NCJ Number
242000
Journal
Residential Treatment for Children & Youth Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: July - September 2012 Pages: 231-249
Date Published
August 2012
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study identified which types of trauma experiences interact with later development of normal and abnormal sexual behavior in children and adolescents.
Abstract
The present study is designed to identify which types of trauma experiences interact with later development of normal and abnormal sexual behavior in children and adolescents. More specifically, the goal is to determine which types of trauma exposure are related to issues of sexuality, sexually reactive behavior, sexually aggressive behavior, and the combination of both sexually reactive and sexually aggressive behavior. A sample of 5,976 children ages 5 to 18 who were wards of the State of Illinois were studied. All children were assessed with the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) at entry into care. These data were used to understand the relationship between prior trauma experiences and the expression of problematic sexual behavior. Child sexual abuse was the most common form of maltreatment found in children and adolescents with problematic sexual behaviors. However, other types of trauma experiences, especially exposure to violence, were also related. Sexual abuse and multiple trauma experiences both appear to have important possible etiological roles in the development of sexually problematic behaviors. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.