Abuse Experiences of Family Members, Child Maltreatment, and the Development of Sex Offending Among Incarcerated Adolescent Males: Differences Between Adolescent Sex Offenders and Adolescent Non-Sex Offenders. (February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McCuish, Evan C.; Cale, Jesse; Corrado, Raymond R.
• Is Part Of: International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology. Volume 61:Number 2(2017)
• Page Start: 127
• Page End: 149
• Publication Date: 2017-02
• Subjects: familial abuse -- juvenile sex offenders -- physical abuse -- sexual abuse -- sexual offending; Criminals -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Criminal psychology -- Periodicals; Violent offenders -- Periodicals; Sex offenders -- Periodicals; Criminology -- Periodicals; 364.3
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X15597492
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-624X

Abstract

Child sexual abuse is considered a risk factor for the development of sexual offending in adolescence. Beyond this, comparisons of the risk factor profiles between adolescent sex offenders (ASOs) and adolescent non-sex offenders (ANSOs) have uncovered minimal differences. However, differences between ASOs and ANSOs in terms of patterns in the abuse histories of their family members have rarely been studied. The aim in the current study was to retrospectively examine histories of abuse among family members of ASOs compared with ANSOs to determine whether and how these were related to youth abuse experiences and sexual offending in adolescence. The current study is based on a sample of 482 incarcerated male adolescents (ASOs = 67, ANSOs = 415). Latent class analysis was conducted to determine multidimensional familial abuse profiles, and a series of logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between family abuse profiles, youth abuse experiences, and adolescent sexual offending. Overall, familial abuse profiles were related to subsequent youth abuse experiences and sexual offending, and these abuse profiles differentiated ASOs and ANSOs.