Genital examination and exposure experienced as nosocomial sexual abuse in childhood

J Nerv Ment Dis. 1987 Dec;175(12):713-21. doi: 10.1097/00005053-198712000-00002.

Abstract

Three pediatric cases of girls, one with idiopathic precocious puberty and two with a birth defect of the sex organs, exemplify the proposition that genital exposure and the physical examination of the genitals may be experienced subjectively as nosocomial sexual abuse. Negative sequelae persisted into adulthood. The dogma of the new victimology industry is that children never lie about sexual abuse. Consequently providers of pediatric and ephebiatric (pubertal and adolescent) sexual health care already are progressively at risk of being falsely accused of nosocomial (from the Greek nosokomeion, from nosos, disease, + komeion, to take care of: pertaining to or originating in a hospital, as nosocomial disease) sexual abuse.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child Abuse, Sexual / psychology*
  • Disorders of Sex Development / psychology
  • Female
  • Genitalia, Female* / abnormalities
  • Hospitals
  • Humans
  • Iatrogenic Disease*
  • Malpractice
  • Morals
  • Phobic Disorders / etiology
  • Phobic Disorders / psychology
  • Physical Examination*
  • Puberty, Precocious / psychology
  • Risk Factors