Characteristics of mental health professionals and the influence of culture of client on determination of child sexual abuse

A significant lack of research exists regarding the influence of culture and characteristics of mental health professionals on determination of whether child sexual abuse (CSA) has occurred in legally ambiguous situations. The purpose of this study was to examine how specific characteristics of mental health professionals (MHPs) affect how they determine whether sexual abuse has happened wherein culture is a salient factor. Potential participants for this research were recruited through electronic mail. All data collection was conducted via the Internet.;Participants were presented with a hypothetical case vignette describing a situation where there was a question of sexual abuse, and wherein Latino culture was a salient factor. Respondents were then asked to complete three brief surveys: the Clinical Impressions Questionnaire, the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (Sodowsky, Taffee, Gutkin, & Wise, 1994), and a Demographic Questionnaire. These measures were designed to provide the professionals' determination of whether abuse had occurred, case conceptualizations, level of multicultural competence, and basic information regarding participant demographics and levels of expertise with various populations.;A total of 393 responses were gathered. Results indicated that higher levels of expertise with childhood sexual abuse and higher level of education predicted more accurate determination of abuse. Additionally, female mental health professionals, as well as those with greater number of years in practice, with higher percentages of ethnic minority/international clients in current caseload, and higher levels of expertise with minority clients evinced higher levels of multicultural competence overall. Further, MHPs with higher levels of multicultural competence were less likely to call Child Protective Services to report suspected CSA. Suggestions for future research in this area are made, so that training and education of mental health professionals might be improved to ensure accurate and culturally sensitive determination of sexual abuse.