A Critical Appraisal of the 1998 Meta-Analytic Review of Child Sexual Abuse Outcomes Reported by Rind,Tromovitch, and Bauserman

SUMMARY

The goal of this article is to present a methodological critique of the 1998 meta-analysis of child sexual abuse outcomes by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman. Seven major concerns are addressed. Rind et al.'s view is, at best, extremely limited. By restricting a supposedly broad meta-analysis to only some of the population in question, the conclusions they drew regarding this complex topic, primarily that adult-child sex is not necessarily harmful, are invalid.