NCJ Number
215850
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 21 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 629-644
Date Published
October 2006
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study investigated trends in the prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence by age cohort analysis and by historical era in which a first sexual assault experience occurred.
Abstract
The findings indicate decreases over time in sexual victimization of females at the most vulnerable point in their lives: early childhood. In assessing trends in the prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence over time, findings contrast somewhat with those of government sources such as the Uniform Crime Reports and the National Crime Victimization Survey. The findings suggest that the rate of the lifetime prevalence of sexual victimization has remained unchanged for women between the ages of 18 and 60. However, a non-statistical significant trend indicates that the prevalence of sexual assault has increased slightly among younger women. In other words, victimization tactics appear to have shifted slightly, such that women may be at increased risk of sexual victimization in adolescence and young adulthood and more likely to be assaulted by partners or acquaintances. This study, surveying women from Washington State having experienced sexual assault, adds to the emerging picture of sexual violence trends by examining differences in the prevalence and nature of victimization across cohorts and women victimized in different historical periods. Table, figures, and references