A Recurring Nightmare: Risk and Protective Factors for Revictimization of Child Sexual Abuse in Chile

Abstract

ABSTRACT Child and adolescent victims of sexual crimes are at high risk for further abuse, which translates in a relatively higher risk of revictimization for a child or adolescent who has already been a victim of sexual abuse, compared to one who has not. Although sexual revictimization has been extensively studied in young and adult populations, much less is known about occurrences in childhood and adolescence. In this vein, this article seeks to identify risk of, and protective factors against, revictimization in a census sample of victims under 18 years of age in Chile. Risk and protective factors were studied in a database of all complaints of sexual offenses against children and adolescents registered at two time-points over two years: first, during 2012, and again through January 2015. Using multiple logistic regression, we identified risk factors associated with the probability of sexual revictimization, such as sex of the perpetrator (OR = 3.6 for female perpetrators), previous sexual offenses attributed to perpetrators (OR = 1.8), age of victim at the time of abuse (6–12 OR = .77; 13–17 = OR = .69), and minimization of abuse (OR = 1.3). Finally, interaction tests identified an association between the sex of the original perpetrator and the sex of the victim, as well as an association between the sex of the original perpetrator and the age of the victim. The implications of these findings for victim protection and victimological public policy are discussed.