ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the definitions, incidence, prevalence, contributing factors, and promising approaches to addressing sexual abuse. The area of sexual abuse is extremely complex, and the chapter addresses only a few of the major issues. The chapter discusses the etiology, prevention, and treatment of child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is an area of child maltreatment marked by some debate over incidence levels and treatment approaches, and with considerable controversy over methods of investigation, case substantiation, treatment of the offender. Conte has described some of the activities that constitute child sexual abuse: Exhibitionism, in which an adult exposes his genitals to a child. A variety of specific definitions of sexual abuse have been developed, and they vary somewhat depending on whether they were developed for research, professional, or legal purposes. Sexual abuse has been increasing since 1960 as well because of family structure changes that may make children more vulnerable, changes in sexual behavior, and more permissive attitudes in society.
