Individual, family and abuse characteristics of 700 British child and adolescent sexual abusers

Hackett, Simon, Masson, Helen, Balfe, Myles and Phillips, Josie (2013) Individual, family and abuse characteristics of 700 British child and adolescent sexual abusers. Child Abuse Review. ISSN 0952-9136

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Abstract

The individual, family and abuse characteristics of 700 children and young people referred to nine UK services over a nine-year period as a result of their sexually abusive behaviours were examined. The most common age at referral was 15 years, though a third of all referrals related to children aged 13 or under. Thirty-eight percent of the sample was identified as learning disabled. Surprisingly high rates of sexual and non-sexual victimisation were present in the backgrounds of the children and young people referred. A wide range of abusive behaviour was perpetrated with just over half of the sample having penetrated or having attempted to penetrate another individual. Victims were usually known to the abuser but in 75% of cases were not related. Fifty-one percent of the sample abused females only, though 49% had at least one male victim. The implications for policy and practice with children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours are discussed.

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