NCJ Number
145100
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 1 Issue: 3 Dated: (1992) Pages: 75-89
Date Published
1992
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Child sexual abuse victims' attribution of blame was studied.
Abstract
The 143 subjects (59 males, 84 females) were recruited from referrals from Tidewater (VA) Departments of Social Services and categorized into three age groups: children (8- 12), adolescents (13-17), and adults who were molested as children (18 and older). The majority of children placed all the blame on their perpetrator. Relatively few children acknowledged any degree of self-blame, while half of the adults did. These results indicate an ability of children not to internalize blame for their victimization, and may also indicate a sample bias to the extent that adults with certain dispositions--self-critical, for one--seemed to be overrepresented. A large proportion (over 70 percent) of the adults had previously involved themselves in mental health treatment programs. Males were much more prone than were females to confuse the boundary between perpetrator and victim, and were more sensitive to issues related to control and weakness. This could help explain the male tendency toward emulating their perpetrators. 2 tables and 21 references