Abstract
Child sexual abuse (CSA) includes abusive contact experiences, which habitually impact the victim’s whole life. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of six CSA experiences with physical contact, including penetration, in a representative sample of the Spanish population. Participants were 1071 Spanish adults (53% males; Mage: 45.37) who completed the Child Sexual Abuse Experiences Questionnaire. The victim’s age at the first episode, the perpetrator’s characteristics, and the number of times that each experience occurred were analyzed, taking into account gender differences. Results were reported for every experience independently. The most prevalent age at the first experience was from 6 years old onwards, but with differences in some experiences. The abuses usually happened more than once, committed by the same person. The most prevalent perpetrator is a male, although a female perpetrator is more prevalent in male victims. Most of the abuses were committed by an adult acquaintance, a strange adult, and other minors, with some gender differences. The implications of the results concerning every CSA experience are discussed, highlighting their value for future research and practice, the design of preventive programs, and early detection of CSA.
Highlights
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a complex phenomenon referring to the involvement of a minor in acts that pursue the sexual gratification of another person who is in a position of power or inequality, and in the absence of true consent, constituting an abusive and undesired experience [1]
This study aims to analyze the characteristics of six different CSA experiences with physical contact, including penetration, in a representative
Concerning the relationship of the perpetrator with the victim, the results show that adults acquaintances, strange adults, and other minors are the three most common perpetrators in all the CSA experiences
Summary
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a complex phenomenon referring to the involvement of a minor in acts that pursue the sexual gratification (physical or mental) of another person who is in a position of power or inequality, and in the absence of true consent, constituting an abusive and undesired experience [1]. CSA can include both non-contact and contact experiences [2]. Studies have considered diverse approaches to CSA, some of them analyzing CSA in a broad sense (including non-contact and contact abuse experiences), whereas others use a narrow definition (more restricted, such as forced intercourse or contact abuse) [3]. Contact abuse experiences include sexual acts, such as those involving penetration or intentional touching (fondling, rubbing, or kissing) without penetration [3,4,5]. Studies vary regarding the definitions of CSA
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