Profiling Children Sexual Abuse in a Sample of University Students

A Study on Characteristic of Victims, Abusers, and Abuse Episodes

Bibliographic Data

ID15465293
AuthorsÁngel Castro (0000-0002-9813-9507, Universidad de Zaragoza), Jonathan D Moreno (0000-0002-4254-7907, Universidad de Zaragoza), José David Moreno (0000-0003-0513-1205, Universidad de Zaragoza), Berta Maté (Universidad de Zaragoza), Javier Ibáñez-Vidal (Universidad de Zaragoza), Juan Ramón Barrada (0000-0001-6887-6277, Universidad de Zaragoza, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume18
Issue9
Pages4610-4610
Publication date2021-04-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph18094610
PMID33925293
OpenAlexW3159572904
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited19

Because of its prevalence and its potential negative consequences, child sexual abuse (CSA) is a public health problem in every country in the world. Knowledge of the characteristics of abuse episodes (victim, abuser, relationship between them, type of sexual contact, duration, threat and/or use of force) is essential to specify the contents of intervention programs for the detection and reduction of the negative consequences of CSA. Starting with an initial sample of 1605 university students of both sexes (70.9% women, 29.1% men), aged between 18 and 26 years ( M = 21.1, SD = 2.2), 90 participants who had suffered an episode of CSA up to age 16 were selected (84.4% women, 15.6% men; M age = 21.1, SD = 2.2). It was found that: (1) there was a higher prevalence of CSA among women and that the victims' average age when they suffered abuse was around 11 years; (2) the abusers were mostly male, close to the victims, and with an average of slightly less than 30 years; and (3) there was a significant proportion (25.6%) of CSA cases with penetration and in which force was used or threatened. These results are relevant, as they show that there is still a noteworthy prevalence of CSA cases on university campuses that needs to be addressed. Knowing the characteristics of these episodes is critical to implementing more effective interventions

Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Poison control · Profiling (computer programming · Psychiatry · Sexual abuse · Child Abuse and Trauma · Clinical Psychology · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies

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