Child Sexual Abuse Myth Acceptance Among Aspirant, Trainee, and Registered Psychologists in Durban, South Africa

This study examined the effect of gender and professional training on child sexual abuse myth acceptance among aspirant, trainee, and registered psychologists in Durban, South Africa. Using a 2 (gender: male, female) × 3 (training: aspirant psychologists, psychologists in training, practicing psychologists) design, 90 participants completed the 15-item Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Myth Scale. AMANOVA revealed a significant main effect for gender, with males scoring significantly higher than females did on all three subscales of the CSA Myth Scale. Myth acceptance scores were, however, unrelated to the extent of professional training, with the notable exception of scores on the Denial of Abusiveness subscale, where aspirant psychologists scored significantly higher than psychologists in training. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for practice and for social policy.