Contemporary Risk Assessment Tools: Should We Use Them for Sexually Abusive Children Ages 4 to 12Years?

Abstract

Empirical findings are reported on an age group of sexually abusive youth (4-12years) not commonly studied. Findings are from major studies employing the ecologically framed MEGA ♪ risk assessment tool: MEGA ♪ Combined Samples Studies (N =3901 [1979-2017] (Miccio-Fonseca Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Special Issue on Risk Assessment of Sexually Abusive Youth, 2018a, Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 2018b) and MEGA ♪ Combined Cross Validation Studies (N =2717). Samples consisted of male, female, and transgender-female, ages 4-19 with coarse sexual improprieties and/or sexually abusive youth, including youth with low intellectual functioning. Findings provided normative data, with cut-off scores according to age and gender, establishing four (calibrated) risk levels: Low, Moderate, High, and Very-High. The fourth risk level, Very-High Risk, sets MEGA ♪ apart from other risk assessment tools by the ability to assess those few most seriously concerning and/or dangerous youth, whereas other risk tools (with three risk levels) do not make this differentiation.