Sexual victimization in minors and mental health issues
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15698596 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Benito León del Barco (0000-0003-0061-9498), Benito León-del-Barco (Universidad de Extremadura, corresponding author), Carolina Bringas-Molleda (Universidad de Extremadura), María Isabel Polo-Del-Río (Universidad de Extremadura), Julián Álvarez-Delgado (0009-0002-8293-778X, Universidad de Extremadura), Santiago Mendo-Lázaro (0000-0002-4377-8416, Universidad de Extremadura), Víctor López-Ramos (Universidad de Extremadura) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 181-181 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMC Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2050-7283 • E-ISSN: 2050-7283 |
| Publisher | BioMed Central (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s40359-025-03926-z |
| PMID | 41514299 |
| OpenAlex | W7119746320 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
Sexual victimization in children and adolescents is a serious form of child abuse that violates the rights of children and adolescents, and that can lead to negative consequences for their mental health. The present research tries to analyze the relation existing between being a victim of sexual violence and mental health problems. A total of 519 students participated, aged between 10 and 18 years (M = 12.49; SD = 1.949), belonging to primary and secondary schools, 246 were female (47.39%), and 273 (52.60%) were male. The Sexual Violence Questionnaire-Victim Version (SVQ-VV) was used to assess different types of sexual violence (physical, verbal and cyber violence) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ - self-report version for mental health problems. The results indicate that sexual violence against children is associated with certain mental health problems, both internalizing and externalizing. Furthermore, the likelihood of encountering externalizing problems is twice as high in minors who are victims of physical sexual violences. This research sheds light on the dynamics of sexual violence against children and adolescents, providing relevant information on the relationship between the type of sexual violence and its consequences on the victim’s mental health. The findings highlight the importance of early detection and differentiated interventions in child and adolescent victims of sexual violence. Preventive policies and multidisciplinary support programs are crucial to mitigate the long-term psychological consequences of sexual violence. Therefore, given the current situation regarding this issue, we believe that training professionals in the detection of different forms of sexual violence is crucial to providing appropriate intervention responses concerning victims’ mental health
Child sexual abuse · Domestic violence · Intervention (counseling · Mental health · Poison control · Psychological intervention · Sexual abuse · Sexual violence · Child Abuse and Trauma · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
Childhood Externalizing Behavior
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
La representación de la violencia sexual en las series de ficción
Sexual Victimization in Early Childhood
Parental Psychological Control and Emotional and Behavioral Disorders among Spanish Adolescents
The classification of child psychopathology
Investigation of suicide probability in sexually abused adolescents and the associated factors
Cyberbullying
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |