NCJ Number
137493
Journal
Journal of Child and Youth Care Dated: special issue (Fall 1991) Pages: 65-76
Date Published
1991
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Data on 30 substantiated cases of male child sexual abuse and 161 substantiated cases of female child sexual abuse, referred to the Alberta Social Services, were compared in terms of variables that differentiated male and female victims.
Abstract
The five separate variables examined in this study included victim, victim's family, perpetrator, occurrence, and outcome of the investigation. Each variable was delineated into related subvariables. The victim-related subvariables were gender, age, relationship to perpetrator, number of perpetrators, and previous history as a victim. The study examined three variables associated with the victim's family: parental structure, other known family victims, and known prior sexual abuse of parents. The perpetrator-related issues considered here included gender, mean age at onset of abusive behavior, history of abuse as a victim, history of abuse as a perpetrator, relationship to the victim, and acknowledgement of the abuse. Three subvariables related to the occurrence were considered: the primary sexual act, duration of the abuse, and frequency of the abuse. Finally, the study included the pursuance of charges, removal of the child from the home, removal of the perpetrator from the home in cases of intrafamilial abuse, and child welfare status of the case following investigation. The findings showed that male and female child sexual abuse victims can be differentiated on a number of variables and further highlighted the need for policy makers, criminal justice personnel, and child protection workers to construct prevention and treatment programs accordingly. 5 tables and 16 references