Citation

Goodkind SA, Ng I, Sarri RC. Violence Against Women 2006; 12(5): 456-477.

Affiliation

Center on Race and Social Problems, University of Pittsburgh, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801206288142

PMID

16617171

Abstract

Girls in the juvenile justice system have high rates of past sexual abuse. To better understand the relationship between sexual abuse and justice system involvement, we analyzed survey interviews with 169 young women involved or at risk of involvement with juvenile justice, comparing girls who experienced sexual abuse with those who did not. Girls experiencing sexual abuse had more negative mental health, school, substance use, risky sexual behavior, and delinquency outcomes. These findings highlight a need for interventions to assist girls who have experienced abuse and efforts to prevent abuse and improve child welfare and social service systems.

Language: en