ABSTRACT
Whereas psychological research has been increasingly involved with child credibility, adolescents have been overlooked by researchers. There are specific components that must be taken into account when assessing adolescents (suggestibility, compliance). Assessors have to consider specific developmental tasks of adolescents (self-identity, sex-role orientation) that might affect the process and the result of psychological investigation. Finally, age-specific symptoms and posttraumatic disorders following the sexual abuse of adolescents (i.e., depression, drug use, sexualized behavior) need to be incorporated into the credibility assessment.
