NCJ Number
136734
Journal
Child Welfare Volume: 71 Issue: 3 Dated: (May/June 1992) Pages: 231-239
Date Published
1992
Length
9 pages
Annotation
A retrospective review of 77 cases of sexual abuse of boys seen for assessment by a multidisciplinary child protection team in Florida collected data on age at the time of referral, findings of medical examinations, sex of the offender, relationship between the offender and the child, and type of abuse.
Abstract
Of 125 cases of males referred as possible sexual abuse victims to a child protection team, the focus was on 77 boys who actually reported a history of abuse. The average age of all boys referred for evaluation of sexual abuse was 8 years. Analysis indicated that 43 or 56 percent of the 77 boys reported abuse by someone other than a parent or a stepparent. Most boys reported multiple forms of abuse, with the combined categories of anal penetration and attempted anal penetration representing the most common forms. Of those boys who reported abuse, 45 were seen for medical examinations. Six of the boys reported abuse by a female offender. Among the 77 boys reporting abuse, one case was judged to be a false accusation made by the child. Seven or 9 percent of the boys reported suicidal ideation, but no actual attempts were reported. Twenty-four or 31.1 percent of the boys reported specific threats made to them by the offender. The level of threats appeared to escalate with the victim's age. The author stresses the complexity of sexual victimization of males and recommends further study of boy victims. 15 references, 3 tables, and 1 figure