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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Child sexual abuse is a multifaceted issue that negatively affects the lives of millions of children worldwide. These children suffer numerous medical and psychological long-term adverse effects both in childhood and adulthood. It is imperative to implement evidence- based interventions for the investigation of this crime. The use of Child Advocacy Centers and the multidisciplinary team approach may improve the investigation of child sexual abuse.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of Child Advocacy Centers and the multidisciplinary team approach on prosecution rates of alleged sex offenders and satisfaction of non-offending caregivers of children less than 18 years of age, with allegations of child sexual abuse. INCLUSION CRITERIA Â Â : TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS: Children under 18 years, of any race, ethnicity or gender with allegations of child sexual abuse. Other participants included in this review are non-offending caregivers of children with allegations of child sexual abuse, and alleged sex offenders. Type of intervention : The use of Child Advocacy Centers and the multidisciplinary team approach on child sexual abuse investigations. Types of outcomes : Prosecution rates of alleged sex offenders and the satisfaction of non-offending caregivers of children with allegations of child sexual abuse. Types of studies: This review includes quasi-experimental and descriptive studies. SEARCH STRATEGY: The search strategy aimed to find published and unpublished articles in the English language published from 1985 through April 2015 for inclusion. The databases searched include: PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Criminal Justice Periodicals, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses and Criminal Justice Collections. An additional grey literature search was conducted.
METHODLOGICAL QUALITY: Two reviewers evaluated the included studies for methodological quality using standardized critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted using standardized data extraction instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute. DATA SYNTHESIS: Due to heterogeneity between the included studies, statistical meta-analysis was not possible.
RESULTS are presented in a narrative form.
CONCLUSIONS: The use of Child Advocacy Centers and the multidisciplinary team approach in child sexual abuse investigation may have positive benefits in increasing non-offending caregivers' satisfaction and prosecution rates of alleged sex offenders.
Language: en |