The volume aims to inform rather than advocate, discusses the methodologies of research as well as their results, and highlights the limitations and the extent of current information. Specific topics include the prevalence of child sexual abuse, who molests children, immediate and long-term effects of child abuse, risk factors for abuse, and influences and interventions that may amplify or alleviate the impact of abuse on victims. Areas of debate, such as the false memory syndrome, are approached in terms of research data relevant to their resolution. The research indicates that exposure to some form of unwanted sexual experience during childhood is common, child sexual abuse is not generally associated with social class, most perpetrators are male, exposure to abuse is related to pervasive increases in the risk of a wide range of psychiatric disorders in adulthood, and the increasing recognition of child sexual abuse as an important source of childhood trauma and adult suffering has led to the rapid development of various treatment methods. In addition, the research shows children exposed to child sexual abuse are at greater risk of a wide range of psychological, emotional, and adjustment difficulties. References, tables, and figures