Weinstock R, Weinstock D
University of California, Irvine.
J Forensic Sci. 1988 Mar;33(2):418-31.
Some recent interpretations of the child abuse laws are creating serious and unprecedented erosions of therapist/patient confidentiality. In contrast to the Tarasoff decisions and laws, the child abuse statutes introduced a new element of mandatory reporting which permits no discretionary alternatives and presents prospects of criminal penalties for failure to report. A recent development suggests a possible requirement for therapists to violate confidentiality for the sole purpose of punishing perpetrators. Overinterpretations of the laws by some child protective services have led to recommendations that long past child abuse must be reported, even when no current child is in danger. The California Attorney General's Office has issued a clarification stating that the child abuse statute refers to children and not to adults molested as children. A survey of forensic psychiatrists and psychologists shows that most perceived an ethical problem in reporting adults molested as children when no child is presently in danger, and the purpose of the report is solely for maximal legal self-protection. The survey indicates that fears induced by rigid and intimidating child abuse laws can influence therapists to act in ways most consider unethical. Recommendations are made for improving the current child abuse laws so that they accomplish their goals more effectively.
最近对虐待儿童法律的一些解释正在造成对治疗师/患者保密权的严重且前所未有的侵蚀。与塔拉索夫裁决和法律不同，虐待儿童法规引入了强制报告这一新要素，不允许有任何自由裁量的选择，并对不报告的行为提出了刑事处罚的可能性。最近的一个发展表明，可能要求治疗师为了惩罚犯罪者这一唯一目的而违反保密规定。一些儿童保护服务机构对法律的过度解读导致了这样的建议，即即使当前没有儿童处于危险之中，也必须报告多年前的虐待儿童行为。加利福尼亚州总检察长办公室已发布一项澄清声明，称虐待儿童法规指的是儿童，而非曾在儿童时期遭受性骚扰的成年人。一项针对法医精神病学家和心理学家的调查显示，大多数人认为在当前没有儿童处于危险且报告目的仅仅是为了最大限度地进行法律自我保护的情况下，报告曾在儿童时期遭受性骚扰的成年人存在伦理问题。该调查表明，严格且令人生畏的虐待儿童法律所引发的恐惧可能会影响治疗师做出大多数人认为不道德的行为。文中提出了改进当前虐待儿童法律的建议，以便它们能更有效地实现其目标。
