Citation

McKillop N, Brown S, Smallbone S, Pritchard K. Child Abuse Negl. 2015; 46: 37-46.

Affiliation

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mt. Gravatt, Queensland 4122, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.02.014

PMID

25777943

Abstract

A sample of males who had first committed sexual offences against children in either adolescence (n=230; M=14.0 years, SD=1.5) or adulthood (n=280; M=34.4 years, SD=11.7) were compared on measures relating to the circumstances of their first known sexual abuse incident. Considerable diversity in the circumstances of these first incidents was observed for both groups. However, adulthood-onset sexual abuse most often occurred following a long-standing familial relationship with a female victim, and in a home setting. The first incident for adolescence-onset offenders also tended to occur in the context of a long-term relationship and against a female child in a home setting, but more commonly against a nonfamilial victim. Adulthood-onset offenders abused older children, were more likely to engage in penetrative sexual behaviors, and went on to abuse over a longer duration than adolescence-onset offenders. Adolescence-onset offences were more likely to be witnessed by a third party.

FINDINGS and their implications for prevention are considered from a situational crime prevention perspective.

Language: en