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The '''Rind et al. controversy''' was a unique historical debate in scientific literature, public media, and the US government, regarding a 1998 paper on ] published in the ]'s journal ''Psychological Bulletin''<ref></ref>. Titled ''"A ] examination of assumed properties of child sexual abuse (CSA) using ] ],"''<ref>Rind, B., Tromovitch, P. & Bauserman, R. (1998). "A Meta-analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples". Psychological Bulletin, 124(1), 22-53</ref> the paper was written by researchers Bruce Rind, Philip Tromovitch and Robert Bauserman, following a related 1997 meta-analysis by Rind and Tromovitch in the '']'', published by the ].<ref></ref>The debate resulted in the unprecedented condemnation of the paper by the ]. | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}} | |||
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rind ''et al''. controversy}} | |||
The '''Rind ''et al''. controversy''' was a debate in the ], public media, and government legislatures in the ] regarding a 1998 ]ed ] of the self-reported harm caused by ] (CSA).<ref name = Rindetal>{{cite journal | title = A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples | url = http://digilib.bc.edu/reserves/sc563/mcgu/sc56310.pdf | journal = ] | last1 = Rind | first1 = Bruce | first2 = Philip | last2 = Tromovitch | first3 = Robert | last3 = Bauserman | volume = 124 | issue = 1 | pages = 22–53 | year = 1998 | pmid = 9670820 | doi = 10.1037/0033-2909.124.1.22 | s2cid = 16123776 | access-date = 27 January 2012 | archive-date = 29 July 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160729211144/http://digilib.bc.edu/reserves/sc563/mcgu/sc56310.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> The debate resulted in the unprecedented condemnation of the paper by both chambers of the ]. The ] research community was concerned that the condemnation by government legislatures might have a ] on the future publication of controversial research results. | |||
The study's ] is the psychologist Bruce Rind; it expanded on a 1997 meta-analysis for which Rind is also the lead author.<ref name=RindTromovitch>{{cite journal|last1=Rind |first1=Bruce |first2=Philip|last2= Tromovitch|year=1997 |title=A meta-analytic review of findings from national samples on psychological correlates of child sexual abuse |journal=] |volume=34 |pages=237–255 |jstor=3813384 |doi=10.1080/00224499709551891 |issue=3 }}</ref> The authors stated their goal was to determine whether CSA caused pervasive, significant psychological harm for both males and females, controversially concluding that the harm caused by child sexual abuse was not necessarily intense or pervasive,<ref>{{cite journal |year=2007 |title=National Samples, Sexual Abuse in Childhood, and Adjustment in Adulthood: A Commentary on Najman, Dunne, Purdie, Boyle, and Coxeter (2005) |url=http://www.esdy.edu.gr/files/011_Ygeias_Paidiou/Koinonikh_Paidiatrikh_tei_mathimata/A2_Rind%20Tromovitch%202005%20(2).pdf |journal=] |volume=36 |pages=101–106 |first1=Bruce |last1=Rind |first2=Philip |last2=Tromovitch |doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9058-y |pmid=17139555 |issue=1 |s2cid=392041 |access-date=10 January 2012 |archive-date=16 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416181642/http://www.esdy.edu.gr/files/011_Ygeias_Paidiou/Koinonikh_Paidiatrikh_tei_mathimata/A2_Rind%20Tromovitch%202005%20(2).pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> that the prevailing ] of CSA was not scientifically ], as it failed ], and that the psychological damage caused by the abusive encounters depends on other factors, such as the degree of coercion or force involved.<ref name = Rindetal/> The authors concluded that even though CSA may not result in lifelong, significant harm to all victims, this does not mean it is not morally wrong and indicated that their findings did not imply current moral and legal prohibitions against CSA should be changed.<ref name = Rindetal/> | |||
The authors' stated goal was "...to address the question: In the population of persons with a history of CSA , does this experience cause intense psychological harm on a widespread basis for both ]?" Some of the authors' more controversial conclusions were: | |||
The Rind ''et al''. study has been criticized by many scientists and researchers, on the grounds that its ] and conclusions are poorly designed and statistically flawed.<ref name="Glicken">{{cite book|first=Morley D.|last=Glicken|title=Social Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Social Welfare, Social Issues, and the Profession|publisher=]|location=Thousand Oaks, California|isbn =978-1412975780 |year=2010|page=146|access-date=September 1, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2AdbTq3FPv8C&pg=PA146}}</ref><ref name="Rosenthal">{{cite book|first=Martha|last=Rosenthal|title=Human Sexuality: From Cells to Society|publisher=]|location=Boston, Massachusetts|isbn =978-0618755714|year=2012|page=421|access-date=September 1, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT441}}</ref><ref name="McCoy">{{cite book|first1=Monica L.|last1=McCoy|first2=Stefanie M.|last2=Keen|title=Child Abuse and Neglect: Second Edition|publisher=]|location=Hove, England|isbn =978-1136322877|year=2013|pages=182–185|access-date=September 1, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCkVAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA182}}</ref> Its definition of ''harm'', for example, has been the subject of debate, as it only examined self-reported long-term psychological effects in young adults, whereas harm can have several forms, including short-term or medical harm (for example, ] or injuries), a likelihood of revictimization, and the amount of time the victim spent attending ] for the abuse.<ref name="McCoy"/> Numerous studies and professional clinical experience in the field of psychology, both before and after Rind ''et al''.'s publications, have long borne out that children cannot consent to sexual activity and that child and adolescent sexual abuse cause harm.<ref name=Dallam2001/><ref name=Dallam/><ref name=Salter/> Psychologist ] comments that Rind ''et al''.'s results are "truly an outlier" compared to other meta-analyses.<ref name=Salter/> | |||
* Rind et al. contended that "CSA does not cause intense harm on a pervasive basis regardless of gender." Simplified, Rind et al. (1998) found that 3 out of every 100 individuals in a CSA population had clinically significant problems (compared to 2 out of every 100 in a general population).<ref>{{cite journal |year=2007|title=National Samples, Sexual Abuse in Childhood, and Adjustment in Adulthood: A Commentary on Najman, Dunne, Purdie, Boyle, and Coxeter (2005)|url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/aseb/2007/00000036/00000001/00009058|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior| volume=n36, 101-106|author=Rind and Tromovitch|doi=10.1007/s10508-006-9058-y|pages=101}}</ref> | |||
* Rind et al. contended that "An important reason why the assumed properties of CSA failed to withstand empirical scrutiny in the current review is that the construct of CSA, as commonly conceptualized by researchers, is of questionable scientific validity." | |||
* Rind et al. contended that the degree of psychological damage was based on whether the child describes the encounter as consensual or not. | |||
A later CSA study by Heather Ulrich and two colleagues, published in The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, attempted to replicate the Rind study, correcting for methodological and statistical problems identified by Dallam and others, and it ultimately supported some of the Rind findings but also acknowledged the limitations of the findings, and, ultimately did not endorse Rind's recommendation to abandon the use of the term child sexual abuse in cases of apparent consent in favor of the term adult-child sex. | |||
Numerous ] organizations have quoted the Rind et al. paper in support of their efforts to lower or rescind age of consent laws, and defense attorneys have used the study to argue for minimizing harm in child sexual abuse cases. <ref name="spiegel">{{cite book|title=Sexual Abuse of Males: The Sam Model of Theory and Practice |last= Spiegel |first=Josef |contributors=Christine A. Courtois |year=2003 |pages=3, p9 |publisher=Routledge}}</ref><ref name=Ondersma/> | |||
The Rind paper has been quoted by people and organizations advocating ], ] or ] groups, in support of their efforts to change attitudes towards pedophilia and to decriminalize sexual activity between adults and ] (children or adolescents).<ref name="spiegel">{{cite book|title=Sexual Abuse of Males: The Sam Model of Theory and Practice |last= Spiegel |first= Josef | year = 2003 | page = | publisher = ] | location=Abingdon, England|isbn = 978-1-56032-403-4}}</ref><ref name="Ondersma" /> | |||
==The controversy== | |||
July 1998 - the paper by Bruce Rind, Philip Tromovitch and Robert Bauserman was published in ''Psychological Bulletin''. | |||
==Studies and findings== | |||
December 1998 - the ] (NARTH) criticized the study for its ] and conclusions. Criticism of it began to appear on the internet. | |||
In 1997, ] professor Bruce Rind of ] and doctoral student Philip Tromovitch of the ] published ''"A meta-analytic review of findings from national samples on psychological correlates of child sexual abuse"'', a ] in '']'' of seven studies regarding adjustment problems of victims of ] (CSA). To avoid the ] that, they argued, existed in most studies of CSA (which drew from samples mostly in the ] or ]s and thus were, as a sample, unlike the population as a whole), the 1997 study combined data from studies using only national samples of individuals expected to be more representative of the population of child sexual abuse victims. This study examined 10 independent samples designed to be nationally representative, based on data from more than 8,500 participants. Four of the studies came from the United States, and one each came from Great Britain, Canada, and Spain.<ref name = RindTromovitch/> | |||
Based on the results, they concluded that the general consensus associating CSA with intense, pervasive harm and long-term ] was incorrect.<ref name = RindTromovitch/> In 1998, Rind, Tromovitch and Robert Bauserman (then a professor at the ]) published ''"A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples"'', a ] in the '']'' of 59 studies (36 published studies, 21 unpublished doctoral dissertations, and 2 unpublished master's theses) with an aggregate sample size of 35,703 college students (13,704 men and 21,999 women). | |||
March, 1999 - it was then attacked by '']'', a ] religious newspaper, ] host Dom Giordano, and Dr. ]. In response, the APA declared in a ] that "the sexual abuse of children is wrong and harmful to its victims" and that "the findings of a research project within an APA journal is in no way an endorsement." | |||
In most of the 59 studies, CSA was defined by the authors based on legal and "moral" criteria{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}integrating the sometimes disparate and conflicting definitions, CSA was defined as "a sexual interaction involving either physical contact or no contact (e.g., exhibitionism) between either a child or adolescent and someone significantly older, or between two peers who are children or adolescents when coercion is used." "Child" was sometimes defined, not biologically, but as ] or as a minor under the legal ]. All these studies were included in the meta-analysis because many CSA researchers, as well as lay persons, view all types of socio-legally defined CSA as morally and/or psychologically harmful.<ref name = Rindetal/> When this research, the U.S. Congress, and the APA refer to CSA and "children" in the context of sexual relations with adults, they are not only referring to biological (prepubescent) children, but to adolescents under the age of consent as well; this age varies between 16 and 18 years old in the U.S.<ref name="Rind 2000 1–62">{{cite journal | last1= Rind | first1= B |author2= Tromovitch P; Bauserman R | year = 2000 | title = Condemnation of a scientific article: A chronology and refutation of the attacks and a discussion of threats to the integrity of science | journal = ] | volume = 4 | issue = 2 | pages = 1–62 | doi = 10.1007/s12119-000-1025-5 | s2cid= 143835500 }}</ref> | |||
In an internal APA email <ref>Fowler, R. (1999). "RE: APA statements". Child Maltreatment Researchers (Mailing List), Retrieved from http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu/cmrlpostings/msg01569.html</ref> the President of the APA, ], wrote | |||
