Draw and tell: drawings within the context of child sexual abuse investigations

Cohen-Liebman, Marcia Sue

doi:10.1016/s0197-4556(99)00013-1

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Proponents of the interpretive value of drawings maintain that other factors also must be considered when evaluating for a history of abuse, such as interviews and collaborative reports (Cohen-Liebman, 1999; Peterson & Hardin, 1997). In other words, projective drawings may be only another piece of information to consider.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Projective Drawings Detect if a Child Experienced Sexual or Physical Abuse?

Allen

Tussey

2012

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Clinical observations have suggested that children who experience physical or sexual abuse may provide indicators in their drawings that can distinguish them from nonabused children. Some have even suggested that a child's drawings and the interpretive testimony of a trained mental health clinician should be admissible in court as evidence of a child's abuse status. Many of these comments, however, may reflect a limited consideration of the available research. The current article provides a comprehensive literature review of the controlled research to determine whether any graphic indicators (e.g., genitalia, omission of body parts) or predefined scoring system can reliability and validly discriminate abused from nonabused children. Results indicate that, although individual studies have found support for various indicators or scoring systems, these results are rarely replicated, many times studies finding significant results suffer from serious methodological flaws and alternative explanations for findings (e.g., mental illness) are often present. No graphic indicator or scoring system possessed sufficient empirical evidence to support its use for identifying sexual or physical abuse. A discussion of the legal ramifications of these results is provided.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Projective Drawings Detect if a Child Experienced Sexual or Physical Abuse?

Allen

Tussey

2012

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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“…When utilizing art in CSA investigative practices, drawing has a limited place in the process of determining whether the child has been sexually abused or not; it has been shown that its strengths lie within helping the child to produce a narrative and developing a rapport with the investigator when being interviewed (Cohen-Liebman & Buck, 1999). Thus, ATs power lie within the psychosocial context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsequently, Cohen-Liebman and Buck (1999) suggested that drawings can be used to promote rapport between interviewer and child through feelings of "control and mastery", while providing a connector to elicit conversation about the alleged abuse. By considering the overall patterns of the artwork created, rather than individual determinants (Palmer et al, 2000), such as H-T-P drawings, a trained art therapist may be able to assess the level of development of the child while potentially extracting abuse-specific information.…”

Section: Using At To Achieve Better Long-term Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Extent to Which Art Therapy Can Be Used with Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Thematic Analysis of Published Studies

Laird

Mulvihill

2021

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

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In a 2015-2016 UK survey of 35, 248 adults, 7% reported experiencing sexual abuse as children. This review considers the value of Art Therapy (AT) in recognizing individual needs and experiences and supporting victims to manage the lasting impact of abuse. Three main bodies of research were identified: the use of AT in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) investigations; the use of art therapy in the treatment of the psychological sequelae of CSA victims in childhood and adulthood; and an assessment of how art therapy compares to other therapeutic approaches for CSA victims. The review highlights that AT particularly benefits rapport building between victim and therapist/investigator, and alleviates some psychological consequences of sexual abuse -particularly anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and dissociation. By engaging the limbic system, AT may also provide a communicative form, building a narrative where verbal communication is hindered. However, the analysis brings attention to several weaknesses in the current AT research: available studies tend to have small sample sizes and few quantitative findings. This review concludes by identifying the need for research which considers the clinical implications of AT in CSA cases for the future.

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“…"Figure of the opposite sex") our results actually show discordance when compared to other previous studies (Peterson et al, 1995), further bearing out the argument that there are no graphic indicators directly linkable to a verified case of abuse. In light of these observations, it is therefore possible to conclude that the HFDT appears to be inadequate in the search for "unequivocal signs of abuse" Nevertheless, it must not be forgotten that the HFDT, together with other graphic products, is a necessary integrative technique for interviewing children and is often a useful aid in the gathering of information from children and in the evaluation of those called upon to give testimony (Cohen-Liebman, 1999). From this perspective, such an instrument may not be used in judicial cases as "proof" of abuse suffered (Veltman & Browne, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Abuse: The Human Figure Drawing Test in Evaluating Minors

Lisi¹,

Stallone²,

Giovanna³

et al. 2013

Int. J. Criminol. Sociol.

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The Human Figure Drawing Test (HFDT) is widely used in clinical and forensic settings. The inappropriate use of this instrument is widespread. This article highlights the expressive and communicative value of children's drawings in child abuse investigations. The drawings of 3 groups of children (11 certified as abused; 11 suspected of being abused, and 11 certified as non-abused) were examined in order to determine the appropriateness of their use in suspected cases of child abuse. The results of our study appear to be divergent. As of the writing of this article, there is no methodologically correct way in which to utilize this instrument that would reveal specific "graphic indicators of abuse" using the drawings of abused, or presumably abused children.

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Draw and tell: drawings within the context of child sexual abuse investigations

Cited by 15 publications

References 7 publications

Can Projective Drawings Detect if a Child Experienced Sexual or Physical Abuse?

Can Projective Drawings Detect if a Child Experienced Sexual or Physical Abuse?

Assessing the Extent to Which Art Therapy Can Be Used with Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Thematic Analysis of Published Studies

Child Abuse: The Human Figure Drawing Test in Evaluating Minors

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