Do Physicians have Adequate Knowledge of Child Sexual Abuse? The Results of Two Surveys of Practicing Physicians, 1986 and 1996

Abstract

The objective of this study was to to determine if physician knowledge of and biases regarding child sexual abuse (CSA) have changed since 1986. A questionnaire, previously used in 1986, was mailed to 370 physicians who see children in Columbus, Ohio. More respondents in 1996 correctly denied an association between specific sociologic factors and the likelihood of CSA. Seventy-two percent of physicians indicated that they check the genitalia of prepubescent females more than 50% of the time, versus 77% in 1986. Physicians who see more than 25 pediatric patients per week were significantly more likely to check the genitalia (p < .001), whereas physicians with more than 10 years experience were less likely to check genitalia (p < .05). Physicians surveyed in 1996 were more knowledgeable about socioeconomic and behavioral aspects of CSA but continued to be deficient in identifying prepubescent female genital anatomy and in reporting suspected abuse. Education is necessary to correct these deficits.