The results of the meta-analysis indicated that college students who had experienced CSA were slightly less well-adjusted compared to other students who had not experienced CSA, but that family environment was a significant ] that may be responsible for the association between CSA and harm. Intense, pervasive harm and long-term ] were due to ] in most studies, rather than to the sexual abuse itself (though exceptions were noted for abuse accompanied by force or ]).<ref name = Rindetal/> Both studies addressed four "assumed properties" of CSA, identified by the authors: gender equivalence (both genders affected equally), causality (CSA causes harm), pervasiveness (most victims of CSA are harmed) and intensity (the harm is normally significant and long-term), concluding that all four "assumed properties" were questionable and had several potential confounds.<ref name = Rindetal/><ref name = RindTromovitch/> | |||
:Many critics have demanded that APA repudiate the study. Because the article has attracted so much attention, we have carefully reviewed the process by which it was approved for publication and the soundness of the methodology and analysis. This study passed the journal's rigorous peer review process and has, since the controversy, been reviewed again by an expert in statistical analysis who affirmed that it meets current standards and that the methodology, which is widely used by the ] (NIH) to develop guidelines, is sound. | |||
Based on the closely mirrored results of both studies, Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman questioned the scientific ] of a single term "child sexual abuse" and suggested a variety of different labels for sexual contact between adults and non-adults based on age and the degree to which the child was forced or coerced into participating. They concluded with a discussion of the legal and moral implications of the article, stating that the "wrongfulness" and "harmfulness" of sexual acts are not inherently linked, and finished with the statement: | |||
] ] - the president of the APA, ], announced in an to Representative ] that there was to be an independent review of the controversial paper. | |||
{{blockquote|the findings of the current review do not imply that moral or legal definitions of or views on behaviors currently classified as CSA should be abandoned or even altered. The current findings are relevant to moral and legal positions only to the extent that these positions are based on the presumption of psychological harm.|Rind ''et al''. (1998) p. 47}} | |||
==Controversies== | |||
] ] - the ] unanimously passed a declaring that "sexual relations between children and adults are abusive, exploitive, and reprehensible, and should never be considered or labeled as harmless or acceptable." It condemned the study specifically on the grounds that "pedophiles and organizations, such as the ], that advocate laws to permit sex between adults and children are exploiting the study to promote and justify child sexual abuse." <ref name="congress">{{cite web|author=US Congress|year=1999|title=Whereas no segment of our society is more critical to the future of human survival than our children|format=PDF|work=106th Congress, Resolution 107|url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=106_cong_bills&docid=f:hc107enr.txt.pdf}}</ref> The resolution was passed unanimously in the ]. | |||
The first set of peer reviewers for '']'' had rejected the paper, with the authors being told not to submit it again, as it was considered too flawed. The authors did try again, following a change of editors at the journal; this time, only one reviewer turned it down. None of the other reviewers came forward, and it is still unclear who, if anybody, recommended it for publication.<ref name=Salter/> | |||
The paper was published by the ] (APA) in July 1998, in ''Psychological Bulletin''. Strong reactions ultimately resulted, from both ]s and ] who study sexual abuse and treat victims, and from ] and later, from most of the US Congress. | |||
] ] - the ] (AAAS), whom APA under political pressure had asked for an independent review of the article, did refuse to review the article again in order to respond to its political rejection saying that: | |||
:We see no reason to second guess the process of peer review used by the APA journal in its decision to publish the article in question. While not without its imperfections, peer review is well established as a standard mechanism for maintaining the flow of scientific information that scientists can refer to, critique or build on. After examining all the materials available to the committee, we saw no clear evidence of improper application of methodology or other questionable practices on the part of the article's authors. | |||
Scholars familiar with the literature on sexual abuse, as well as experts in the field, found the study's conclusions surprising.<ref name=Salter/> | |||
:The Committee also wishes to express its grave concerns with the politicization of the debate over the article's methods and findings. In reviewing the set of background materials available to us, we found it deeply disconcerting that so many of the comments made by those in the political arena and in the media indicate a lack of understanding of the analysis presented by the authors or misrepresented the article's findings. All citizens, especially those in a position of public trust, have a responsibility to be accurate about the evidence that informs their public statements. We see little indication of that from the most vocal on this matter, behaviour that the Committee finds very distressing. | |||
===Initial reactions=== | |||
The AAAS's Committee of Scientific Freedom and Responsibility reported that they "saw no clear evidence of improper application of methodology or other questionable practices on the part of the article's authors." However, AAAS also added that "if there were such problems, uncovering them would be the task of those reviewing it prior to publication or to readers of the published article" and attached the following disclaimer: "The fact that the Committee has chosen not to proceed with an evaluation of the article in the ''Psychological Bulletin'' should not be seen either as endorsement or criticism of it." (p. 3) | |||
The first substantial public reaction was a December 1998 criticism by the ], an organization dedicated to the discredited view that ] is a mental illness that can be cured by ].<ref name="Tavris">{{Cite journal |last1=Tavris |first1=Carol |author-link=Carol Tavris |year=2000 |title=The uproar over sexual abuse research and its findings |url=https://rdcu.be/dJXvs |journal=] |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=15–17 |doi=10.1007/BF02912285 |s2cid=142996567 |url-access=limited}}</ref> | |||
In March 1999, conservative talk show host ] criticized the study as "]" and stated that, since its conclusions were contrary to ], its findings should never have been released. She criticized the study's use of meta-analysis, saying. "I frankly have never seen this in general science. ... This is so outrageous."<ref>Schlessinger, L. (1999 March 23) The Dr. Laura show Los Angeles, CA: Premiere Radio Networks.</ref> "This was not a study. They didn’t do a study. They arbitrarily found 59 studies that other people had done combined them all." | |||
March 2002 - The fact that politics has intervened in the field of science has raised many from researchers concerned about its implications for the independence of the scientific peer-reviewing process. Some, including two ''Psychological Bulletin'' editors, call Raymond Fowler's June 9 letter a capitulation to political pressure. The affair was also later discussed in issue of another APA journal, '']''. | |||
Shortly thereafter, the ] posted an approving review of the study on their website, furthering the impression that the piece was an endorsement of ].<ref name = Lilienfeld2002>{{cite journal | last = Lilienfeld | first = SO |author-link1=Scott Lilienfeld |year = 2002 | url = http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ble/SciSoc/lilienfeld02.pdf | title = When Worlds Collide: Social Science, Politics and the Rind ''et al''. (1998) Child Abuse Meta-Analysis | journal = ] | volume = 57 | issue = 3 | pages = 177–187 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030429000006/http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ble/SciSoc/lilienfeld02.pdf |archive-date = 2003-04-29 | pmid=11905116 | doi=10.1037/0003-066x.57.3.176}}</ref> | |||
==Criticism and response== | |||
Researcher Stepanie Dallam criticized the Rind paper in detail based on extensive analysis in her 2001 paper published in the ''Journal of Child Sexual Abuse.'' Dallam stated in her report, "After careful examination of the evidence, it is concluded that Rind et al. can best be described as an advocacy article that inappropriately uses science in an attempt to legitimatize its findings."<ref name="Dallam">{{cite journal|title=Science or Propaganda? An Examination of Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman |last=Dallam |first= SJ |journal=Journal of Child Sexual Abuse |publisher=Haworth Press |volume=Vol 9; No. 3/4, pp. 109-134|year=2001}}</ref> | |||
=== |
===Government=== | ||
The paper eventually provoked a reaction from several ] American ], notably the ] representatives ] of ] and ] of ], who both condemned the study as advocating for the normalization of pedophilia.<ref name = Lilienfeld2002/> | |||
Dallam et al. note that, by restricting their analysis to convenience samples of college students, Rind et al. introduced a systematic bias in favor of their conclusion by excluding victims so traumatized that they did not go on to attend college. In addition, Duncan (2000) found that child sexual abuse survivors were far more likely than non-abused individuals to drop out of college, especially after only one semester.<ref name = Dallam/> | |||
In response, the APA declared in a ] that ] is harmful and wrong, and that the study was in no way an endorsement of pedophilia.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug99/as4.html |title=APA defends stance against the sexual abuse of children. Concern over APA journal article prompts Congress to question the association's position. |date=1999-07-01 |volume=30 |issue=7 |last=Martin |first=S |journal=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007013210/http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug99/as4.html |archive-date=7 October 2008 }}</ref> The APA mandated a policy change by which APA journal editors would alert the organization of potentially controversial topics in order to be more proactive with politicians, the media and other groups. In an internal organization email, APA Executive Vice-President ] stated that, because of the controversy, the article's methodology, analysis and the process by which it had been approved for publication were reviewed and found to be sound.<ref>{{cite web | last = Fowler | first = RD | author-link = Raymond D. Fowler | year = 1999 | title = RE: APA statements | publisher = Child Maltreatment Researchers (Mailing List) | url = http://www.mhamic.org/rind/fowler2.txt}}</ref> In June 1999, Fowler announced in an open letter to DeLay that there would be an independent review of the paper and stated that, from a ] perspective, some language used in the article was inflammatory and inconsistent with the position of the APA's stance on CSA. The APA also implemented a series of actions designed to prevent the study from being used in legal arguments to defend CSA, and stated an independent review would be undertaken of the scientific accuracy and validity of the report.<ref name="delay" /> The request for an outside review of a controversial report by an independent scientific association was unprecedented in APA's 107-year history.<ref name = Lilienfeld2002/> | |||
Rind, Bauserman, and Tromovitch have responded to this criticism by emphasizing that "the representativeness of college samples is in fact irrelevant to the stated goals and conclusions of our study" since the purpose of their research was "to examine the validity of the clinical concept" of CSA. According to the commonly understood definition of the term, child sexual abuse is extremely and pervasively harmful, meaning that "in any population sampled - drug addicts, psychiatric patients, or college students - persons who have experienced CSA should show strong evidence of the assumed properties of CSA." The authors of the study note that because the college sample did not show pervasive harm, "the broad and unqualified claims about the properties of CSA are contradicted."<ref>Rind, B., Tromovitch, P., & Bauserman, R. (2001). "The Validity and Appropriateness of Methods, Analyses, and Conclusions". Psychological Bulletin, 127, 734-758.</ref> | |||
In April 1999, a ] was introduced in the ] condemning the article, with similar resolutions introduced in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania over the subsequent two months. Some of these states' psychological associations reacted by asking the APA to take action.<ref>{{Cite journal | |||
