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The articles in this special issue describe how different types of technology can be applied in the child maltreatment field to improve activities. This commentary suggests that though new technology does not necessarily make for better content, it does create exciting new possibilities that creative minds can use to advance the field. The projects described in this issue are examples of such creativity and give a glimpse of the future. However, advances in technology applications do not come without some cost and some loss. Technological approaches may reduce human interaction and result in the loss of its intangible benefits. The commentary suggests that the child maltreatment field appears ripe for broad-based application of technology in three areas: web-based professional training, self-directed interventions and prevention programs, and use of social networking technology. Finally, ideas are proposed for understanding the true cost of developing, implementing, and maintaining technological applications.

Fear and anxiety are the most commonly reported symptoms in sexually abused children. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of specific interventions designed to reduce fear and anxiety to a standard group treatment program for sexually abused children would result in greater reductions in these symptoms. In this study, 80 children ages 4 to 13 were randomly assigned to 10-week index or comparison treatment groups. Both treatment groups included common elements of conventional sexual abuse treatment, and the index group included stress inoculation training (SIT) and gradual exposure treatment procedures. Children and parents were assessed before treatment, immediately after treatment, and 1 year and 2 years after treatment. As had been hypothesized, both treatment groups improved significantly over time on most outcome measures. However, no differences were found between the groups in improvement on fear and anxiety symptoms. Possible explanations for these results and implications for practice and research are discussed.

The purpose of this investigation is to describe the characteristics of professional and preprofessional learners who registered for and completed TF-CBTWeb, a modular, web-based training program designed to promote the dissemination of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and to demonstrate the feasibility of this method of dissemination. Between October 1, 2005, and October 1, 2012, a total of 123,848 learners registered for TF-CBTWeb, of whom 98,646 (79.7%) initiated the learning activities by beginning the first module pretest. Of those, 67,201 (68.1%) completed the full training. Registrants hailed from 130 countries worldwide, and they had varied educational backgrounds, professional identities (both professional and preprofessional), and a range of experience working with child trauma victims. Learners who were from the United States, students, those with master's degrees, and those with fewer years of experience working with child trauma victims tended to have the highest course completion rates. Learners displayed significant increases in knowledge about each component of TF-CBT, based on module pretest and posttest scores. The advantages and limitations of this web-based training program evaluation are discussed, while important implications for the use of web-based trainings are reviewed.

This study examined convergent and discriminant validity between the Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale—revised (CITES-R) and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) in a sample of 80 sexually abused children. Convergent and discriminant validity between the CITES-R post-traumatic stress measure and the TSCC clinical scales were demonstrated. Also, convergent and discriminant validity for the CITES-R Eroticism scale were supported. More specifically, the CITES-R Eroticism scale was significantly associated with the TSCC Sexual Concerns (SC) scale (particularly the SC Preoccupation subscale), but was unrelated to the other TSCC clinical scales. Partial support for the expected relationships between the CITES-R Social Reactions and Attributions subscales and the TSCC clinical scales was noted. As expected, the CITES-R Social Support subscale was modestly associated with TSCC measures of depression and anger, whereas the CITES-R Negative Reactions by Others subscale was significantly related to symptoms on all six TSCC clinical scales. Furthermore, the CITES-R Self-Blame/Guilt, Personal Vulnerability, and Empowerment subscales were significantly associated with the majority of the TSCC clinical scales, whereas the CITES-R Dangerous World subscale (which also demonstrated poor internal consistency) was not significantly associated with any of the six TSCC clinical scales.