THE LITERATURE ON CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT IS AS EXTENSIVE AS THAT ON VICTIMS IN GENERAL, BUT NEITHER IS EXTENSIVE RELATIVE TO THE LITERATURE ON OTHER ASPECTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. IN PART BECAUSE OF THE DISCOMFORT INVOLVED IN CONSIDERING ISSUES OF SEXUALITY AND VIOLENCE WHEN CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED, TOO OFTEN THE FOCUS HAS BEEN ON THE COMPLICITY OF THE CHILD RATHER THAN ON THE TRAUMA OF THE EVENT AND THE IRRESPONSIBILITY OF THE OFFENDER. MANY ARTICLES AND BOOKS ARE DEVOTED TO COUNTERING MYTHS ABOUT CHILD ASSAULT. MOST RESEARCHERS AGREE THAT THE INCIDENCE OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN IS SEVERELY UNDERESTIMATED. A FEW STUDIES HAVE BEEN BASED ON SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATIONS OF CHILDREN AS VICTIMS. MOST OTHER INVESTIGATIONS ARE CASE REPORTS FOCUSING ON CAUSATIVE FACTORS, PARTICULARLY FAMILY STRUCTURE OR VICTIM CHARACTERISTICS, OR ON PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS. TWO CONCERNS STAND OUT: THE EFFECTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AS A CHILD ON ADULT PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING; AND THE CHILD AS A WILLING PARTICIPANT, IF NOT THE INSTIGATOR, OF SEXUAL CONTACTS. STUDIES ALSO HAVE BEEN DEVOTED TO INCEST AND TO THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY IN CONTRIBUTING TO ASSAULT. COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF ARTICLES CONCERNED WITH THE OFFENSE OF CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT, THE VICTIM'S ROLE AND PERSONALITY, AND ADULT FUNCTIONING, RELATIVELY LITTLE HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE POSTASSAULT NEEDS OF THE CHILD VICTIM. (LKM)