=== Non-standardization of variables=== | |||
|last1 = Garrison | |||
Dallam et al. and Holmes and Slap (1999)<ref></ref> assert that Rind et al. did not standardize their definition of child sexual abuse, leaving out certain studies that were appropriate, and including studies that were inappropriate. That is, they allege that Rind et al. uncritically combined data from studies of CSA with data from studies looking at other phenomena such as consensual peer experiences, sexual experiences that occurred during adulthood, and homosexual approaches during adolescence. Holmes and Slap (1999) noted that Rind et al. uncritically combined psychological outcomes measured by different instruments with varying validity, relevance, and different interval scaling and cut points. After reviewing the Rind et al.’s study, Holmes and Slap concluded, "meta-analysis is not appropriate when methodological rigor, let alone the question asked, is so varied" (p. 2186). | |||
|first1 = E. G. | |||
|last2 = Kobor | |||
|first2 = P. C. | |||
|title = Weathering a political storm. A contextual perspective on a psychological research controversy | |||
|journal = ] | |||
|volume = 57 | |||
|issue = 3 | |||
|pages = 165–175 | |||
|year = 2002 | |||
|pmid = 11905115 | |||
|url = http://bama.ua.edu/~sprentic/607%20Garrison%20&%20Kobor-2002.htm | |||
|doi = 10.1037/0003-066x.57.3.165 | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173920/http://bama.ua.edu/~sprentic/607%20Garrison%20%26%20Kobor-2002.htm | |||
|archive-date = 3 March 2016 | |||
|df = dmy-all | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On July 12, 1999, the ] passed HRC resolution 107 by a vote of 355-0, with 13 members ],<ref name = Baird/> declaring sexual relations between children and adults are abusive and harmful, and condemned the study on the basis that it was being used by pro-pedophilia activists and organizations to promote and justify child sexual abuse.<ref name="congress">{{cite web | author = United States Congress | year = 1999 | title = Whereas no segment of our society is more critical to the future of human survival than our children | format = PDF | work = 106th Congress, Resolution 107 | url = http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/106/hconres107 | author-link = United States Congress }}</ref> The condemnation by Congress of a scientific study was, at that time, an unprecedented event.<ref name = Rind2006>{{cite book | last = Rind | first = B | chapter = Meta Analysis, Moral Panic, Congressional Condemnation, and Science: A Personal Journey | title = Advances in social & organizational psychology: a tribute to Ralph Rosnow | year = 2006 | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-0-8058-5590-6 | pages = 163–193 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NqT0GCxUDJsC&pg=PA163 |editor1= Rosnow RL |editor2=Hantula DA }}</ref> The resolution passed the ] by a voice vote (100-0) on July 30, 1999<ref name = Baird/> and was greeted among psychologists with concern due to the perceived ] it might have among researchers.<ref name = Lilienfeld2002/> Representative ], who has a ] in ] and was one of the 13 Congressmen to abstain from the condemnation of the study, stated that of the 535 members of the House and Senate, fewer than 10 had actually read the study, and even fewer were qualified to evaluate it based on its merit.<ref name = Baird>{{Cite journal | |||
Rind, et al. have also responded to this criticism, asserting the appropriateness of including all five of the studies (Landis, 1956; Shultz and Jones, 1983; Sedney and Brooks, 1984; Grenwald, 1994; and Sarbo, 1985) specifically identified by Dallam as inappropriate to a study about child sexual abuse. | |||
| doi = 10.1037/0003-066X.57.3.189 | |||
| last1 = Baird | first1 = B. N. | |||
| title = Politics, operant conditioning, Galileo, and the American Psychological Association's response to Rind ''et al''. (1998) | |||
| journal = ] | |||
| volume = 57 | |||
| issue = 3 | |||
| pages = 189–192 | |||
| year = 2002 | |||
| pmid = 11905117 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
===Independent review=== | |||
Dallam claims that the first three studies focused on all types of child sexual activity, not just child sexual abuse. Rind et al. reject this claim. In regard to the Landis study, Rind et al. note that it has been used by many other sex researchers (e.g., Finkelhor, Fishman, Fromuth & Burkhart, Sarbo, and others) as an example of an early study about child sexual abuse. In regard to the Shultz and Jones study, Rind et al. concede that the study "looked at all types of 'sexual acts' before age 12," but explained that the respondents in the study were all asked "if their experience was with a person over the age of 16," thus allowing Rind et al. to include only the relationships that were age-discrepant. In regard to the Sedney and Brooks study, Rind et al. admit that the study used a broad definition of child sexual abuse, but explain that the researchers themselves chose to use such a definition "because of the difficulty posed by a priori decisions about what type of sexual experiences are 'problems.'" | |||
In September 1999, the ] (AAAS), upon a request by the APA to independently review the article, stated that it saw no reason to second-guess the peer review process that approved it initially and that it saw no evidence of improper methodology or questionable practices by the authors. The AAAS also expressed concern that the materials reviewed demonstrated a grave lack of understanding of the study on the part of the media and politicians and were also concerned about the misrepresentation of its findings.<ref name="Rind 2000 1–62"/> The AAAS stated that the responsibility for discovering problems with the article lay with the initial peer reviewers, and declined to evaluate the article, concluding with a statement that the decision to not review the article was neither an endorsement nor a criticism of it. | |||
===APA new position=== | |||
The last two studies, according to Dallam, were inappropriate because they included respondents who were over the age of 17. | |||
In August 2000, the APA drafted and adopted a ] in response to the Rind ''et al''. controversy that opposed any efforts to ] controversial or surprising research findings, and asserting that researchers must be free to investigate and report findings, as long as the research has been conducted within appropriate ethical and research standards.<ref name = Lilienfeld2002/> | |||
==Academic criticism and response== | |||
A series of 2001 papers published in the '']'' discussed and criticized the findings of the Rind ''et al''. study. Stephanie Dallam stated that, after reviewing the evidence, the paper was best described as "an advocacy article that inappropriately uses science in an attempt to legitimatize its findings".<ref name="Dallam">{{cite journal | title = Science or Propaganda? An Examination of Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman | last = Dallam | first = SJ | journal = ] |volume = 9 | issue = 3/4 | pages = 109–134 | year = 2001 | doi = 10.1300/J070v09n03_06 | pmid = 17521993 | s2cid = 24496737 }} | |||
* Co-published as a book chapter in {{Cite book | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CZmPet1s07AC&pg=PA109 | pages = 109–134 |editor1=Whitfield CL |editor2=Silberg JL |editor3=Fink PJ | title = Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors| chapter = Science or Propaganda? An Examination of Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman | author = Dallam SJ | isbn = 978-0-7890-1901-1 | publisher = ] | year = 2001 }}</ref> Four other researchers also discussed possible flaws in the methodology and generalizability of Rind's findings, and concluded the paper's results were scientifically invalid.<ref name=Tice>{{cite journal | title = The real controversy about child sexual abuse research: Contradictory findings and critical issues not addressed by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman in their 1998 outcomes meta-analysis |last1=Tice |first1=PP |author2=Whittenburg JA, Baker G, Lemmey DE. |journal=] |volume=9 |issue=3–4 |pages=157–82|year = 2000 |pmid=17521995 | doi = 10.1300/J070v09n03_08|s2cid=22183946 }} | |||
* Co-published as a book chapter in {{Cite book | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CZmPet1s07AC&pg=PA157 | pages = 157–182 |editor1= Whitfield CL |editor2=Silberg JL |editor3=Fink PJ | chapter = The real controversy about child sexual abuse research: Contradictory findings and critical issues not addressed by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman in their 1998 outcomes meta-analysis | title = Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors | last1= Tice | first1= PP |author2= Whittenburg JA; Baker G; Lemmey DE | isbn = 978-0-7890-1901-1 | publisher = ] | year = 2001 }}</ref><ref name=Whittenburg>{{cite journal | title = A critical appraisal of the 1998 meta-analytic review of child sexual abuse outcomes reported by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman |last1=Whittenburg | first1= JA |author2= Tice PP; Baker G; Lemmey DE | journal = ] |volume= 9 |issue=3–4 | pages = 135–55 | year = 2000 | pmid = 17521994 | doi = 10.1300/J070v09n03_07|s2cid=40602379 }} | |||
* Co-published as a book chapter in {{Cite book | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CZmPet1s07AC&pg=PA157 | pages = 135–156 |editor1= Whitfield CL |editor2=Silberg JL |editor3=Fink PJ | title = Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors | chapter = A critical appraisal of the 1998 meta-analytic review of child sexual abuse outcomes reported by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman | last1= Whittenburg | first1= JA |author2= Tice PP; Baker G; Lemmey DE | isbn = 978-0-7890-1901-1 | publisher = ] | year = 2001 }}</ref> The criticisms were co-published in the 2001 book ''Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors''.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CZmPet1s07AC&pg=PP1 | last1= Whitfield | first1= CL |author2= Silberg JL; Fink PJ | year = 2001 | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-0-7890-1901-1 | title = Misinformation concerning child sexual abuse and adult survivors }}</ref> In 2002, a rebuttal to many of the claims made by critics was submitted to the APA journal, the '']'' by Scott Lilienfeld.<ref name = Lilienfeld2002/> After passing a normal ], the editor of the journal re-submitted the article in secret and, on the basis of this second review, the paper was rejected. Lilienfeld reported this subsequent rejection on several psychology ], which produced an intense response and resulted in the APA and ''American Psychologist'' ultimately printing the article as part of a special issue focusing on the controversy.<ref name = Rind2006/><ref>{{cite journal | url = http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/special/4015703.aspx |editor1= Albee GW |editor2=Newcombe NS |editor3=McCarthy R | year = 2002 | volume = 57 | issue = 3 | title = Interactions Among Scientists and Policymakers: Challenges and Opportunities | pages = 164–227 | journal = ] | doi = <!-- none, whole issue--> }}</ref> | |||
===Possible sample bias=== | |||
The paper has been criticized for restricting its analysis to convenience samples of college students, possibly introducing ] by excluding victims so traumatized that they did not go on to attend college. Another possibility was that Rind ''et al''.'s conclusions may not be generalizable beyond college populations in general as individuals with a history of CSA were more likely than non-abused individuals to drop out of college after a single semester.<ref name = Dallam/><ref name = Spiegel2000>{{Cite journal | last1 = Spiegel | first1 = D. | title = Suffer the children: Long-term effects of sexual abuse | journal = ] | volume = 37 | issue = 4 | pages = 18–20| year = 2000 | doi = 10.1007/BF02912286| s2cid = 144535430 }}</ref> | |||
Rind, Bauserman and Tromovitch responded to this criticism by saying that "the representativeness of college samples is in fact irrelevant to the stated goals and conclusions of our study" since the purpose of their research was "to examine the validity of the clinical concept" of CSA. They added that according to the commonly understood definition of the term, child sexual abuse is extremely and pervasively harmful, meaning that "in any population sampled - drug addicts, psychiatric patients, or college students - persons who have experienced CSA should show strong evidence of the assumed properties of CSA." The authors of the study say that because the college sample did not show pervasive harm, "the broad and unqualified claims about the properties of CSA are contradicted".<ref name = "Rind2001">{{cite journal | last1= Rind | first1= B |author2= Tromovitch P; Bauserman R | year = 2001 | title = The validity and appropriateness of methods, analyses, and conclusions in Rind ''et al''. (1998): A rebuttal of victimological critique from Ondersma ''et al''. (2001) and Dallam ''et al''. (2001) | journal = ] | volume = 127 | issue = 6 | pages = 734–58 | pmid = 11726069 | doi = 10.1037/0033-2909.127.6.734 }}</ref> Rind ''et al''. also said that using college samples was appropriate because their study found similar prevalence rates and experiences of severity and outcomes between college samples and national samples.<ref name="Rind 2000 1–62"/> | |||
