The Differing Risk Factors and Characteristics of Intrafamilial and Extrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse

Download or read book The Differing Risk Factors and Characteristics of Intrafamilial and Extrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse written by Sarah Henry and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines some of the characteristics and risk factors of intrafamilial (family) and extrafamilial (outsider) child sexual. Few studies have examined the characteristics of either type of abuse. Many studies look at risk factors but do not examine abuse by family members and outsiders separately. I emphasize the role of opportunity, i.e., the circumstances that bring victims in contact with offenders in the absence of guardians. I use a survey of children to look at a childs age, gender, and family structure to see if they affect whether the child is abused and whether the abuser is a family member or an outsider. I identify which is more likely to be repeated and which is more likely to have a greater level of intimacy. I use binomial and multinomial logistic regression as well as chi-square. The results suggest that the younger a child is the more at risk they are for family sexual abuse. Females are more likely to be abused than males by family members and outsiders. Reconstituted families and single parent families are particularly likely to increase the risk of sexual abuse in general and by family members. Abuse by outsiders is likely to involve more intimate sexual encounters than family abuse. This knowledge gives us a greater understanding of who is at risk and what they are at risk of when looking at family and outsider child sexual abuse.