Characteristics of children with problem sexual behaviour and adolescent perpetrators of sexual abuse: a systematic review. Issue 1 (2nd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Malvaso, Catia G.; Proeve, Michael; Delfabbro, Paul; Cale, Jesse
• Is Part Of: Journal of sexual aggression. Volume 26:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 36
• Page End: 61
• Publication Date: 2020-01-02
• Subjects: Harmful sexual behaviour -- adolescent sex offender -- institutional abuse -- child sexual abuse -- developmental and life-course criminology -- developmental psychology; Sex crimes -- Periodicals; Sexual animosity -- Periodicals; Sex offenders -- Periodicals; 306.7705
• DOI: 10.1080/13552600.2019.1651914
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1355-2600

Abstract

ABSTRACT: People who commit sexual offences are a heterogeneous group, with research suggesting that children and young people commit a large proportion of all sex offences, especially those committed against other children. This systematic review provides a synthesis of literature concerning the characteristics of children and adolescents who exhibit harmful sexual behaviour. There is a particular focus in this review on studies that examine the characteristics of children and young people exhibiting these behaviours within institutional and organisational settings or which take a situational and/or developmental approach to understanding sexually abusive behaviour. Using a developmental and life-course criminology lens, this review explores implications from the literature for the prevention and response to child sexual abuse, with a particular focus on institutional contexts where the perpetrators are children and adolescents.