===Non-standardization of variables=== | |||
Dallam ''et al''. said that Rind ''et al''. did not standardize their definition of child sexual abuse, leaving out certain studies that were appropriate, and including studies that were inappropriate. That is, they allege that Rind ''et al''. uncritically combined data from studies of CSA with data from studies looking at other phenomena such as consensual peer experiences, sexual experiences that occurred during adulthood, and homosexual approaches during adolescence.<ref name = Dallam/> | |||
Rind, ''et al''. have also responded to this criticism, defending the appropriateness of including all five of the studies (Landis, 1956;<ref name = Landis>{{cite journal | title = Experiences of 500 children with adult sexual deviation. | url = http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1957-08328-001 | journal = ] | last = Landis| first = J | volume = 30 | pages = 91–109 | year = 1956| issue = 1 | pmid = 13389623 }}</ref> Schultz and Jones, 1983;<ref name = SchultzAndJones>{{cite journal | title = Sexual abuse of children: Issues for social science and health professionals | journal = ] | last1= Schultz | first1= LG |author2= Jones P | volume = 62 | pages = 99–109 | year = 1983}}</ref> Sedney and Brooks, 1984;<ref name = SedneyAndBrooks>{{cite journal | title = Factors associated with a history of childhood sexual experience in a nonclinical female population | journal = ] | last1= Sedney | first1= M |author2= Brooks B | volume = 23 | issue = 2 | pages = 215–218 | year = 1984 | doi = 10.1097/00004583-198403000-00015| pmid = 6715743 }}</ref> Greenwald, 1994;<ref name = Greenwald1994>{{cite thesis |type=Ph.D. |first=J |last=Greenwald |title=Romantic and sexual self-esteem, a new construct: Its relationship to current and early childhood sexual experiences |publisher=University of Nebraska—Lincoln |year=1993}}</ref> and Sarbo, 1985<ref name = Sarbo1985>{{cite thesis |type=Ph.D. |first=A |last=Sarbo |title=Childhood molestations: Adult personality correlates and predictors of trauma |publisher=Georgia State University |year=1984}}</ref>) specifically identified by Dallam ''et al''. as inappropriate to a study about child sexual abuse.<ref name = Rind2001/> | |||
Dallam ''et al''. said that the first three studies focused on all types of child sexual activity, not just child sexual abuse.<ref name = Dallam/> Rind ''et al''. reject this criticism. In regard to the Landis study, Rind ''et al''. note that it has been used by many other sex researchers (e.g., Finkelhor, Fishman, Fromuth & Burkhart, Sarbo, and others) as an example of an early study about child sexual abuse. In regard to the Shultz and Jones study, Rind ''et al''. concede that the study "looked at all types of 'sexual acts' before age 12," but explained that the respondents in the study were all asked "if their experience was with a person over the age of 16," thus allowing Rind ''et al''. to include only the relationships that were age-discrepant. In regard to the Sedney and Brooks study, Rind ''et al''. admit that the study used a broad definition of child sexual abuse, but explain that the researchers themselves chose to use such a definition "because of the difficulty posed by a priori decisions about what type of sexual experiences are 'problems.'" | |||
Similarly, psychiatrist David Spiegel said that the inclusion of Landis' 1956 study<ref name = Landis/> was unjustified.<ref name = Spiegel2000/><ref name = Spiegel2000SC>{{cite journal | title = The Price of Abusing Children and Numbers | journal = ] | last = Spiegel| first = DJ | volume = 4 | issue = 2| pages = 63–66 | year = 2000 | doi = 10.1007/s12119-000-1026-4| s2cid = 143262393 }}</ref> He argued that, while weighting larger studies more than smaller makes sense, combining the results of a large study examining very mild trauma (such as fending off an attacker) with studies of long-term physical and sexual abuse was inappropriate and led to erroneous conclusions.<ref name = Spiegel2000/> Rind ''et al''. replied that Spiegel misrepresented their analysis, since they did not use Landis' study in the meta-analysis of childhood sexual abuse – symptom correlations, but only for examining the self-reported effects of CSA. They contend that the way they handled Landis' data maximized negative reports and minimized the possible deflating effect of Landis' data on the overall effect sizes.<ref name = RindSC>{{cite journal | title = Debunking the False Allegations of "Statistical Abuse": A Reply to Spiegel | journal = ] | last1= Rind| first1= B |author2= Bauserman R, Tromovitch P | volume = 4 | issue = 2| pages = 101–111 | year = 2000 | doi = 10.1007/s12119-000-1029-1| s2cid = 143519357 }}</ref> | |||
The last two studies, according to Dallam ''et al''., were inappropriate because they included respondents who were over the age of 17 when the CSA occurred. Persons 18 years old or older are above the legal age of consent in all states of the USA, and thus are not "children" even in the loosest definition of the term. Rind ''et al''. responded to Dallam ''et al''. by saying that, in the effect-size calculations of the Sarbo and Greenwald studies (i.e., the calculations that show the alleged harmfulness of CSA), they had included only respondents aged 16 and 15 and under, respectively, at the time of the CSA<ref name = Rind2001/> and all CSA incidents included in Sarbo's and Greenwald's original analysis occurred before the age of 17.<ref name = Rind2006/>{{rp|p.177}} | |||
===Measured variables=== | |||
Spiegel criticized that Rind ''et al''. included a long list of measured variables in order to appear comprehensive, but remarkably omitted ] - "the most salient symptom" - from their analysis.<ref name = Spiegel2000SC/>{{rp|65}} Rind ''et al''. replied that including PTSD was impossible due to the fact that the original studies did not examine it.<ref name = RindSC/> Furthermore, they cited Kendall-Tackett ''et al''.<ref name="KenTacket">{{cite journal|last1=Kendall-Tackett|first1=KA|author2=Williams, LM, Finkelhor, D|title=Impact of sexual abuse on children: a review and synthesis of recent empirical studies.|journal=]|date=January 1993|volume=113|issue=1|pages=164–80 |pmid=8426874|issn=0033-2909|doi=10.1037/0033-2909.113.1.164|s2cid=2512368}} page 170</ref> to illustrate the lack of a common pattern of symptoms in children who have been abused. | |||
===Consent=== | |||
David Spiegel also argued that Rind ''et al''.'s suggestion of relabeling some forms of sexual encounters between adults and children/adolescents as adult-child (or adult-adolescent) sex is fundamentally flawed, because children cannot give meaningful consent to sexual relations with an adult.<ref name = Spiegel2000SC/><ref name = Spiegel2000SCb>{{cite journal | title = Real Effects of Real Child Sexual Abuse | journal = ] | last = Spiegel| first = DJ | volume = 4 | issue = 4| pages = 99–105 | year = 2000 | doi = 10.1007/s12119-000-1006-8| s2cid = 144471215 }}</ref> Some critics also argued that using value-neutral terminology would normalize CSA and that redefining terminology is not in the interest of the general public because it confuses the underlying moral issues.<ref name="Rind 2000 1–62"/><ref name="Dallam"/> Rind ''et al''. replied that the construct of consent used in their study was misinterpreted by critics; they only asserted that children/adolescents are capable of simple consent (willingness) as opposed to informed consent used in legal contexts, and used this as a variable in their study simply because it was used in the original studies - where it had predictive validity.<ref name="Rind 2000 1–62"/><ref name = RindSC/> Thus, they conclude that although the construct of willingness might be morally unacceptable, it is a scientifically valid term. A similar argument was put forward by Oellerich,<ref name = Oellerich>{{cite journal | title = Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman: Politically Incorrect-Scientifically Correct | journal = ] | last = Oellerich| first = Thomas D. | volume = 4 | issue = 2| pages = 67–81 | year = 2000 | doi = 10.1007/s12119-000-1027-3| s2cid = 62792494 }}</ref> who stated that considering all adult/non-adult sexual behavior as abusive and lacking consent can lead to bias in scientific research in the area, and that recognizing this distinction does not necessarily lead to considering adult/non-adult sexual interactions as morally permissible. | |||
===Statistical errors=== | ===Statistical errors=== | ||
Dallam et al. also contend that Rind et al. miscoded or misreported significant amounts of the underlying study data, thereby skewing the results. Dallam et al. contend that Rind et al. incorrectly used "]" instead of "]" to calculate the effect size, which resulted in a failure to correct for base-rate differences of CSA in male and female samples, and which led to the finding that males were less harmed by CSA. After correcting for base-rate attenuation, Dallam et al. |
Dallam ''et al''. also contend that Rind ''et al''. miscoded or misreported significant amounts of the underlying study data, thereby skewing the results. Dallam ''et al''. contend that Rind ''et al''. incorrectly used "]" instead of "]" to calculate the effect size, which resulted in a failure to correct for base-rate differences of CSA in male and female samples, and which led to the finding that males were less harmed by CSA. After correcting for base-rate attenuation, Dallam ''et al''. said they arrived at identical effect sizes for ] and ] samples.<ref name = Dallam2001/> | ||
In |
In response to this criticism, Rind ''et al''. contend that they did indeed describe the contrast between the effect size estimates as "nonsignificant, z = 1.42, p > .10, two-tailed". However, they argue, "What did report as significantly different was the contrast between male and female effect size estimates for the all-types-of-consent groups, where ''r<sub>u</sub>s'' = .04 and .11, respectively. In "follow Dallam ''et al''. (2001) apply Becker's correction formula to these values, they become r<sub>c</sub>s = .06 and .12 for men and women, respectively. The contrast is still statistically significant (z = 2.68, p < .01. two-tailed), contrary to Dallam ''et al''.'s (2001) claim".<ref name = "Rind2001"/> | ||
Rind et al. |
Rind ''et al''. said that their own "handling of Pearson's r in the face of base-rate differences was methodologically proper and produced no important bias, if any at all." Furthermore, they contend that Dallam's criticisms "exhibited bias ... selectively ignoring key clarifying quotes ... and citing them elsewhere in their critique to argue different points, and ignoring or overlooking a key caveat by Becker (1986) regarding appropriate use of his correction formula".<ref name = "Rind2001"/> | ||
Critics also argued that Rind ''et al''.'s statistical approach for controlling for family environment as a cause of maladjustment was conceptually and methodologically invalid. Spiegel stated that inferring the source of maladjustment from analyzing the shared variance between CSA and family environment does not answer the question of which variable explains maladjustment better;<ref name = Spiegel2000SC/><ref name = Spiegel2000SCb/> the authors answered that this statement shows a misunderstanding of the statistical procedure used their meta-analysis.<ref name="Rind 2000 1–62"/> Dallam, however, addressed the topic of several prior studies having found statistically significant relations between CSA and maladjustment even after controlling for family environment.<ref name="Dallam"/> | |||
===Accusation of researchers' personal bias=== | |||
As Rind himself has noted, the research findings can be skewed by an investigator’s personal biases. Rind et al. (1998) stated, “Reviewers who are convinced that CSA is a major cause of adult psychopathology may fall prey to confirmation bias by noting and describing study findings indicating harmful effects but ignoring or paying less attention to findings indicating nonnegative outcomes” (p. 24). | |||
===Conceptual issues=== | |||
