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Testing the "Sexually Abused-Abuser Hypothesis” in Adolescents: A Population-Based Study

Aebi, Marcel ; Landolt, Markus ; Mueller-Pfeiffer, Christoph ; Schnyder, Ulrich ; Maier, Thomas ; Mohler-Kuo, Meichun

In: Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2015, vol. 44, no. 8, p. 2189-2199

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    Titre
    • Testing the "Sexually Abused-Abuser Hypothesis” in Adolescents: A Population-Based Study
    Auteur
    • Aebi, Marcel. University Clinics of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Neptunstrasse 60, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Landolt, Markus. Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Mueller-Pfeiffer, Christoph. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Schnyder, Ulrich. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Maier, Thomas. Center of Education and Research (COEUR), Psychiatric Services of the County of St. Gallen-North, Wil, Switzerland
    • Mohler-Kuo, Meichun. Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2015, vol. 44, no. 8, p. 2189-2199. Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:332196
    Summary
    A long-standing belief in the literature on sex offenders is that sexually victimized youths are at increased risk of becoming sex offenders themselves. The present study tested the link between past sexual abuse, either with or without contact, and sexually offending behavior in a representative sample of male and female adolescents while controlling for other types of abuse, mental health problems, substance use, and non-sexual violent behaviors. Self-reported data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 6,628 students attending 9th grade public school in Switzerland (3,434 males, 3,194 females, mean age=15.50years, SD=0.66years). Exposure to contact and non-contact types of sexual abuse was assessed using the Child Sexual Abuse Questionnaire and sexually offending behavior by the presence of any of three behaviors indicating sexual coercion. Two-hundred-forty-five males (7.1%) and 40 females (1.2%) reported having sexually coerced another person. After controlling for non-sexual abuse, low parent education, urban versus rural living, mental health problems, substance use, and non-sexual violent behavior, male adolescents who were victims of contact sexual abuse and non-contact sexual abuse were significantly more likely to report coercive sexual behaviors. Females who experienced contact or non-contact sexual abuse were also found at increased risk of committing sexual coercion after controlling for covariates. The present findings demonstrate a strong relationship between past sexual abuse, with and without physical contact, and sexual-offending behavior in male and female adolescents. Reducing exposure to non-contact sexual abuse (like Internet-based sexual exploitation) should become a new area of sexual violence prevention in youths.