Comparison of the Effects of Sexual Abuse on Male and Female Latency-Aged Children

• NCJ Number: 150386
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1994) Pages: 291-306
• Author(s): R E Young; T A Bergandi; T G Titus
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study used a sample of 20 boys and 20 girls, between the ages of 8 and 11, who had been sexually abused, and compared them to a group of matched controls in terms of depression, self-concept, interpersonal relationships, and levels of aggression, assertiveness, and submission.

Abstract

The instruments administered to the children included the Personal Attribute Inventory for Children, Depression Self- Rating Scale, the Index of Peer Relations, the Children's Action Tendency Scale, and the Louisville Behavior Checklist. The analysis showed no interaction effect of group by gender, but the two main effects of group (abused versus nonabused) and gender were significant. The findings indicated that there are more similarities than differences between male and female child sexual abuse victims. Victims differed from nonvictims significantly in terms of emotional, interpersonal, and mental health problems. THe main effect of gender showed that male victims perceived themselves as being more aggressive than did the females, who portrayed themselves as being submissive. 8 tables and 46 references