Cromer, Lisa D.2008-02-102008-02-102006-06https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2901xviii, 80 p.A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT RC560.C46 C76 2006The purpose of the current study was to investigate factors that influence the believing of child sexual abuse (CSA) disclosures. CSA is a major public health issue (WHO, 2002). Approximately one third of females and one sixth of boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18 (Kendall-Tackett, Williams, & Finkelhor, 1993), yet most victims do not disclose the abuse until long after it occurred, if ever (London, Bruck, Ceci, & Shuman, 2005). Not disclosing has many deleterious effects for victims including not stopping chronic abuse and not receiving therapeutic interventions (Ullman, 2003). Fear of not being believed is a major deterrent against disclosure (Goodman-Brown, Edelstein, Goodman, Jones, & Gordon, 2003) and not being believed when one discloses has negative psychological and physiological health effects (Ullman, 2003). Therefore, the question about factors that influence believing disclosures is related to public health.161862 bytes2276 bytes4283351 bytes2571 bytestext/plaintext/plainapplication/pdftext/plainen-USBiasChild abuseChild sexual abuseBelievingGenderDisclosureChild sexual abuse -- ReportingThesis