NCJ Number
236146
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2011 Pages: 480-490
Date Published
July 2011
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This Finnish study examined the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) experiences among 4,561 Finnish men and 8,361 women as a function of cohort and gender; the prevalence of factors associated with CSA as a function of cohort and whether the association of these factors with CSA remained the same irrespective of cohort; and whether any cohort differences could be explained by cohort differences in reporting bias.
Abstract
The findings suggest that there is a decline in the prevalence of CSA in Finland, and it is associated with a simultaneous decline in factors associated with CSA. The prevalence of CSA varied between 0.7-4.6 percent for men and 1.8-7.5 percent for women, depending on the item. Younger cohorts reported less CSA and less of the risk factors (physical neglect and abuse, emotional neglect and abuse, parental substances abuse, and not growing up with both biological parents) that were positively associated with the likelihood of CSA. The effects of these risk factors did not vary as a function of the cohort. Also, the declining trend was not explained by social desirability being higher in the younger cohort. This study used the responses of Finnish participants who responded to the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form, as well as questions regarding family structure. 4 tables and 54 references