Indicadores psicológicos e comportamentais na perícia de crianças com suspeita de abuso sexual

• Autor(a) principal: Schaefer, Luiziana Souto
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da PUC_RS
• Texto Completo: http://tede2.pucrs.br/tede2/handle/tede/909
• topic: VIOLÊNCIA SEXUAL - CRIANÇAS; CRIANÇAS - MAUS-TRATOS; COGNIÇÃOTRANSTORNO DE ESTRESSE PÓS-TRAUMÁTICO; PSICOLOGIA; CNPQ::CIENCIAS HUMANAS::PSICOLOGIA

The processes of investigation and production of evidence in cases of suspected sexual abuse are complex, given the frequent absence of eye witnesses and physical and biological signs, as well as the possibility of false allegations. Thus, a set of techniques and tools is required for assessing the child or adolescent with suspected sexual abuse, providing professionals with valid investigative resources for identifying abusive situations as well as their impact on the health of victims. The aim of this study was to assess psychological and behavioral indicators in forensic assessment of children with suspected sexual abuse. The thesis is divided into four studies, two theoretical and two empirical. Theoretical Study 1, entitled Forensic psychological examination in child and adolescent sexual abuse , reviewed the role of forensic psychological assessment in sexual molestation of children and adolescents. Theoretical Study 2, named Post-traumatic reactions in children: How, why and which aspects assess? , discussed the clinical assessment of posttraumatic reactions in children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events, including issues related to symptom manifestation, long-term consequences and availability of assessment instruments. Empirical Study 1 investigated the use of psychological and behavioral indicators in forensic assessment of children with suspected sexual abuse. Empirical Study 2 aimed to identify factors associated with the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms in child and adolescent victims of maltreatment. The set of theoretical and empirical studies indicate that (1) forensic psychological assessment should integrate different sources of information and indicators, for some of the latter may be contradictory or nonspecific; (2) the early assessment of posttraumatic reactions is key for detecting risk factors and indicating different interventions, serving as a source of secondary prevention; (3) assessment of sexual concerns should be included, among other indicators, in forensic procedures for children with suspected sexual abuse; and (4) investigation of posttraumatic cognitions should be included in assessment protocols of posttraumatic symptoms, even for children exposed to recurrent trauma, as is the case in sexual abuse and other situations of maltreatment. Therefore, the findings of this study comprehensively indicate the need for caution when considering the high individual variability in reactions associated with sexual abuse. Although there is no single symptom framework for characterizing victims, it is pertinent to assess physical, emotional and behavioral alterations triggered or aggravated by abusive events, as well as the child report and familiar and social contexts. Thus, utilizing multiple indicators and information sources may increment forensic evidence by adding conviction elements to accept or reject hypotheses, minimizing the occurrence of both false-positive and false-negative errors