Faculty Collaboration Database

Forensic laboratory evidence in sexually abused children and adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2006 Jun;160(6):585-8

Date

06/07/2006

Pubmed ID

16754819

DOI

10.1001/archpedi.160.6.585

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-33744964183 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   46 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine if forensic laboratory evidence could be recovered from alleged sexual abuse victims more than 24 hours after the event and to determine if age or historical factors could be used to determine the need for forensic evidence collections.

DESIGN: Retrospective study of hospital records matched with forensic evidence reports from the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, Little Rock.

SETTING: The emergency department at Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock.

PARTICIPANTS: Eighty children (aged <12 years) and adolescents (aged > or =12 years) who presented to the emergency department within 72 hours of an alleged event of sexual abuse or assault with genital contact.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cases positive for semen were correlated with age of the victim and post-event length of time to presentation to the emergency department.

RESULTS: Of the 80 subjects, 16 had positive findings for semen. All 16 subjects who tested positive for semen presented to the emergency department less than 24 hours after the alleged abuse or assault event (P<.001). Of the 16 subjects who tested positive, 13 (81%) were adolescents. None of the prepubertal children had semen recovered from any body site; semen was recovered only from clothing or linen in those 3 children.

CONCLUSIONS: Forensic evidence collections from body sites in child and adolescent rape patients are unlikely to yield positive results for semen (1) more than 24 hours after the event and (2) when taken from prepubertal patients. Consideration should be given to amending guidelines regarding forensic evidence collections in child and adolescent sexual abuse or assault victims.

Author List

Young KL, Jones JG, Worthington T, Simpson P, Casey PH

Author

Pippa M. Simpson PhD Adjunct Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Child
Forensic Medicine
Humans
Rape
Retrospective Studies
Semen
Sex Offenses
Time Factors