Condução dos casos de abuso sexual de crianças e adolescentes: uma revisão de escopo

Abstract

Sexual abuse is a reality for many children and adolescents, compromising their growth and healthy development and impacting their future physical, emotional, and mental health. Healthcare institutions often serve as an entry point for this population. However, most professionals lack sufficient knowledge and tools to assist them. It is urgent, therefore, that informative materials be disseminated and used to promote appropriate care. The objective of this study was to map publications related to the management of cases of sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence. It is a scoping review conducted according to the methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and presented in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, PRISMA-ScR (Tricco, 2018). The guiding question, defined based on the Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) strategy, was: 'What recommendations focusing on the management of cases of sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence in the healthcare sector are available in the literature?' The search process was conducted in three databases, the PubMed portal, and two sources in grey literature. A total of 116 results were identified, 42 in the databases and 74 in grey literature, of which 14 were selected for full-text reading, resulting in 11 publications for analysis in the final sample. Most of the recommendations were found in the databases, predominantly in English, although the more comprehensive materials belonged to those in Spanish/Portuguese. The publications consisted of diverse materials accompanied by a theoretical framework. The medical category stood out in the publications. The recommendations were subdivided into case identification, direct assistance, case follow-up, and post-case follow-up, with a predominant focus on guidelines for identifying cases of abuse. There were also guidelines on medical history, specific physical examination for case detection, clinical and laboratory tests, and intersectoral referral. In conclusion, the development of publications providing recommendations from identification to post-follow-up, with the collaboration of different healthcare professionals, is necessary. This will facilitate comprehensive training for the care of these children and adolescent victims of sexual abuse.