The creation of satanic ritual abuse

Fears about satanic ritual child abuse swept the nation in the 1980s and 1990s, but were probably largely unfounded. In this article, we explore sociocultural, individual, and therapy-related factors that together may be responsible for the creation of ritual abuse allegations. We conclude that there are serious problems with embracing false ritual abuse claims and call for more responsible journalistic coverage of issues relating to child abuse, more research to identify factors that contribute to false allegations, and better therapeutic practices to aid people seeking psychological help.