Critics have opined that the number of controversial, CSA-related studies conducted by Rind and Bauserman is proof that they may have a bias. For example, when Rind (1995<nowiki>b</nowiki>) reviewed human sexuality textbooks' coverage of the effects of adult-child sex, he concluded that the use of terms such as victims, survivors, offenders, and perpetrators were scientifically invalid. | |||
Rind ''et al''.'s model of "assumed properties of child sexual abuse," (that is, of universal and pervasive harm in all victims of CSA) has been criticized as a ] assertion in that it is both simplistic and misleading.<ref name="Ondersma">{{cite journal | title = Sex with children is abuse: Comment on Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998) | journal= ] |volume=127 |issue=6 |pages=707–714 |date=November 2001 |pmid=11726067 |doi= 10.1037/0033-2909.127.6.707 |last1=Ondersma| first1=S.J. |last2=Chaffin |first2=Mark |last3=Berliner |first3=Lucy |last4=Cordon |first4=Ingrid |last5=Goodman |first5=Gail S |last6=Barnett |first6=D|quote=The authors...argue for the appropriateness of the term 'abuse' and for scientific terminology that reflects, rather than contradicts, consensual public morality. }}</ref><ref name="McNally">{{cite journal | last = McNally | first = RJ | year = 2003 | title = Progress and controversy in the study of posttraumatic stress disorder | pmid = 12172002 | journal = ] | volume = 54 | issue = 1 | pages = 229–252 | doi = 10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145112 | url = http://www.subjectpool.com/ed_teach/y4person/4_ant_bpd/McNally_AnnRev_%282003%29_PTSD.pdf | access-date = 21 September 2009 | archive-date = 16 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110716160634/http://www.subjectpool.com/ed_teach/y4person/4_ant_bpd/McNally_AnnRev_(2003)_PTSD.pdf | url-status = usurped }}</ref> The reactions of victims in their adult lives have been found to be extremely varied, ranging from severe to nearly unnoticeable, and many pathologies are not diagnosable in the strictly clinical sense Rind uses. Victims often have a flawed or distorted appraisal of their abuse, minimize the impact as adults often do with traumatic events, and fail to connect distressing and sometimes debilitating pathologies with their experiences. Further, these studies make no accounting for emotional support of the victim's family, clinical treatment of the victim prior to the study, or personal resiliency, which can easily account for less severe outcomes.<ref name="McCoy"/><ref name="Ondersma" /><ref name=Salter/> | |||
===Possible bias=== | |||
Rind, et al. have responded by claiming that the convention of using only legal and clinical samples (that is, individuals who are receiving psychological treatment or who are engaged in legal proceedings) represents a bias on the part of prior researchers—a bias which they believe they are remedying through their use of non-clinical samples (like college samples).<ref>Rind, B., Bauserman, R. & Tromovitch, P. (2001, July/August). "The Condemned Meta-Analysis on Child Sexual Abuse; Good Science and Long-Overdue Skepticism". Skeptical Inquirer, 68-72.</ref> | |||
Rind, Bauserman and Tromovitch stated that research findings can be skewed by an investigator's personal biases, and in Rind ''et al''. claimed that "eviewers who are convinced that CSA is a major cause of adult psychopathology may fall prey to ] by noting and describing study findings indicating harmful effects but ignoring or paying less attention to findings indicating nonnegative outcomes". They defended their deliberate choice of non-legal and non-clinical samples, accordingly avoiding individuals who received psychological treatment or were engaged in legal proceedings as a way of correcting this bias through the use of a sample of college students.<ref>{{cite journal | url = https://skepticalinquirer.org/2001/07/the_condemned_meta_analysis_on_child_sexual_abuse/ | last1= Rind | first1= B |author2= Bauserman R; Tromovitch P | year = 2001 | title = The condemned meta-analysis on child sexual abuse; Good science and long-overdue skepticism | journal = ] |volume=25 |number=4 | pages = 68–72 }}</ref> | |||
Dallam and Anna Salter have stated that Rind and Bauserman have associated with age of consent reform organizations in the past. In the years before the paper was written, both Rind and Bauserman had published articles in ''Paidika: The Journal of Paedophilia'', a journal which was dedicated to " that pedophilia has been, and remains, a legitimate and productive part of the totality of human experience".<ref name=Salter>{{Cite book | last = Salter | first = Anna | title = Predators: pedophiles, rapists, and other sex offenders | pages = 62–65 | year = 2018 | publisher = ] | location = New York | isbn = 978-1-541-67382-3 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PStcDwAAQBAJ&q=Salter%20Predators&pg=PT91 }}</ref> In addition, Dallam and Salter stated that Rind and Bauserman were keynote speakers at a pedophile advocacy conference occurring in the Netherlands.<ref name = Salter/> | |||
==Subsequent research and modern conclusions== | |||
==Citation outside of scholarly discussions== | |||
The ] (APA) maintains that "children cannot consent to sexual activity with adults". And many studies from both before and after Rind et al.'s publication have supported this stance and found results directly contradicting Rind's conclusions.<ref name=Ondersma/><ref name=McNally/><ref>{{cite journal |author=Kendler KS, Bulik CM, Silberg J, Hettema JM, Myers J, Prescott CA |title=Childhood sexual abuse and adult psychiatric and substance use disorders in women: an epidemiological and cotwin control analysis |journal=Arch. Gen. Psychiatry |volume=57 |issue=10 |pages=953–9 |year=2000 |month=October |pmid=11015813 |doi= 10.1001/archpsyc.57.10.953|url=http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=11015813 |accessdate=2008-08-08}}</ref> | |||
Despite the authors' comments that the findings of the paper "do not imply that moral or legal definitions of or views on behaviors currently classified as CSA" should be changed,<ref name = Rindetal/> the study caught the attention of, and was used by, ].<ref name="spiegel" /><ref name=Ondersma/> It has been used to argue that the ] should be lowered.<ref name= Dallam2001>{{Cite journal | last1= Dallam | first1= SJ |display-authors=etal | title = The effects of child sexual abuse: Comment on Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998) | journal = ] | volume = 127 | issue = 6 | pages = 715–33 | year = 2001 | doi = 10.1037/0033-2909.127.6.715 | issn = 0033-2909 | pmid = 11726068 | url = http://digilib.bc.edu/reserves/sc563/mcgu/sc56311.pdf }}</ref> | |||
] ] noted several groups who reacted negatively to the study. The anti-homosexuality group ] (NARTH), who " the long-discredited psychoanalytic notion that homosexuality is a mental disorder and that it is a result of seduction in childhood by an adult",<ref name = Tavris/> objected to the study's implications that boys who are sexually abused are not traumatized for life and do not become homosexuals as a result. Therapists who supported the existence of ] and ], as well as those who attributed mental illnesses such as ], ] and ]s to repressed memories of sexual abuse also rejected the study. Tavris attributed this rejection to the fear of ] lawsuits. Tavris expressed her belief that the study could have been interpreted positively as an example of ] in the face of adversity, and noted that CSA causing little or no harm in some individuals is not an endorsement of the act, nor does it make it any less illegal.<ref name = Tavris/> | |||
Critics have pointed out that Rind's model of "assumed properties of child sexual abuse," (that is, of universal and pervasive harm in all victims of CSA) is a ] assertion, in that it is both simplistic and misleading.<ref name=Ondersma>{{cite journal |author=Ondersma SJ, Chaffin M, Berliner L, Cordon I, Goodman GS, Barnett D |title=Sex with children is abuse: Comment on Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998) |journal=Psychol Bull |volume=127 |issue=6 |pages=707–14 |year=2001 |month=November |pmid=11726067 |doi= 10.1037/0033-2909.127.6.707|url=http://content.apa.org/journals/bul/127/6/707 |accessdate=2008-08-08}}</ref><ref name=McNally>McNally, Richard J. (2003). "Progress and controversy in the study of posttraumatic stress disorder," ''Annual Review of Psychology'', 54, 229-252</ref> The reactions of victims in their adult lives have been found to be extremely varied, ranging from severe to nearly unnoticeable, and many pathologies are not diagnosable in the strictly clinical sense Rind uses.<ref name=Ondersma/> Victims often have a flawed or distorted appraisal of their abuse, and fail to connect distressing and sometimes debilitating pathologies with their experiences. Further, these studies make no accounting for emotional support of the victim's family, clinical treatment of the victim prior to the study, or personal resiliency, which can easily account for less severe outcomes.<ref name=Ondersma/> | |||
==Subsequent research and legacy== | |||
Numerous research studies as well as expert opinion in the field of psychology, both before and after Rind ''et al'''s publications, have long supported the stance that children cannot consent to sexual activity and that child and adolescent sexual abuse cause harm.<ref name=Dallam2001/><ref name=Dallam/><ref name=Salter/> The then-American Psychological Association CEO Raymond D. Fowler succinctly reiterated the prevailing view in a 1999 letter to Congressman Delay "that children cannot consent to sexual activity with adults," and "sexual activity between children and adults should never be considered or labeled as harmless or acceptable".<ref name="Ondersma" /><ref name="delay">{{cite press release |title=American Psychological Association Letter to the Honorable Rep. DeLay (R-Tx) Office of the Majority Whip, U.S House of Representatives |publisher=] |date=June 9, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991010055703/http://www.apa.org/releases/delay.html |archive-date=10 October 1999 | url=http://www.apa.org/releases/delay.html |access-date=8 March 2009 |quote = concerns have been raised that the aforementioned article...could be viewed as support for pedophilia and used by pedophiles as a legal defense. There is no defense for pedophilia; it is always wrong.}}</ref><ref name=Grover>{{cite journal|last=Grover|first=Sonja|title=On Power Differentials and Children's Rights: A Dissonance Interpretation of the Rind and Associates (1998) Study on Child Sexual Abuse|journal=] | date=2003-01-01 |volume=5|issue=1|pages=21–33|url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/springer/ehss/2003/00000005/00000001/art00003|access-date=2 February 2012|issn=1523-150X| lccn = sn98001429 |quote= All CSA is inherently abusive and exploitative due to the minor's inability to give informed consent, even where the victim perceives the contact to be consensual and reports no psychological harm.}}</ref><ref name="Holmes">{{cite journal | last1= Holmes | first1= WC |author2= Slap, GB | title = Sexual abuse of boys: definition, prevalence, correlates, sequelae, and management | journal = ] | pmid = 9846781 | volume = 280 | issue = 21 |date=December 1998 | pages = 1855–1862 | doi = 10.1001/jama.280.21.1855 | s2cid= 15540314 |quote=Given the evidence of numerous adverse clinical outcomes following sexual abuse, the positive and neutral perceptions of many male sexual abuse victims are perplexing. The experience of physical pleasure may complicate reactions after abuse.}}</ref> | |||
A study by Heather Ulrich and two colleagues published in The '']'' attempted to replicate the Rind study, correcting for methodological and statistical problems identified by Dallam and others. It supported some of the Rind findings, both with respect to the percentage of variance in later psychological outcome accounted for by sexual abuse and in relation to the finding that there was a gender difference in the experience of child sexual abuse, such that females reported more negative effects. It, however, acknowledged the limitations of the findings (college student sample, ]), and did not endorse Rind's recommendation to abandon the use of the term ''child sexual abuse'' in cases of apparent consent in favor of the term ''adult-child sex.'' In their conclusion, the authors address the objection that Rind's work and their own would give support to those who deny that child sexual abuse can cause harm: "The authors of the current research would hesitate to support such a general statement. Instead, our results, and the results of the Rind ''et al''. meta-analysis, can be interpreted as providing a hopeful and positive message to therapists, parents, and children. Child sexual abuse does not necessarily lead to long-term harm."<ref>{{cite journal | url = http://www.srmhp.org/0402/child-abuse.html | title = Child Sexual Abuse: A Replication of the Meta-analytic Examination of Child Sexual Abuse by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998)| date = June 2005 | volume = 4 | issue = 2 | last1= Ulrich | first1= Heather |author2= Randolph Mickey, Acheson Shawn | journal = ] }}</ref> | |||
