NCJ Number
145842
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (1993) Pages: 33-54
Date Published
1993
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Most research in the field of child sexual abuse has focused on female victims. This paper reviews problems in the study of male victims of child sexual abuse.
Abstract
Problematic areas include definitions of child sexual abuse, prevalence rates and underreporting, effects, possible mechanisms of how sexual abuse affects male victims, gender- related risks, types of abuse, perpetrators of abuse, and the victim/perpetrator cycle. The author makes several recommendations for directions for future research. First, researchers may profitably define child sexual abuse as unwanted sexual contact, while the victim is legally considered a child and the perpetrator is in a position of power vis a vis the victim. Multivariate analyses may be helpful in examining factors which may increase children's vulnerability to sexual abuse. Studies are needed to replicate findings that separation from a parent and other intrafamilial instability are related to sexual abuse. Findings that more young adult males who have been victims of sexual abuse are attracted to male children than their peers also need replication. Further work is needed to clarify the prevalence of child sexual abuse as well as gender-related data regarding age of onset, frequency and severity of abuse, types of abuse, and relationship to perpetrator. Finally, researchers should focus on the victim/perpetrator cycle. 52 references