Confirmed, unconfirmed, and false allegations of abuse made by adults with mental retardation who are members of a class action lawsuit☆

Abstract

Objective: The purpose is to explore differences in confirmed, unconfirmed, and false allegations of abuse made by consumers with mental retardation in regards to type of abuse and perpetrator.

Method: Interviews were conducted with 1,220 people with mental retardation who were part of a class action lawsuit in North Carolina. A content analysis of abuse allegations was performed. Frequencies of responses and subgroup differences are reported for type of abuse allegation and perpetrator.

Results: Unconfirmed claims are the most frequent. Females made more allegations of abuse than males in general, and more allegations of rape. There are no significant differences among the subgroups (confirmed, unconfirmed, and false allegations) by type of abuse allegation. There are significant differences among the subgroups in regard to the alleged perpetrator. Other consumers with mental retardation are most frequently accused of confirmed assaults. Staff members are most frequently accused in false allegations.

Conclusion: Ability of the alleged victim to report information and timing of the investigation are important factors in substantiating abuse. Awareness of consumer-to-consumer violence and prevalence of false accusations against staff necessitates increased safeguards for both consumers and staff.

Résumé

Objectif: Il s’agit d’explorer les différences entre les allégations confirmées, non-confirmées et fausses faites par des clients retardés mentalement en ce qui concerne le type de sévices et l’auteur.

Méthode: On a interviewé 1,220 déficients mentaux qui participaient à un recours collectif en Justice en Caroline du Nord. Une analyse du contenu des allégations a été faite. Les fréquences des réponses ainsi que les différences entre sous-groupes ont été rapportées au type d’abus allégué et à l’auteur.

Résultat: Les plaintes non-confirmées sont les plus fréquentes. Les femmes ont rapporté plus d’allégations de sévices que les hommes en général et plus d’allégations de viol. Il n’y a pas de différences significatives entre les sous-groupes (allégations confirmées, non-confirmées et fausses) selon le type de sévice. Il y a des différences significatives entre les sous-groupes en ce qui concerne l’auteur allégué. D’autres plaignants retardés mentaux sont le plus souvent accusés d’agressions confirmées. Les membres du personnel sont le plus souvent objets d’allégations fausses.

Conclusions: La capacité des victimes alléguées à donner des informations et des précisions sur la chronologie lors de l’investigation sont des facteurs importants pour fournir une preuve à l’appui des sévices. La sensibilisation à la violence entre les clients et la fréquence des accusations contre le personnel nécessite un accroissement des garanties à la fois pour les clients et pour le personnel.

Resumen

Objetivo: El propósito es explorar las diferencias con respecto al tipo de maltrato y a las caracterı́sticas del perpetrador en alegaciones de maltrato confirmadas, no confirmadas y falsas hechas por usuarios del sistema de protección infantil con retraso mental.

Método: Se llevaron a cabo entrevistas con 1.220 personas con retraso mental que formaban parte de un grupo de sujetos de Carolina del Norte con un expediente judicial abierto por abuso sexual. Se analizó el contenido de las alegaciones de maltrato. Las frecuencias de respuesta y las diferencias sub-grupo fueron clasificadas en base al tipo de alegación de maltrato y al perpetrador.

Resultados: Las demandas no confirmadas son las más frecuentes. Las mujeres, en general, hicieron más alegaciones de maltrato que los hombres, y más alegaciones de violación. No hay diferencias significativas entre los sub-grupos (alegaciones confirmadas, sin confirmar, y falsas) por el tipo de alegación de maltrato. Hay diferencias significativas entre los sub-grupos con respecto al presunto perpetrador. Otros sujetos con retraso mental son más frecuentemente acusados de agresiones confirmados. Los profesionales de los centros son más frecuentemente acusados de falsas alegaciones.

Conclusión: La habilidad de la presunta vı́ctima para notificar información y el tiempo empleado en la investigación son factores importantes para confirmar el maltrato. El conocimiento de las agresiones entre usuarios de los centros y la prevalencia de falsas acusaciones en contra del personal necesita una mejora de las garantı́as tanto para los usuarios como para el personal.