There has been greater emphasis in subsequent work on the range of responses that are possible from victims. For example, a few studies make reference to the paper's findings about "consensual" encounters, but approach it from the opposite direction (i.e., that the use of force causes more intense negative outcomes).<ref name=Senn>{{Cite journal | last1 = Senn | first1 = TE | last2 = Carey | first2 = MP | last3 = Vanable | first3 = PA | last4 = Coury-Doniger | first4 = P | last5 = Urban | first5 = M | title = Characteristics of Sexual Abuse in Childhood and Adolescence Influence Sexual Risk Behavior in Adulthood | journal = ] | volume = 36 | issue = 5 | pages = 637–45 |date=Oct 2007 | doi = 10.1007/s10508-006-9109-4 | pmid = 17192833 | pmc = 2042031 }}</ref> Heather Ulrich, author of the aforementioned replication of the meta-analysis, later drew on the findings to study the reasons for the variability in outcomes of CSA victims, such as attributional style (individual's causal explanations for why the abuse occurred), family environment, and social support.<ref>{{cite web | last = Ulrich | first = Heather | title = Examining the variability in the long term adjustment of child sexual abuse victims | url = http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-09202007-123302/unrestricted/umi-umt-1028.pdf | publisher = University of Montana | date = June 9, 2007 | access-date = 14 July 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111007165739/http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-09202007-123302/unrestricted/umi-umt-1028.pdf | archive-date = 7 October 2011 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
==Footnotes== | ==Footnotes== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
{{Sexual abuse|state=autocollapse}} | |||
{{Pedophilia|state=autocollapse}} | |||
== References == | |||
* Lilienfeld, S.O. (2002). "". ''American Psychologist'', '''57'''(3), 177-187. | |||
* Rind, B., Bauserman, R. & Tromovitch, P. (2001, July/August). "The Condemned Meta-Analysis on Child Sexual Abuse; Good Science and Long-Overdue Skepticism". ''Skeptical Inquirer'', 68-72. | |||
* Rind, B. & Tromovitch, P. (1997). "". ''Journal of Sex Research'', '''34''', 237-255. | |||
* Rind, B., Tromovitch, P. & Bauserman, R. (1998). "A Meta-analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples". ''Psychological Bulletin'', '''124'''(1), 22-53'' | |||
* Rind, B., Tromovitch, P., & Bauserman, R. (2001). "The Validity and Appropriateness of Methods, Analyses, and Conclusions". ''Psychological Bulletin'', '''127''', 734-758. | |||
* Rind, B., Tromovitch, P., & Bauserman, R. (1999) " The Clash of Media, Politics, and Sexual Science: An examination of the controversy surrounding the Psychological Bulletin meta-analysis on the assumed properties of child sexual abuse". | |||
==External links== | |||
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Latest revision as of 22:17, 1 December 2024
The Rind et al. controversy was a debate in the scientific literature, public media, and government legislatures in the United States regarding a 1998 peer reviewed meta-analysis of the self-reported harm caused by child sexual abuse (CSA). The debate resulted in the unprecedented condemnation of the paper by both chambers of the United States Congress. The social science research community was concerned that the condemnation by government legislatures might have a chilling effect on the future publication of controversial research results.
The study's lead author is the psychologist Bruce Rind; it expanded on a 1997 meta-analysis for which Rind is also the lead author. The authors stated their goal was to determine whether CSA caused pervasive, significant psychological harm for both males and females, controversially concluding that the harm caused by child sexual abuse was not necessarily intense or pervasive, that the prevailing construct of CSA was not scientifically valid, as it failed empirical verification, and that the psychological damage caused by the abusive encounters depends on other factors, such as the degree of coercion or force involved. The authors concluded that even though CSA may not result in lifelong, significant harm to all victims, this does not mean it is not morally wrong and indicated that their findings did not imply current moral and legal prohibitions against CSA should be changed.
The Rind et al. study has been criticized by many scientists and researchers, on the grounds that its methodology and conclusions are poorly designed and statistically flawed. Its definition of harm, for example, has been the subject of debate, as it only examined self-reported long-term psychological effects in young adults, whereas harm can have several forms, including short-term or medical harm (for example, sexually transmitted infections or injuries), a likelihood of revictimization, and the amount of time the victim spent attending therapy for the abuse. Numerous studies and professional clinical experience in the field of psychology, both before and after Rind et al.'s publications, have long borne out that children cannot consent to sexual activity and that child and adolescent sexual abuse cause harm. Psychologist Anna Salter comments that Rind et al.'s results are "truly an outlier" compared to other meta-analyses.
A later CSA study by Heather Ulrich and two colleagues, published in The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, attempted to replicate the Rind study, correcting for methodological and statistical problems identified by Dallam and others, and it ultimately supported some of the Rind findings but also acknowledged the limitations of the findings, and, ultimately did not endorse Rind's recommendation to abandon the use of the term child sexual abuse in cases of apparent consent in favor of the term adult-child sex.
The Rind paper has been quoted by people and organizations advocating age of consent reform, pedophile or pederasty groups, in support of their efforts to change attitudes towards pedophilia and to decriminalize sexual activity between adults and minors (children or adolescents).
Studies and findings
In 1997, psychology professor Bruce Rind of Temple University and doctoral student Philip Tromovitch of the University of Pennsylvania published "A meta-analytic review of findings from national samples on psychological correlates of child sexual abuse", a literature review in The Journal of Sex Research of seven studies regarding adjustment problems of victims of child sexual abuse (CSA). To avoid the sampling bias that, they argued, existed in most studies of CSA (which drew from samples mostly in the mental health or legal systems and thus were, as a sample, unlike the population as a whole), the 1997 study combined data from studies using only national samples of individuals expected to be more representative of the population of child sexual abuse victims. This study examined 10 independent samples designed to be nationally representative, based on data from more than 8,500 participants. Four of the studies came from the United States, and one each came from Great Britain, Canada, and Spain.
Based on the results, they concluded that the general consensus associating CSA with intense, pervasive harm and long-term maladjustment was incorrect. In 1998, Rind, Tromovitch and Robert Bauserman (then a professor at the University of Michigan) published "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples", a meta-analysis in the Psychological Bulletin of 59 studies (36 published studies, 21 unpublished doctoral dissertations, and 2 unpublished master's theses) with an aggregate sample size of 35,703 college students (13,704 men and 21,999 women).
In most of the 59 studies, CSA was defined by the authors based on legal and "moral" criteria— integrating the sometimes disparate and conflicting definitions, CSA was defined as "a sexual interaction involving either physical contact or no contact (e.g., exhibitionism) between either a child or adolescent and someone significantly older, or between two peers who are children or adolescents when coercion is used." "Child" was sometimes defined, not biologically, but as underaged or as a minor under the legal age of consent. All these studies were included in the meta-analysis because many CSA researchers, as well as lay persons, view all types of socio-legally defined CSA as morally and/or psychologically harmful. When this research, the U.S. Congress, and the APA refer to CSA and "children" in the context of sexual relations with adults, they are not only referring to biological (prepubescent) children, but to adolescents under the age of consent as well; this age varies between 16 and 18 years old in the U.S.
The results of the meta-analysis indicated that college students who had experienced CSA were slightly less well-adjusted compared to other students who had not experienced CSA, but that family environment was a significant confound that may be responsible for the association between CSA and harm. Intense, pervasive harm and long-term maladjustment were due to confounding variables in most studies, rather than to the sexual abuse itself (though exceptions were noted for abuse accompanied by force or incest). Both studies addressed four "assumed properties" of CSA, identified by the authors: gender equivalence (both genders affected equally), causality (CSA causes harm), pervasiveness (most victims of CSA are harmed) and intensity (the harm is normally significant and long-term), concluding that all four "assumed properties" were questionable and had several potential confounds.
Based on the closely mirrored results of both studies, Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman questioned the scientific validity of a single term "child sexual abuse" and suggested a variety of different labels for sexual contact between adults and non-adults based on age and the degree to which the child was forced or coerced into participating. They concluded with a discussion of the legal and moral implications of the article, stating that the "wrongfulness" and "harmfulness" of sexual acts are not inherently linked, and finished with the statement:
the findings of the current review do not imply that moral or legal definitions of or views on behaviors currently classified as CSA should be abandoned or even altered. The current findings are relevant to moral and legal positions only to the extent that these positions are based on the presumption of psychological harm.
— Rind et al. (1998) p. 47
Controversies
The first set of peer reviewers for Psychological Bulletin had rejected the paper, with the authors being told not to submit it again, as it was considered too flawed. The authors did try again, following a change of editors at the journal; this time, only one reviewer turned it down. None of the other reviewers came forward, and it is still unclear who, if anybody, recommended it for publication.
The paper was published by the American Psychological Association (APA) in July 1998, in Psychological Bulletin. Strong reactions ultimately resulted, from both psychologists and psychiatrists who study sexual abuse and treat victims, and from social conservatives and later, from most of the US Congress.
Scholars familiar with the literature on sexual abuse, as well as experts in the field, found the study's conclusions surprising.
Initial reactions
The first substantial public reaction was a December 1998 criticism by the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality, an organization dedicated to the discredited view that homosexuality is a mental illness that can be cured by psychotherapy.
In March 1999, conservative talk show host Laura Schlessinger criticized the study as "junk science" and stated that, since its conclusions were contrary to conventional wisdom, its findings should never have been released. She criticized the study's use of meta-analysis, saying. "I frankly have never seen this in general science. ... This is so outrageous." "This was not a study. They didn’t do a study. They arbitrarily found 59 studies that other people had done combined them all."
Shortly thereafter, the North American Man/Boy Love Association posted an approving review of the study on their website, furthering the impression that the piece was an endorsement of pedophilia.
Government
The paper eventually provoked a reaction from several conservative American members of Congress, notably the Republican representatives Matt Salmon of Arizona and Tom DeLay of Texas, who both condemned the study as advocating for the normalization of pedophilia.
