Child Sexual Abuse: Victim Age, Victim Gender, and Observer Gender as Factors Contributing to Attributions of Responsibility

• NCJ Number: 176184
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 22 Issue: 12 Dated: December 1998 Pages: 1239-1252
• Author(s): S Back; H M Lips
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Undergraduate students at Radford University in Virginia took part in a study designed to examine the effects of victim age, victim gender, and observer gender on the tendency to attribute responsibility for extrafamilial child sexual abuse to the victim and the non-offending parents.

Abstract

The 145 participants read a vignette describing a sexually abusive interaction between an adult male neighbor and a child. The child's gender and age (6 years old, 13 years old) varied. Participants then used a five-point scale to indicate the degree to which they believed that the victim and the parents (1) were responsible for the abuse, (2) were to blame for the abuse, (3) caused the abuse, and (4) could have prevented the abuse. Participants assigned greater responsibility to older than younger victims. They assigned similar level of responsibility to both parents. They assigned greater responsibility to the parents when the child victim was younger than when the victim was older. Male observers attributed greater responsibility and causality to the victim and the parents than did female observers. Findings indicated that responsibility attributions directed toward the victim and the non-offending parents may be a function of the victim's age. In addition, findings supported previous research suggesting that male observers may tend to hold victims more responsible for their abuse than do female observers. Tables and 49 references (Author abstract modified)