Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Vey M. Nordquist

Committee Members

Jan Allen, Cheryl Buehler

Abstract

In this study, professionals were surveyed to obtain their perceptions regarding the occurrence of false allegations of child sexual abuse in the context of custody/visitation disputes. Lists of names from three groups of professionals (attorneys, judges, and psychologists,) were obtained from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the Supreme Court of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Department of Health and questioned regarding the number of child sexual abuse cases they litigated/ adjudicated/evaluated, within and outside the context of custody/visitation. Professionals' perceptions of false allegations. who made the allegations, whether allegations were knowingly or unknowingly false, and the sources professionals used to shape their views about the false allegations issue were examined. Bar graphs. ANOVA's, and Post Hoc Tests were used to analyze and present the data. Results showed that professionals did not perceive that false allegations of child sexual abuse occur more often in the context of custody/visitation disputes than they do in circumstances that do not involve custody/visitation disputes. No significant differences were identified regarding the intent of the person alleging the abuse. Although the findings in this study are interesting, a larger scale study, one that included Department of Children's Services Caseworkers, would be appropriate in order to better determine the true scope of the problem.

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