Citation

Barnes R, Josefowitz N. Psychol. Inj. Law 2014; 7(1): 18-33.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12207-014-9185-z

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Many adults reporting childhood or adolescent sexualized assault (CSA) seek remedies through civil proceedings, thus necessitating a forensic assessment to determine the nature and extent of any psychological injuries related to such assault. Such assessments pose challenges, as CSA often occurred years earlier and may have affected not only immediate functioning but also later psychological maturation. The present paper explains how a lifespan developmental analysis can assist such assessments. The concepts of psychological development, attachment, developmental trajectory and risk and resilience can help in evaluating whether and how CSA affected normal psychological development, in determining the influence of risk factors other than CSA and in considering resiliency factors. Risk, resilience and psychological function must be examined in the domains of individual abilities and attributes, relationships and significant life activities both pre- and post-assault. Data on pre-assault risk, resilience and function can be used to estimate a "but for the assault" developmental trajectory that can then be compared to the individual's actual developmental trajectory. This analysis, together with analysis of the severity of CSA, can assist in determining whether and how the CSA that is the basis for civil proceedings contributed to later life psychological injuries.

Language: en