Most Female Child Molesters Were Victims Of Sexual Abuse, Study Suggests
childadvocate
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101605.htm
ScienceDaily (May 13, 2008) - A University of Georgia study that is
the first to systematically examine a large sample of female child
molesters finds that many of them were themselves victims of sexual
abuse as children. The finding, published in the April issue of the
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, has the potential to help break the
cycle of abuse by improving treatment for offenders and their young
victims. "This study informs us about the pathway to becoming sexually
deviant for females," said study author Susan Strickland, assistant
professor in the UGA School of Social Work. "With that knowledge, we
can improve treatment and reduce the likelihood of future sexual
assaults on children." Strickland said the sexual abuse of minors by
women has been largely ignored by the general public, the legal system
and by academic researchers.
Many people believe that women are not capable of committing such
acts, she said, and the abuse of boys by women is often dismissed as
the boys sowing their oats or even being lucky. The truth is that both
boys and girls are molested by female perpetrators and these victims
often suffer a myriad of consequences affecting their sexuality,
relationships and beliefs about themselves and others. Childhood
sexual abuse also has been linked to a host of emotional and
behavioral problems, such as substance abuse and eating disorders. The
true prevalence of female sexual abuse on children is unknown, but a
commonly accepted figure is that five to seven percent of sex crimes
are committed by females. Studies on female sex offenders are rare,
and most have been descriptive in nature, used small samples and have
not used valid statistical measures or control groups.
Strickland's study, the largest of its kind, surveyed 130 incarcerated
females - 60 of which were sex offenders and 70 of which were
nonsexual offenders - and examined factors such as childhood trauma,
substance abuse, emotional neediness and personality disorders. While
the majority of both groups reported being the victims of childhood
maltreatment, the sex offenders were significantly more likely to
experience pervasive, serious and more frequent emotional abuse,
physical abuse and neglect. "We've pretty much known that the majority
of women in prison have had bad childhoods and that many suffered
childhood sexual abuse," Strickland said. "But the subgroup of female
sex offenders has suffered significantly more abuse, particularly
sexual abuse." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101605.htm