NCJ Number
181229
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2000 Pages: 37-48
Date Published
January 2000
Length
12 pages
Annotation
An anonymous survey gathered information on trauma, sexual offending, the relationship between trauma and perpetration of sex offenses, and the adjudication status of three groups of incarcerated adolescents who admitted to sexual offending.
Abstract
The participants were residents of a public residential facility, a private residential facility, and a community halfway house in Michigan. The instruments included a modified version of the Sexual Abuse Exposure Questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Self Report Sexual Aggression Scale. The first group consisted of 48 youths who admitted to sex offenses before age 12 only. The second group consisted of 130 youths who reported sex offending after age 12 only. The third group consisted of 65 youths who reported committing sex offenses both before and after age 12. More than 46 percent of the sexually aggressive adolescents began their deviant behavior before age 12. The level and complexity of the acts perpetrated were more severe for the continuous offenders than for the other groups. In addition, victimization and perpetration were significantly correlated for all three groups. Findings supported a social learning hypothesis for the development of sexual offending by adolescents. Furthermore, the significant differences in the groups in terms of trauma and aggressiveness indicated the need for further study of the role of trauma in sexual offending. Findings also suggested the need for further tests of theory, treatment models, sex offender developmental processes and progression, evaluation of intensive work with children and their families, the development of appropriate funding for treatment and research, and the development of policy aimed at treatment. Tables and 33 references (Author abstract modified)