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Sexual Abuse of Children

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

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Abstract

Knowledge about many aspects of the sexual abuse of children has exploded over the last four decades. This chapter reviews definitions of child sexual abuse, how common is the abuse, factors increasing the risk for some children to be abused, what is known about people who sexually abuse youth, and the effects on children of early sexual abuse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joshua Center on Child Sexual Abuse, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jon R. Conte & June Simon

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  1. Jon R. Conte
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  2. June Simon
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Ernestine Briggs

  2. School of Social Work, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Javonda Williams

  3. Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Eastern Virginia Medical School/Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Michelle Clayton

  4. The UP Institute, CEO, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Stacie LeBlanc

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Owner/Principle Consultant & Trainer, Russell Consulting Specialists, LLC, Vancouver, Washington, USA

    Amy Russell

  7. Executive Director, Arthur D. Curtis Children's Justice Center http://www.clark.wa.gov/cjc

    Amy Russell

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Conte, J.R., Simon, J. (2022). Sexual Abuse of Children. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_100

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