THE PRICE OF ABUSING CHILDREN AND NUMBERS.

The storm of controversy ignited by publication of the Rind et al. article in the prestigious American Psychological Association journal Psychological Bulletin is predictable, necessary, and unfortunate. Like ice cracking a fault line in concrete because water expands when it freezes, this article has expanded divisions between clinicians and researchers in psychology and psychiatry, between the public and the profession, and between those within the profession who treat and advocate for victims of sexual abuse and those who advocate for families accused of such abuse. Clinicians see and treat individuals who suffer with the aftermath of an abusive childhood--the depression, erosion of self-esteem, difficulty in enjoying sexuality, mistrust in relationships--and so they find it hard to believe that sexual abuse in childhood would not do considerable harm. Researchers challenge the inductive reasoning of their clinical colleagues, noting that generalizing from personal experience, even clinical experience with a large number of cases, can be misleading.

It was understandable, therefore, that Psychological Bulletin would consider …