NCJ Number
213686
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 247-255
Date Published
March 2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study explored the prevalence of sexual abuse among female adolescents in Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract
Of the 1,955 female adolescent participants, 1,871 answered the questions related to sexual abuse experiences. Of these 1,871 female students, 13.4 percent reported sexually abusive experiences, 11.3 percent reported unwanted sexual touching, 4.9 percent reported forced sexual intercourse, 3.0 percent reported both types of sexual abuse, and 1.8 percent reported incest. Perpetrators were overwhelmingly reported to be male (93 percent). The results signal the need to launch a multicenter study focused on collecting representative data on the problem of sexual abuse from across Turkey. Participants were 4,153 students in schools across Turkey, 47 percent of whom were female. Participants completed an international version of the “Health Behavior in School Age Children” survey, which focused on demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, general perceptions of health, psychosocial adjustment, peer relationships and support, and perceptions of the school and its influence, as well as questions regarding unwanted sexual experiences. Limitations of the study include its reliance on self-report data concerning sexual abuse. Tables, references