Balla Uri, Lev-Wiesel Rachel, Bhattacharyya Atreyee, Israeli David, Daphna-Tekoah Shir
Kaplan Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
J Child Sex Abus. 2023 Feb;32(2):153-163. doi: 10.1080/10538712.2022.2161439. Epub 2023 Jan 1.
Child sexual abuse is a prevalent phenomenon worldwide. However, a gap exists between its incidence and its disclosure rate. Furthermore, assessment tools and techniques capable to identify the source of symptoms are lacking. This study investigates the extent to which the validated Medical Somatic Dissociation Questionnaire (MSDQ) can differentiate between sexually and non-sexually abused children. A total of 794 children and youth between the ages of 8 and 18 (mean age: 12.2 (SD = 2.3); 42% female, 58% male) were recruited from the general population; other participants were residents of boarding schools and children who were referred to medical treatment. The anonymous online questionnaire included queries about demographics, a condensed version of the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, and the MSDQ. Findings indicate strong internal consistency, reliability, incremental validity, and predictive validity of the instrument, indicating the superiority of the MSDQ's ability to predict sexual abuse compared to physical abuse or the loss of a family member. It is concluded that the MSDQ can be integrated into the evaluation process performed by healthcare professionals in the diagnosis of minors with unexplained symptomatology.
儿童性虐待是一种在全球普遍存在的现象。然而，其发生率与披露率之间存在差距。此外，目前缺乏能够识别症状根源的评估工具和技术。本研究调查了经过验证的医学躯体解离问卷（MSDQ）在区分遭受性虐待和非性虐待儿童方面的能力。总共从普通人群中招募了794名8至18岁的儿童和青少年（平均年龄：12.2岁（标准差=2.3）；42%为女性，58%为男性）；其他参与者是寄宿学校的学生和前来就医的儿童。这份匿名在线问卷包括有关人口统计学的问题、创伤性生活事件问卷的简版以及MSDQ。研究结果表明该工具具有很强的内部一致性、可靠性、增量效度和预测效度，表明与身体虐待或失去家庭成员相比，MSDQ在预测性虐待方面能力更优。研究得出结论，MSDQ可纳入医疗保健专业人员在诊断有不明症状的未成年人时所进行的评估过程中。
