NCJ Number
143415
Journal
American Journal of Psychotherapy Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1992) Pages: 556-570
Date Published
1992
Length
15 pages
Annotation
A review of literature revealed that false allegations of sexual abuse are uncommon, numbering between 2 and 8 percent of referrals to child abuse clinics, 6 percent of emergency room referrals, and higher rates (between 36 and 56 percent) for allegations arising out of custody disputes.
Abstract
Most studies are designed to determine the overall frequencies of false allegations and therefore provide little, if any, clinical detail. The authors' clinical research led to the formulation of a typology of subtypes of false allegations that can alert the clinician to contextual factors that should heighten concern. The first subtype, false allegations in the context of custody dispute, is the most frequent and represents the conscious manipulation by one parent to obtain custody of children from another parent. In the second subtype, false allegations result from the accuser's psychological disturbance; the reporting individual can be the child, a caregiver, relative, or friend. In the third subtype, the child or adolescent uses false allegations as a conscious manipulation to obtain a goal or out of vindictiveness, revenge, or rage. Iatrogenic components are found in the fourth subtype of false allegation; these most often consist of contamination errors involved in the conduct of the evaluation. Most cases of false allegations combine elements of one or more subtypes. 15 references