Epidemiologic Variations in Childhood Sexual Abuse

• NCJ Number: 103884
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: special issue (1983) Pages: 147-153
• Author(s): A R De Jong; A R Hervada; G A Emmett
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): RR-5414
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the Third International Congress on Child Abuse a nd Neglect, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 1981.

Annotation

Records on 566 children taken to a sexual assault crisis center in Philadelphia revealed that the victim's age and the relationship between the victim and the assailant were the major factors influencing the pattern of sexual assault.

Abstract

The subjects were age 6 months to 16 years and represented 33.2 percent of the victims seen over the 36-month period. The victims included 103 males and 463 females. Children under age 11 were more likely than older children to have histories of multiple assaults by known assailants. The assaults were also more likely to have occurred in the child's or assailant's home and to involve little violence. Assaults by strangers were more likely than assaults by known persons to involve violence or trauma. These findings have caused the center to monitor initial visits more closely, to assure proper reporting to child abuse authorities, and to provide centralized followup. Data tables and 15 references.