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Do not fill this in! ==Disclosure== Children who received supportive responses following disclosure had less traumatic symptoms and were abused for a shorter period of time than children who did not receive support.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1300/J070v09n01_03 | last1 = Gries | first1 = L. | last2 = Goh | first2 = D. | last3 = Andrews | first3 = M. | last4 = Gilbert | first4 = J. | last5 = Praver | first5 = F. | last6 = Stelzer | first6 = D. | year = 2000 | title = Positive reaction to disclosure and recovery from child sexual abuse | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-child-sexual-abuse_2000_9_1/page/29 | journal = Journal of Child Sexual Abuse | volume = 9 | issue = 1| pages = 29β51 | s2cid = 144064563 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1300/J070v14n02_02 | last1 = Kogan | first1 = S. | year = 2005 | title = The Role of Disclosing Child Sexual Abuse on Adolescent Adjustment and Revictimization | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-child-sexual-abuse_2005_14_2/page/25 | journal = Journal of Child Sexual Abuse | volume = 14 | issue = 2| pages = 25β47 | pmid = 15914409 | s2cid = 1507507 }}</ref> In general, studies have found that children need support and stress-reducing resources after disclosure of sexual abuse.<ref>Arata, C. (1998). To tell or not to tell: Current functioning of child sexual abuse survivors who disclosed their [[victimization]]. ''Child Maltreatment'', 3(1), 63.71.</ref><ref name = "pwmjhq">{{cite journal | last1 = Palmer | first1 = S. | last2 = Brown | first2 = R. | last3 = Rae-Grant | first3 = N. | last4 = Loughlin | first4 = J. M. | year = 1999 | title = Responding to children's disclosure of familial abuse: what survivors tell us | journal = Child Welfare | volume = 2 | issue = 78| pages = 259β282 }}</ref> Negative social reactions to disclosure have been found to be harmful to the survivor's well-being.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1300/J070v12n01_05 | last1 = Ullman | first1 = S.E. | year = 2003 | title = Social reactions to child abuse disclosure: A critical review | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-child-sexual-abuse_2003_12_1/page/89 | journal = Journal of Child Sexual Abuse | volume = 12 | issue = 1| pages = 89β121 | pmid = 16221661 | s2cid = 2926312 }}</ref> One study reported that children who received a bad reaction from the first person they told, especially if the person was a close family member, had worse scores as adults on general trauma symptoms, post traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and dissociation.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1097/00005053-199411000-00004 | last1 = Roesler | first1 = T.A. | year = 1994 | title = Reactions to disclosure of childhood sexual abuse: the effect on adult symptoms | journal = Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease | volume = 182 | issue = 11| pages = 618β624 | pmid = 7964669 | s2cid = 31403154 }}</ref> Another study found that in most cases when children did disclose abuse, the person they talked to did not respond effectively, blamed or rejected the child, and took little or no action to stop the abuse.<ref name = "pwmjhq"/> Non-validating and otherwise non-supportive responses to disclosure by the child's primary attachment figure may indicate a relational disturbance predating the sexual abuse that may have been a risk factor for the abuse, and which can remain a risk factor for its psychological consequences.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=11999103 |year=2002 |last1=Schechter |first1=DS |last2=Brunelli |first2=SA |last3=Cunningham |first3=N |last4=Brown |first4=J |last5=Baca |first5=P |title=Mother-daughter relationships and child sexual abuse: A pilot study of 35 dyads |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_bulletin-of-the-menninger-clinic_winter-2002_66_1/page/39 |volume=66 |issue=1 |pages=39β60 |journal=Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic |doi=10.1521/bumc.66.1.39.23374}}</ref> The [[American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry]] provides guidelines for what to say to the victim and what to do following the disclosure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Responding_To-Child-Sexual-Abuse-028.aspx|title=Responding To Child Sexual Abuse|website=www.aacap.org}}</ref> Asa Don Brown has indicated: "A minimization of the trauma and its effects is commonly injected into the picture by parental caregivers to shelter and calm the child. It has been commonly assumed that focusing on children's issues too long will negatively impact their recovery. Therefore, the parental caregiver teaches the child to mask his or her issues."<ref>Brown, Asa Don, "The effects of childhood trauma on adult perception and worldview". (Dissertation) Capella University, 2008, 152 pages. AAT 3297512. {{ISBN|978-0-549-47057-1}}; Publication #3297512.{{page needed|date=November 2013}}</ref> In many jurisdictions, abuse that is suspected, not necessarily proven, requires reporting to [[child protection]] agencies, such as the [[Child Protection Services]] in the United States. Recommendations for healthcare workers, such as [[primary care provider]]s and [[nurse]]s, who are often suited to encounter suspected abuse are advised to firstly determine the child's immediate need for safety. A private environment away from suspected abusers is desired for interviewing and examining. Leading statements that can distort the story are avoided. As disclosing abuse can be distressing and sometimes even shameful, reassuring the child that he or she has done the right thing by telling and that they are not bad and that the abuse was not their fault helps in disclosing more information. [[Anatomically correct doll]]s are sometimes used to help explain what happened, although some researchers consider the dolls too explicit and overstimulating, which might contribute to non-abused children behaving with the dolls in one or more ways that suggest they were sexually abused.<ref name="Segal">{{cite book|vauthors=Segal DL, Hersen M |title=Diagnostic Interviewing|publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]]|isbn=978-1-4419-1320-3|year=2009|page=455|access-date=November 23, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LfDRjsei03kC&pg=PA455}}</ref> For the suspected abusers, it is also recommended to use a nonjudgmental, nonthreatening attitude towards them and to withhold expressing shock, in order to help disclose information.<ref>Wilson, S.F.W, Giddens, J.F.G. (2009) Health Assessment for Nursing Practice. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier, page 506.</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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