Profiling children sexual abuse in a sample of university students: A study on characteristic of victims, abusers, and abuse episodes

Castro A. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Moreno J.D. ; Maté B. ; Ibáñez-Vidal J. ; Barrada J.R. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: 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; Mage = 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.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094610

Año: 2021

Publicado en: International journal of environmental research and public health 18, 9 (2021), 4610 [9 pp.]
ISSN: 1661-7827

Factor impacto JCR: 4.614 (2021)

Categ. JCR: PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH rank: 45 / 182 = 0.247 (2021) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES rank: 100 / 279 = 0.358 (2021) - Q2 - T2
Categ. JCR: PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH rank: 71 / 210 = 0.338 (2021) - Q2 - T2

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 4.5 - Medicine (Q2) - Environmental Science (Q2)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 0.814 - Pollution (Q1) - Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/S31-20D

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Psicología Social (Dpto. Psicología y Sociología)
Área (Departamento): Área Metod.Ciencias Comportam. (Dpto. Psicología y Sociología)