Patterns Among Sexual Assault Victims Seeking Treatment Services

• NCJ Number: 194930
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: 2001 Pages: 89-108
• Author(s): Thomas M. Green; Adriana Ramelli; Mavis Mizumoto
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined differences in sexual assault characteristics and victim-offender relationships among sexual assault victims seeking treatment services at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center (SATC) in Hawaii.

Abstract

SATC staff completed nearly 3,000 intake forms from mid-1990 through mid-1996. For this research, analyses included only those cases for which an entire year's data were available for the years 1991-95 (n=2,582). Over half (53 percent) of the clients were 17 years of age or younger at the time of the assault, with 25 percent being 9 years-old or younger. Eighty-nine percent of the clients were female. Data were obtained on the type of sexual assault, including the type of sexual contact, gender of the offender, location of the assault, and the length of time for the assault. Data were also collected on the relationship between the victim and the offender, the use of force and injury, and alcohol and drug use by victims and offenders at the time of the assault. The most important outcome of these analyses is a better understanding of the differences in the types of assault and relationships between victims and offender by age and gender. Distinguishing cases by severity of abuse and the duration of the abuse are especially significant variables for studying reactions to post-assault adjustment. Significant differences were found among assaults on male and female children, adolescents, and adults; for example, male victims of sexual assault at all ages were more likely to have their genitals fondled than females; males of all ages were more likely to be rectally penetrated than females; and there was a direct relationship between the age of the victim and the length of the sexual assault (younger victims were assaulted over a longer period of time); males were more likely to be assaulted by a stranger; and for both males and females, the older the victim, the more likely that the assault was committed by a stranger. Implications are drawn for both treatment and prevention. 6 tables and 63 references