Beliefs Among Professionals About Rates of False Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

A total of 244 judges, law enforcement officers, mental health practitioners, and child protection service (CPS) workers were surveyed to explore their beliefs about the frequency with which children lie or fail to tell the truth when they allege sexual abuse. Results indicated that judges and law enforcement officers were significantly more skeptical of children's reports than were mental health and CPS workers. Although age, gender, and years of experience did not appear to affect beliefs about credibility, those professionals who dealt with more cases of child sexual abuse in the previous year were significantly more likely to believe the reports of children than were professionals who worked with fewer cases. Significant differences also were found among professional groups on whether children never or frequently lie about sexual abuse. Finally, across all groups, reports of sexual abuse made by female adolescents were viewed as significantly less believable than other groups of children. The implications of these findings for professionals are discussed.