The frequency of these allegations, albeit not their
substantiation, is continuing to increase, as shown in recent work of the Canadian
Research Institute for Law and the Family (PDF), and these cases are sucking up increasing amounts of judicial resources, not to mention litigating parents» financial resources.
Based on prior
research suggesting that distinctions between allegations and
substantiations are not useful, 31,32 official reports of alleged child abuse were coded using a slightly modified version33 of the maltreatment classification scheme developed by Barnett et al. 34 Three general indicators of child abuse were created, each dichotomized as present or not, based on the coding of the following records: (1) physical abuse (any blows or injury to the head, torso, buttocks, or limbs; and violent handling, choking, burning, shaking, or nondescript injury); (2) sexual abuse (any sexual exposure, exploitation, molestation, or penetration); and (3) psychological maltreatment (threats to psychological safety and security, lack of acceptance and threats to self - esteem, or failure to allow age - appropriate autonomy).