| Abstract: | Ten children, ages five through eleven, who had been sexually abused, were seen for diagnostic evaluations. The children represented a wide spectrum of sexual abuse. Nine of the children had numerous behavioral symptoms, the most frequent of which were sleep disturbances and school problems. Nine of the families were viewed as dysfunctional. The children displayed similar psychodynamic themes and were preoccupied in obtaining adequate parental care and affection of which they were deprived. The presence of unmet affectional needs in the child cut across all types of sexual abuse giving rise to the conclusion that a child with unmet affectional needs is at high risk for sexual abuse.Evaluations of sexually mistreated children should focus on family dynamics. The Kinetic Family Drawing test and the Conger Sentence Completion test are effective diagnostic tools. All children who have been sexually abused should be carefully evaluated and provided with appropriate treatment in their own right. |