In response, the APA declared in a press statement that child sexual abuse is harmful and wrong, and that the study was in no way an endorsement of pedophilia. The APA mandated a policy change by which APA journal editors would alert the organization of potentially controversial topics in order to be more proactive with politicians, the media and other groups. In an internal organization email, APA Executive Vice-President Raymond D. Fowler stated that, because of the controversy, the article's methodology, analysis and the process by which it had been approved for publication were reviewed and found to be sound. In June 1999, Fowler announced in an open letter to DeLay that there would be an independent review of the paper and stated that, from a public policy perspective, some language used in the article was inflammatory and inconsistent with the position of the APA's stance on CSA. The APA also implemented a series of actions designed to prevent the study from being used in legal arguments to defend CSA, and stated an independent review would be undertaken of the scientific accuracy and validity of the report. The request for an outside review of a controversial report by an independent scientific association was unprecedented in APA's 107-year history.
In April 1999, a resolution was introduced in the Alaska Legislature condemning the article, with similar resolutions introduced in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania over the subsequent two months. Some of these states' psychological associations reacted by asking the APA to take action.
On July 12, 1999, the United States House of Representatives passed HRC resolution 107 by a vote of 355-0, with 13 members voting "Present", declaring sexual relations between children and adults are abusive and harmful, and condemned the study on the basis that it was being used by pro-pedophilia activists and organizations to promote and justify child sexual abuse. The condemnation by Congress of a scientific study was, at that time, an unprecedented event. The resolution passed the Senate by a voice vote (100-0) on July 30, 1999 and was greeted among psychologists with concern due to the perceived chilling effect it might have among researchers. Representative Brian Baird, who has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and was one of the 13 Congressmen to abstain from the condemnation of the study, stated that of the 535 members of the House and Senate, fewer than 10 had actually read the study, and even fewer were qualified to evaluate it based on its merit.
Independent review
In September 1999, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), upon a request by the APA to independently review the article, stated that it saw no reason to second-guess the peer review process that approved it initially and that it saw no evidence of improper methodology or questionable practices by the authors. The AAAS also expressed concern that the materials reviewed demonstrated a grave lack of understanding of the study on the part of the media and politicians and were also concerned about the misrepresentation of its findings. The AAAS stated that the responsibility for discovering problems with the article lay with the initial peer reviewers, and declined to evaluate the article, concluding with a statement that the decision to not review the article was neither an endorsement nor a criticism of it.
APA new position
In August 2000, the APA drafted and adopted a position statement in response to the Rind et al. controversy that opposed any efforts to censor controversial or surprising research findings, and asserting that researchers must be free to investigate and report findings, as long as the research has been conducted within appropriate ethical and research standards.
Academic criticism and response
A series of 2001 papers published in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse discussed and criticized the findings of the Rind et al. study. Stephanie Dallam stated that, after reviewing the evidence, the paper was best described as "an advocacy article that inappropriately uses science in an attempt to legitimatize its findings". Four other researchers also discussed possible flaws in the methodology and generalizability of Rind's findings, and concluded the paper's results were scientifically invalid. The criticisms were co-published in the 2001 book Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors. In 2002, a rebuttal to many of the claims made by critics was submitted to the APA journal, the American Psychologist by Scott Lilienfeld. After passing a normal peer review, the editor of the journal re-submitted the article in secret and, on the basis of this second review, the paper was rejected. Lilienfeld reported this subsequent rejection on several psychology Internet fora, which produced an intense response and resulted in the APA and American Psychologist ultimately printing the article as part of a special issue focusing on the controversy.
Possible sample bias
The paper has been criticized for restricting its analysis to convenience samples of college students, possibly introducing systematic bias by excluding victims so traumatized that they did not go on to attend college. Another possibility was that Rind et al.'s conclusions may not be generalizable beyond college populations in general as individuals with a history of CSA were more likely than non-abused individuals to drop out of college after a single semester.
Rind, Bauserman and Tromovitch responded to this criticism by saying that "the representativeness of college samples is in fact irrelevant to the stated goals and conclusions of our study" since the purpose of their research was "to examine the validity of the clinical concept" of CSA. They added that according to the commonly understood definition of the term, child sexual abuse is extremely and pervasively harmful, meaning that "in any population sampled - drug addicts, psychiatric patients, or college students - persons who have experienced CSA should show strong evidence of the assumed properties of CSA." The authors of the study say that because the college sample did not show pervasive harm, "the broad and unqualified claims about the properties of CSA are contradicted". Rind et al. also said that using college samples was appropriate because their study found similar prevalence rates and experiences of severity and outcomes between college samples and national samples.
Non-standardization of variables
Dallam et al. said that Rind et al. did not standardize their definition of child sexual abuse, leaving out certain studies that were appropriate, and including studies that were inappropriate. That is, they allege that Rind et al. uncritically combined data from studies of CSA with data from studies looking at other phenomena such as consensual peer experiences, sexual experiences that occurred during adulthood, and homosexual approaches during adolescence.
Rind, et al. have also responded to this criticism, defending the appropriateness of including all five of the studies (Landis, 1956; Schultz and Jones, 1983; Sedney and Brooks, 1984; Greenwald, 1994; and Sarbo, 1985) specifically identified by Dallam et al. as inappropriate to a study about child sexual abuse.
Dallam et al. said that the first three studies focused on all types of child sexual activity, not just child sexual abuse. Rind et al. reject this criticism. In regard to the Landis study, Rind et al. note that it has been used by many other sex researchers (e.g., Finkelhor, Fishman, Fromuth & Burkhart, Sarbo, and others) as an example of an early study about child sexual abuse. In regard to the Shultz and Jones study, Rind et al. concede that the study "looked at all types of 'sexual acts' before age 12," but explained that the respondents in the study were all asked "if their experience was with a person over the age of 16," thus allowing Rind et al. to include only the relationships that were age-discrepant. In regard to the Sedney and Brooks study, Rind et al. admit that the study used a broad definition of child sexual abuse, but explain that the researchers themselves chose to use such a definition "because of the difficulty posed by a priori decisions about what type of sexual experiences are 'problems.'"
Similarly, psychiatrist David Spiegel said that the inclusion of Landis' 1956 study was unjustified. He argued that, while weighting larger studies more than smaller makes sense, combining the results of a large study examining very mild trauma (such as fending off an attacker) with studies of long-term physical and sexual abuse was inappropriate and led to erroneous conclusions. Rind et al. replied that Spiegel misrepresented their analysis, since they did not use Landis' study in the meta-analysis of childhood sexual abuse – symptom correlations, but only for examining the self-reported effects of CSA. They contend that the way they handled Landis' data maximized negative reports and minimized the possible deflating effect of Landis' data on the overall effect sizes.
The last two studies, according to Dallam et al., were inappropriate because they included respondents who were over the age of 17 when the CSA occurred. Persons 18 years old or older are above the legal age of consent in all states of the USA, and thus are not "children" even in the loosest definition of the term. Rind et al. responded to Dallam et al. by saying that, in the effect-size calculations of the Sarbo and Greenwald studies (i.e., the calculations that show the alleged harmfulness of CSA), they had included only respondents aged 16 and 15 and under, respectively, at the time of the CSA and all CSA incidents included in Sarbo's and Greenwald's original analysis occurred before the age of 17.
Measured variables
Spiegel criticized that Rind et al. included a long list of measured variables in order to appear comprehensive, but remarkably omitted posttraumatic stress disorder - "the most salient symptom" - from their analysis. Rind et al. replied that including PTSD was impossible due to the fact that the original studies did not examine it. Furthermore, they cited Kendall-Tackett et al. to illustrate the lack of a common pattern of symptoms in children who have been abused.
Consent
David Spiegel also argued that Rind et al.'s suggestion of relabeling some forms of sexual encounters between adults and children/adolescents as adult-child (or adult-adolescent) sex is fundamentally flawed, because children cannot give meaningful consent to sexual relations with an adult. Some critics also argued that using value-neutral terminology would normalize CSA and that redefining terminology is not in the interest of the general public because it confuses the underlying moral issues. Rind et al. replied that the construct of consent used in their study was misinterpreted by critics; they only asserted that children/adolescents are capable of simple consent (willingness) as opposed to informed consent used in legal contexts, and used this as a variable in their study simply because it was used in the original studies - where it had predictive validity. Thus, they conclude that although the construct of willingness might be morally unacceptable, it is a scientifically valid term. A similar argument was put forward by Oellerich, who stated that considering all adult/non-adult sexual behavior as abusive and lacking consent can lead to bias in scientific research in the area, and that recognizing this distinction does not necessarily lead to considering adult/non-adult sexual interactions as morally permissible.
Statistical errors
Dallam et al. also contend that Rind et al. miscoded or misreported significant amounts of the underlying study data, thereby skewing the results. Dallam et al. contend that Rind et al. incorrectly used "Pearson's r" instead of "Cohen's d" to calculate the effect size, which resulted in a failure to correct for base-rate differences of CSA in male and female samples, and which led to the finding that males were less harmed by CSA. After correcting for base-rate attenuation, Dallam et al. said they arrived at identical effect sizes for male and female samples.
In response to this criticism, Rind et al. contend that they did indeed describe the contrast between the effect size estimates as "nonsignificant, z = 1.42, p > .10, two-tailed". However, they argue, "What did report as significantly different was the contrast between male and female effect size estimates for the all-types-of-consent groups, where rus = .04 and .11, respectively. In "follow Dallam et al. (2001) apply Becker's correction formula to these values, they become rcs = .06 and .12 for men and women, respectively. The contrast is still statistically significant (z = 2.68, p < .01. two-tailed), contrary to Dallam et al.'s (2001) claim".
Rind et al. said that their own "handling of Pearson's r in the face of base-rate differences was methodologically proper and produced no important bias, if any at all." Furthermore, they contend that Dallam's criticisms "exhibited bias ... selectively ignoring key clarifying quotes ... and citing them elsewhere in their critique to argue different points, and ignoring or overlooking a key caveat by Becker (1986) regarding appropriate use of his correction formula".
Critics also argued that Rind et al.'s statistical approach for controlling for family environment as a cause of maladjustment was conceptually and methodologically invalid. Spiegel stated that inferring the source of maladjustment from analyzing the shared variance between CSA and family environment does not answer the question of which variable explains maladjustment better; the authors answered that this statement shows a misunderstanding of the statistical procedure used their meta-analysis. Dallam, however, addressed the topic of several prior studies having found statistically significant relations between CSA and maladjustment even after controlling for family environment.
Conceptual issues
Rind et al.'s model of "assumed properties of child sexual abuse," (that is, of universal and pervasive harm in all victims of CSA) has been criticized as a straw man assertion in that it is both simplistic and misleading. The reactions of victims in their adult lives have been found to be extremely varied, ranging from severe to nearly unnoticeable, and many pathologies are not diagnosable in the strictly clinical sense Rind uses. Victims often have a flawed or distorted appraisal of their abuse, minimize the impact as adults often do with traumatic events, and fail to connect distressing and sometimes debilitating pathologies with their experiences. Further, these studies make no accounting for emotional support of the victim's family, clinical treatment of the victim prior to the study, or personal resiliency, which can easily account for less severe outcomes.
