ABSTRACT
Most of our current knowledge about the prevalence of child sexual abuse comes from studies such as those of Russell (1986), Finkelhor (1979, 1984), Kilpatrick (1992), Bagley and Ramsay (1985), and Wyatt (1985). These studies survey adults in the community and ask them to report whether they were sexually abused as a child. Based on these retrospective studies, we know that child sexual abuse is more common than was once believed: The best community surveys indicate that at least 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.
