Citation

Vrolijk-Bosschaart TF, Verlinden E, Langendam MW, De Smet V, Teeuw AH, Brilleslijper-Kater SN, Benninga MA, Lindauer RJL. J. Child Sex. Abus. 2018; 27(7): 729-751.

Affiliation

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Academic Medical Centre, Academic Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10538712.2018.1477215

PMID

29889624

Abstract

Children with alleged child sexual abuse (CSA) need to be assessed systematically. The use of validated instruments during the assessment, like the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI), could add diagnostic value. We aim to assess the diagnostic utility of the CSBI to differentiate between sexually abused and non-abused children. We conducted a systematic review. We searched the electronic databases MEDLINE and PsychInfo for studies comparing CSBI scores in sexually abused children and non-abused children (2-12 years old). Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the methodological quality. We included 7 (out of 1048) articles. The CSBI total scores were significantly higher in CSA-victims compared with non-abused children (in case-control settings). However, in children with suspected CSA, the results were ambiguous. One study reported significant differences. Another study reported weak diagnostic ability for the CSBI-3 in children with suspected CSA (a sensitivity and specificity of 0.50, with a positive predictive value of 0.28, and a negative predictive value of 0.72). Research on the diagnostic utility of the CSBI for suspected CSA is limited and shows disappointing results. Until more research is done, the CSBI should not be used on its own to differentiate between sexually abused and non-abused children.

Language: en

Keywords

Child; child sexual behavior inventory; diagnostic utility; sexual abuse