NCJ Number
207613
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 13 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2004 Pages: 338-352
Editor(s)
David Gough,
Nicky Stanley
Date Published
September 2004
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Through a review of the literature, this article examines whether there is evidence of a victim-offender cycle predicting that young victims of abuse will be a significant risk of going on to abuse others.
Abstract
Understanding the wide-ranging effects of child sexual abuse has been an undertaking for professionals for many years. Researchers and practitioners have also been attempting to understand how sexually abusive experiences influence known sexual abuse survivors. There have been attempts to determine if any relationship exists between the experience of child abuse and future developmental patterns of offending behavior. In this article, a literature review is conducted to examine the shortcomings of the victim-offender relationship model and consider the complexity and nature of the question. The article begins by discussing the factors associated with possible victim-offender relationship and the prevalence of abuse. In addition, protective characteristics are discussed that assist in the development of personal resilience, such as self-esteem, family characteristics, and external supports. This personal resilience is seen as playing a pivotal role in empowering damaged young people to become healthy and in effectively being used in the development of intervention programs. In conclusion, there is little evidence to support the theory that young people who display sexually harmful behaviors are likely to become adult sex offenders or engage in the behavior for the same reasons as adults. References