Characteristics of Sexual Abuse in a Sample of Turkish Children With and Without Mental Retardation, Referred for Legal Appraisal of the Psychological Repercussions

Abstract

Between having mental retardation (MR) and typically growing (TG) sexually abused children, we aimed to explore the differential features in terms of sexual abuse history and psychiatric consequences. The 7-16 year-old age and sex matched children (MR, n:20; TG, n:20) who were sexually abused between January 2005 and February 2009 were included. Mental capacity was assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). A comprehensive physical examination and where indicated anal-vaginal examination were conducted by a forensic medicine specialist in all children. A child psychiatry specialist investigated the abuse history. Compared to the TG group, significantly more children in the MR group were exposed to vaginal penetration, had more positive signs during anal-vaginal examination, and more were abused by relatives. Among all children who were sexually abused, compared to the typically growing children, children with MR were abused in more violent ways and more by their relatives.