ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the evaluation of child sexual abuse allegations arising during divorce, custody, and access disputes. Historical and legal issues relevant to this problem are summarized, and research about the extent, nature, and validity of sexual abuse allegations in divorce is reviewed. These research findings taken together suggest that improbable allegations are equally or more likely to occur during custody disputes than in cases where custody is not an issue. In the first half of this chapter, the practitioner is familiarized with a range of divorce-related family dynamics as possible contexts for sexual abuse allegations: abuse leading to divorce, abuse revealed during divorce, abuse precipitated by divorce, and custody/access disputes. A number of issues to be considered by the practitioner involved in 210evaluations of child sexual abuse allegations in divorce are reviewed in the second half of the chapter. Knowledge and skills needed to complete such evaluations are summarized, and relevant professional and ethical issues are discussed. A clinical-research approach to evaluation is recommended and described. The practitioner is encouraged to evaluate carefully the specific circumstances of the sexual abuse allegation, including when, how, and by whom the allegation was brought forward. Strategies for differentiating sexual abuse from divorce trauma in children are presented, and characteristics of accused and alleging parents and aspects of their relationships with their children in probable and improbable cases are reviewed. The chapter concludes with 10 specific recommendations relevant to practitioners involved in the evaluation of child sexual abuse allegations in divorce.
