studies were not experiments, they did lay the groundwork for later research studies. Even though the fi rst published articles were mostly anecdotal, they did give information on the symptoms that might be seen in victims of childhood sexual abuse. However, these early reports were fl awed because they did not include control groups, they did not use standardized methods of assessment, and they failed to determine whether the problems seen followed the abuse or predated it. It was not until the 1980s that a body of literature based on rigorous, empirical studies began to emerge (Green, 1993).
