Analyzing Child Sexual Abuse Allegations

When children make allegations of sexual abuse, forensic professionals are often involved in attempts to develop a better understanding of these allegations. This article offers a model that can be used by forensic professionals to analyze allegations of abuse. The model seeks to either rule in or rule out plausible hypotheses that often surround abuse allegations. The ten dimensions are: (1) outcry analysis; (2) stake analysis; (3) parent/significant other suggestion analysis; (4) forensic interview analysis; (5) memory analysis; (6) analysis of the developmental sufficiency of abuse details provided by the child; (7) inconsistencies analysis; (8) logistical detail analysis; (9) fantastical details analysis; and (10) personological analysis.