Does Childhood Sexual Abuse Victimization Translate Into Juvenile Sexual Offending? New Evidence
The cycle of violence thesis posits that early exposure to maltreatment increases the likelihood of later maladaptive and antisocial behaviors. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) specifically has been shown to increase the likelihood of sexual offending, although less is known about its linkages
to other forms of crime. Based on data from 2,520 incarcerated male juvenile offenders from a large southern state, hierarchical logistic regression models suggested that CSA increased the likelihood of later sexual offending nearly sixfold (467% increase). However, CSA was associated with
an 83% reduced likelihood of homicide offending and 68% reduced likelihood of serious person/property offending. These findings suggest further support for the cycle of violence where CSA promotes sexual offending but novel findings regarding the linkages between CSA and other forms
of crime.
Keywords: CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE (CSA); CRIME; CYCLE OF VIOLENCE; JUVENILE SEX OFFENDER; SEX OFFENDING; VICTIMIZATION
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 August 2014
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