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SEXUAL MISUSE [1 record]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 1991-04-29

English

Subject field(s)
  • Social Problems
DEF

The exposure of a child to sexual stimulation inappropriate for the child's age, level of psychosexual development, and role in the family.

OBS

This term was coined by mental health specialists Bravt and Tisza, to avoid the limitations inherent in the use of the term "sexual abuse", and there by create a more appropriate term from a mental health perspective. The legal term, "sexual abuse", tends to imply adult "abusers" and child victims. However, sexual abuse is usually a manifestation of family pathology, and several family members as well as the child are usually active in perpetrating the "abuse". The less pejorative term, "sexual misuse", dissuades one from thinking only in terms of victims and abusers, but rather in terms of a family dysfunction in which all to some extent suffer.

OBS

The specialists who developed this notion used the appearance of physical or behavioural symptoms in the child and evidence of family dysfunction as criteria for determining the inappropriateness of the stimulation, and they recognized that that which is "inappropriate" may vary according to the family and ethnic or sociocultural context.

OBS

The acceptability rating for the English term on this file is UNCONFIRMED as it is a term unique to one American study and does not appear to be used by all specialists in the field.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Problèmes sociaux
CONT

Il y a abus sexuel quand [...] il y a un «mauvais usage» [...], soit l'exposition d'un enfant à une stimulation inappropriée à son âge, à son niveau de développement psychosexuel et à son rôle dans la famille.

OBS

Le terme «mauvais usage», quoiqu'il soit celui utilisé par les spécialistes, n'exprime pas tout à fait la notion. «Mauvais usage sexuel» serait plus exact.

Spanish

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