AP Psychology Exam Prep

Answer: D - Approximately 8% of child sexual abuse cases are considered to be false.
Key Takeaway: There are approximately 200,000 new cases of child sexual abuse that are made in the United States every year. Researchers estimate that 8% of those cases are later found out to be blatantly false allegations. Some of the reasons for these false allegations are custody fights between parents. For example, a mother who wishes to gain full physical custody of her children in a divorce may file a false allegation of the father sexually abusing the children. These types of false allegations can seriously damage a child’s mental health and ruin the life of the accused.