Introduction

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau (1998) almost one million children were identified as victims of abuse in 1996. It is estimated that people with developmental disabilities are two to five times more susceptible to abuse Balderian 1991, Kempton and Stanfield 1988, Sobsey 1994. It is difficult to know how prevalent abuse is among people with developmental disabilities because of the limited number of studies and the underreporting of abuse to proper authorities. It is estimated that only 20% of abusive incidents are reported Burke and Bedard 1995, Ryerson 1981. Abuse investigations are likely to be handled internally by the organization without referrals to the proper authorities Brown and Stein 1997, Sullivan et al 1987. Also, consumers with developmental disabilities can be persuaded by the perpetrator not to disclose abusive incidents (Stromsness, 1993).

Other studies have investigated issues of abuse of people with developmental disabilities. A review of the findings of these studies follows. These researchers have used differing terms to describe this group of people such as mental retardation, developmental disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. For the purposes of this report, wherever possible, we refer to this as “consumers with developmental disabilities.”

Some studies have reported that consumers with mild mental retardation tend to be abused more often than those with severe/profound mental retardation Furey 1994, Furey et al 1994, Furey and Niesen 1994, Marchetti and McCartney 1990, Zirpoli et al 1987. In addition, consumers with developmental disabilities and psychiatric challenges are more likely to be victims of abuse than those without psychiatric challenges Sobsey and Varnhagen 1988, Furey et al 1994. Other studies have reported that consumers with developmental disabilities and behavioral challenges were more likely to be abused than those without Burke and Bedard 1995, McCartney and Campbell 1998, Zirpoli et al 1987.

Abuse can take different forms including physical, sexual, verbal, and psychological. Physical abuse appears to be the most common form of abuse among consumers with developmental disabilities Ammerman et al 1989, Marchetti and McCartney 1990, McCartney and Campbell 1998.

Males with developmental disabilities appear to be more susceptible to abuse in general Marchetti and McCartney 1990, Zirpoli et al 1987, whereas women with developmental disabilities appear to be more susceptible to sexual abuse Furey 1994, Furey and Niesen 1994, Sobsey and Varnhagen 1988, Stromsness 1993.

Studies investigating perpetrators of abuse against consumers with developmental disabilities find that family members appear to be the most frequent perpetrators of abuse in general Ammerman et al 1989, Furey 1994, Furey et al 1994, New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled 1992, Stromsness 1993. Other consumers appear to be the most frequent perpetrators of sexual abuse (Brown & Stein, 1997). Other reported perpetrators of abuse include friends, co-workers, and staff members. The least frequently reported perpetrators are strangers.

Abuse allegations can be divided into a number of classifications based on the investigative findings. Typically the classifications in published research regarding abuse allegations distinguish only between confirmed and unconfirmed claims. Yuille, Tymofievich, and Marxsen (1995) further distinguish unconfirmed allegations by including a category of false allegation. Confirmed abuse refers to cases where an investigation found the allegation to be true. Unconfirmed allegations lack essential information necessary to determine whether the allegation is true or false. False allegations are determined not to be true. In the general population, false allegation rates are reported to vary between 1 and 8% of all abuse allegations Green 1991, US Department of Health and Human Services Children Bureau 1998. The percentage of false allegation rates made by people with developmental disabilities is not known.

The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics adults with mental retardation who make allegations of abuse and describe their allegations with regard to whether the allegations were confirmed, unconfirmed, or false. The focus is on a group of consumers identified as members of class action lawsuit known as “Thomas S. ” Thomas S. consumers are a group of adults with mental retardation who had inappropriately resided in a state psychiatric hospital. Specifically three questions are the focus of this investigation of confirmed, unconfirmed, and false allegations of abuse. They include: (1) Who reports allegations of abuse? (2) What type of abuse is reported? and (3) Who are the alleged perpetrators?