BLAMING THE VICTIM OF CHILD MOLESTATION - AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

• NCJ Number: 44413
• Author(s): P Y MILLER
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 231 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, ILLINOIS - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

DATA GATHERED IN A HOUSEHOLD SURVEY OF 4,299 ILLINOIS ADOLESCENTS (74.1 PERCENT RESPONSE) ARE USED TO EXPLORE TWO CONCEPTUAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION OF CHILDREN.

Abstract

TWO CAUSAL MODELS OF CHILD MOLESTATION ARE CONSIDERED: THE 'RANDOM VICTIM' MODEL, WHICH ASSUMES THAT THE CRITICAL ELEMENT IN THE VICTIMIZATION ENCOUNTER IS THE PRESENCE OF A POTENTIAL OFFENDER; AND THE 'CULPABLE VICTIM' MODEL, WHICH ASSIGNS SOME DEGREE OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ENCOUNTER TO THE CHILD. ANALYSIS OF THE ILLINOIS DATA INDICATES THAT FAMILY STRUCTURE, PARENTAL REGULATION OF THE CHILD'S BEHAVIOR, THE AFFECTIVE QUALITY OF THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP, AND THE RESPONDENT'S REPORTED LEVEL OF SEXUAL EXPERIENCES ARE RELEVANT TO SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION STATUS. A CAUSAL MODEL BASED ON THE VARIABLES SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: ABSENCE OF THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER HAS DIRECT EFFECT ON MOLESTATION STATUS; THE PREDOMINANT PATH OF CAUSATION IS FROM SEXUAL EXPERIENCE TO MOLESTATION; AND AFFECTIVE ESTRANGEMENT AND PARENTAL INDIFFERENCE APPARENTLY FACILITATE PRECOCIOUS SEXUAL CURIOSITY, WHICH, IN TURN, MAY LEAD TO SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION. THE DATA OFFER NO SUPPORT FOR THE RANDOM VICTIM MODEL. TABULAR DATA, A LIST OF REFERENCES, AND A COPY OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)