ABSTRACT
Child maltreatment is one of the most significant problems society faces today (Myers, 2004; Vieth, 2006). Each year in the United States, there are around 3 million reported cases, of which approximately 1 million are substantiated. An indeterminably large number of cases go undisclosed and unreported (Jones & Finkelhor, 2001). Although child sexual abuse (CSA) constitutes only around 10% of all reported child maltreatment cases, it accounts for the majority of all sexual abuse cases handled by the American legal system. For example, 67% of all sexual assault cases reported to law enforcement agencies in the year 2000 were CSA cases (Snyder, 2000). CSA also accounts for the most trials in which children testify (Goodman, Quas, Bulkley, & Shapiro, 1999).