Possible bias
Rind, Bauserman and Tromovitch stated that research findings can be skewed by an investigator's personal biases, and in Rind et al. claimed that "eviewers who are convinced that CSA is a major cause of adult psychopathology may fall prey to confirmation bias by noting and describing study findings indicating harmful effects but ignoring or paying less attention to findings indicating nonnegative outcomes". They defended their deliberate choice of non-legal and non-clinical samples, accordingly avoiding individuals who received psychological treatment or were engaged in legal proceedings as a way of correcting this bias through the use of a sample of college students.
Dallam and Anna Salter have stated that Rind and Bauserman have associated with age of consent reform organizations in the past. In the years before the paper was written, both Rind and Bauserman had published articles in Paidika: The Journal of Paedophilia, a journal which was dedicated to " that pedophilia has been, and remains, a legitimate and productive part of the totality of human experience". In addition, Dallam and Salter stated that Rind and Bauserman were keynote speakers at a pedophile advocacy conference occurring in the Netherlands.
Citation outside of scholarly discussions
Despite the authors' comments that the findings of the paper "do not imply that moral or legal definitions of or views on behaviors currently classified as CSA" should be changed, the study caught the attention of, and was used by, advocates for pedophilia. It has been used to argue that the age of consent should be lowered.
Social psychologist Carol Tavris noted several groups who reacted negatively to the study. The anti-homosexuality group National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), who " the long-discredited psychoanalytic notion that homosexuality is a mental disorder and that it is a result of seduction in childhood by an adult", objected to the study's implications that boys who are sexually abused are not traumatized for life and do not become homosexuals as a result. Therapists who supported the existence of recovered memories and recovered-memory therapy, as well as those who attributed mental illnesses such as dissociative identity disorder, depression and eating disorders to repressed memories of sexual abuse also rejected the study. Tavris attributed this rejection to the fear of malpractice lawsuits. Tavris expressed her belief that the study could have been interpreted positively as an example of psychological resilience in the face of adversity, and noted that CSA causing little or no harm in some individuals is not an endorsement of the act, nor does it make it any less illegal.
Subsequent research and legacy
Numerous research studies as well as expert opinion in the field of psychology, both before and after Rind et al's publications, have long supported the stance that children cannot consent to sexual activity and that child and adolescent sexual abuse cause harm. The then-American Psychological Association CEO Raymond D. Fowler succinctly reiterated the prevailing view in a 1999 letter to Congressman Delay "that children cannot consent to sexual activity with adults," and "sexual activity between children and adults should never be considered or labeled as harmless or acceptable".
A study by Heather Ulrich and two colleagues published in The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice attempted to replicate the Rind study, correcting for methodological and statistical problems identified by Dallam and others. It supported some of the Rind findings, both with respect to the percentage of variance in later psychological outcome accounted for by sexual abuse and in relation to the finding that there was a gender difference in the experience of child sexual abuse, such that females reported more negative effects. It, however, acknowledged the limitations of the findings (college student sample, self-report data), and did not endorse Rind's recommendation to abandon the use of the term child sexual abuse in cases of apparent consent in favor of the term adult-child sex. In their conclusion, the authors address the objection that Rind's work and their own would give support to those who deny that child sexual abuse can cause harm: "The authors of the current research would hesitate to support such a general statement. Instead, our results, and the results of the Rind et al. meta-analysis, can be interpreted as providing a hopeful and positive message to therapists, parents, and children. Child sexual abuse does not necessarily lead to long-term harm."
There has been greater emphasis in subsequent work on the range of responses that are possible from victims. For example, a few studies make reference to the paper's findings about "consensual" encounters, but approach it from the opposite direction (i.e., that the use of force causes more intense negative outcomes). Heather Ulrich, author of the aforementioned replication of the meta-analysis, later drew on the findings to study the reasons for the variability in outcomes of CSA victims, such as attributional style (individual's causal explanations for why the abuse occurred), family environment, and social support.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Rind, Bruce; Tromovitch, Philip; Bauserman, Robert (1998). "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples" (PDF). Psychological Bulletin. 124 (1): 22–53. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.124.1.22. PMID 9670820. S2CID 16123776. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Rind, Bruce; Tromovitch, Philip (1997). "A meta-analytic review of findings from national samples on psychological correlates of child sexual abuse". The Journal of Sex Research. 34 (3): 237–255. doi:10.1080/00224499709551891. JSTOR 3813384.
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- ^ Dallam, SJ (2001). "Science or Propaganda? An Examination of Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman". Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. 9 (3/4): 109–134. doi:10.1300/J070v09n03_06. PMID 17521993. S2CID 24496737.
- Co-published as a book chapter in Dallam SJ (2001). "Science or Propaganda? An Examination of Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman". In Whitfield CL; Silberg JL; Fink PJ (eds.). Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors. Routledge. pp. 109–134. ISBN 978-0-7890-1901-1.
- ^ Salter, Anna (2018). Predators: pedophiles, rapists, and other sex offenders. New York: Basic Books. pp. 62–65. ISBN 978-1-541-67382-3.
- ^ Spiegel, Josef (2003). Sexual Abuse of Males: The Sam Model of Theory and Practice. Abingdon, England: Routledge. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-56032-403-4.
- ^ Ondersma, S.J.; Chaffin, Mark; Berliner, Lucy; Cordon, Ingrid; Goodman, Gail S; Barnett, D (November 2001). "Sex with children is abuse: Comment on Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998)". Psychological Bulletin. 127 (6): 707–714. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.127.6.707. PMID 11726067.
The authors...argue for the appropriateness of the term 'abuse' and for scientific terminology that reflects, rather than contradicts, consensual public morality.
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{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Tavris, Carol (2000). "The uproar over sexual abuse research and its findings". Society. 37 (4): 15–17. doi:10.1007/BF02912285. S2CID 142996567.
- Schlessinger, L. (1999 March 23) The Dr. Laura show Los Angeles, CA: Premiere Radio Networks.
- ^ Lilienfeld, SO (2002). "When Worlds Collide: Social Science, Politics and the Rind et al. (1998) Child Abuse Meta-Analysis" (PDF). The American Psychologist. 57 (3): 177–187. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.57.3.176. PMID 11905116. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2003.
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concerns have been raised that the aforementioned article...could be viewed as support for pedophilia and used by pedophiles as a legal defense. There is no defense for pedophilia; it is always wrong.
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- ^ Baird, B. N. (2002). "Politics, operant conditioning, Galileo, and the American Psychological Association's response to Rind et al. (1998)". The American Psychologist. 57 (3): 189–192. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.57.3.189. PMID 11905117.
- United States Congress (1999). "Whereas no segment of our society is more critical to the future of human survival than our children" (PDF). 106th Congress, Resolution 107.
- ^ Rind, B (2006). "Meta Analysis, Moral Panic, Congressional Condemnation, and Science: A Personal Journey". In Rosnow RL; Hantula DA (eds.). Advances in social & organizational psychology: a tribute to Ralph Rosnow. Psychology Press. pp. 163–193. ISBN 978-0-8058-5590-6.
- Tice, PP; Whittenburg JA, Baker G, Lemmey DE. (2000). "The real controversy about child sexual abuse research: Contradictory findings and critical issues not addressed by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman in their 1998 outcomes meta-analysis". Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. 9 (3–4): 157–82. doi:10.1300/J070v09n03_08. PMID 17521995. S2CID 22183946.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)- Co-published as a book chapter in Tice, PP; Whittenburg JA; Baker G; Lemmey DE (2001). "The real controversy about child sexual abuse research: Contradictory findings and critical issues not addressed by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman in their 1998 outcomes meta-analysis". In Whitfield CL; Silberg JL; Fink PJ (eds.). Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors. Routledge. pp. 157–182. ISBN 978-0-7890-1901-1.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Co-published as a book chapter in Tice, PP; Whittenburg JA; Baker G; Lemmey DE (2001). "The real controversy about child sexual abuse research: Contradictory findings and critical issues not addressed by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman in their 1998 outcomes meta-analysis". In Whitfield CL; Silberg JL; Fink PJ (eds.). Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors. Routledge. pp. 157–182. ISBN 978-0-7890-1901-1.
- Whittenburg, JA; Tice PP; Baker G; Lemmey DE (2000). "A critical appraisal of the 1998 meta-analytic review of child sexual abuse outcomes reported by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman". Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. 9 (3–4): 135–55. doi:10.1300/J070v09n03_07. PMID 17521994. S2CID 40602379.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)- Co-published as a book chapter in Whittenburg, JA; Tice PP; Baker G; Lemmey DE (2001). "A critical appraisal of the 1998 meta-analytic review of child sexual abuse outcomes reported by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman". In Whitfield CL; Silberg JL; Fink PJ (eds.). Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors. Routledge. pp. 135–156. ISBN 978-0-7890-1901-1.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Co-published as a book chapter in Whittenburg, JA; Tice PP; Baker G; Lemmey DE (2001). "A critical appraisal of the 1998 meta-analytic review of child sexual abuse outcomes reported by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman". In Whitfield CL; Silberg JL; Fink PJ (eds.). Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors. Routledge. pp. 135–156. ISBN 978-0-7890-1901-1.
- Whitfield, CL; Silberg JL; Fink PJ (2001). Misinformation concerning child sexual abuse and adult survivors. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7890-1901-1.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Albee GW; Newcombe NS; McCarthy R, eds. (2002). "Interactions Among Scientists and Policymakers: Challenges and Opportunities". American Psychologist. 57 (3): 164–227.
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{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Landis, J (1956). "Experiences of 500 children with adult sexual deviation". Psychiatric Quarterly Supplement. 30 (1): 91–109. PMID 13389623.
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- ^ Spiegel, DJ (2000). "The Price of Abusing Children and Numbers". Sexuality & Culture. 4 (2): 63–66. doi:10.1007/s12119-000-1026-4. S2CID 143262393.
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{{cite journal}}
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- Oellerich, Thomas D. (2000). "Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman: Politically Incorrect-Scientifically Correct". Sexuality & Culture. 4 (2): 67–81. doi:10.1007/s12119-000-1027-3. S2CID 62792494.
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{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Grover, Sonja (1 January 2003). "On Power Differentials and Children's Rights: A Dissonance Interpretation of the Rind and Associates (1998) Study on Child Sexual Abuse". Ethical Human Sciences and Services. 5 (1): 21–33. ISSN 1523-150X. LCCN sn98001429. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
All CSA is inherently abusive and exploitative due to the minor's inability to give informed consent, even where the victim perceives the contact to be consensual and reports no psychological harm.
- Holmes, WC; Slap, GB (December 1998). "Sexual abuse of boys: definition, prevalence, correlates, sequelae, and management". Journal of the American Medical Association. 280 (21): 1855–1862. doi:10.1001/jama.280.21.1855. PMID 9846781. S2CID 15540314.
Given the evidence of numerous adverse clinical outcomes following sexual abuse, the positive and neutral perceptions of many male sexual abuse victims are perplexing. The experience of physical pleasure may complicate reactions after abuse.
- Ulrich, Heather; Randolph Mickey, Acheson Shawn (June 2005). "Child Sexual Abuse: A Replication of the Meta-analytic Examination of Child Sexual Abuse by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998)". The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice. 4 (2).
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- Ulrich, Heather (9 June 2007). "Examining the variability in the long term adjustment of child sexual abuse victims" (PDF). University of Montana. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
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