Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29333990›Full record

ReviewTrauma, violence & abuse2019

Child Sexual Abuse: Toward a Conceptual Model and Definition.

Ben Mathews, Delphine Collin-Vézina

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Trauma, violence & abuse, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
68citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

68 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  15. "Not Ideal Uncles": Unveiling Childhood Sexual Victimization and Hidden Identity Struggles of GBTQI+ Youth in Sex Work in Botswana.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2026
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  17. Exploring the Connection Between Substance Use and Mental Health in Brazilian Teens Who Have Experienced Sexual Violence.International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie · 2025
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8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Ben Mathews1 Children's Health Research Program, Faculty of Law, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Delphine Collin-Vézina3 Centre for Research on Children and Families, School of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The problem of defining "child sexual abuse" (CSA), and the need to define this concept, has been recognized by major policy bodies and leading researchers since the 1970s. Recent demands for a more theoretically robust, explicit definition of CSA show this challenge remains urgent. In this article, we identify problems caused by variance in definitions of CSA for five domains: research and knowledge formation, legal frameworks and principles, prevention efforts, policy responses, and the establishment of social norms. We review and analyze definitions used in leading international epidemiological studies, national and international policy documents, social science literature, and legal systems in the United States, Canada, and Australia to demonstrate the continuing use of different concepts of CSA and identify key areas of conceptual disagreement. Informed by our literature review, we use a methodology of conceptual analysis to develop a conceptual model of CSA. The purpose of this model is to propose a more robust, theoretically sound concept of CSA, which clarifies its defining characteristics and distinguishes it from other concepts. Finally, we provide operational examples of the conceptual model to indicate how it would translate to a classificatory framework of typologies of acts and experiences. A sound conceptual model and classificatory system offers the prospect of more appropriate and effective methods of research, response, regulation, and prevention. While total consensus is unattainable, this analysis may assist in developing understanding and advancing more coherent approaches to the conceptual foundation of CSA and its operationalization.

Indexed as

Child Abuse, SexualChildCrime VictimsFemaleHumansMaleResearch Designchild abusesexual abusesexual assault

Identifiers

PMID29333990
PMCPMC6429628

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.