title: Sex differences in childhood sexual abuse characteristics and victims' emotional and behavioral problems: findings from a national sample of youth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The first objective of this study was to test for sex differences in four childhood sexual abuse characteristics-penetration, substantiation, perpetrator familial status, and multi-maltreatment-in a national sample of youth. The second objective was to test for sex differences in how these abuse characteristics were associated with victims' emotional and behavioral problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample was drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a sample of children investigated by United States child welfare services. Youth in the current study (n=573, including 234 adolescents) were investigated for alleged sexual abuse. Logistic regression and multivariate analysis of covariance were used to test for sex differences in abuse characteristics, and to determine whether sex moderated associations between abuse characteristics and emotional and behavioral problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Girls were more likely than boys to have their abuse substantiated and to experience penetrative abuse (although differences in penetration status did not emerge among adolescents). Substantiation status and child age were positively associated with caregiver-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Sex did not moderate the relationship between abuse characteristics and youth emotional and behavioral problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sexual abuse characteristics might not be highly predictive factors when making decisions about services needs. Furthermore, there may not be a strong empirical basis for operating on the assumption that one sex is more vulnerable to negative consequences of abuse than the other, or that abuse affects girls and boys differently. The processes explaining why some victims exhibit more impairment than others are likely complex.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, 3720 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea Kohn
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Maikovich-Fong
authors.forename: Sara R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Jaffee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States
references.citation: J Pediatr Psychol. 1986 Mar;11(1):47-57
references.pmid: 3958867
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1998 Mar;33(3):111-7
references.pmid: 9540385
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1985;9(2):191-9
references.pmid: 4005659
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003 Mar;42(3):269-78
references.pmid: 12595779
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2001 May;91(5):753-60
references.pmid: 11344883
references.citation: Arch Sex Behav. 1989 Jun;18(3):203-15
references.pmid: 2751415
references.citation: Pain. 2001 May;92(1-2):283-93
references.pmid: 11323150
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2004 Feb;45(2):260-73
references.pmid: 14982240
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1991;15(4):537-56
references.pmid: 1959086
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1989;13(1):111-9
references.pmid: 2706553
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 2004 Jul;28(7):723-7
references.pmid: 15261467
references.citation: Arch Sex Behav. 1997 Apr;26(2):105-41
references.pmid: 9101030
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1998 Sep;22(9):901-13
references.pmid: 9777260
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1986 Jan;99(1):66-77
references.pmid: 3704036
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1999 Dec;67(6):867-80
references.pmid: 10596509
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1987 Mar;101(2):213-32
references.pmid: 3562706
references.citation: Dev Psychol. 2007 Sep;43(5):1140-55
references.pmid: 17723041
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1990;14(1):19-28
references.pmid: 2310970
references.citation: Fam Pract. 2002 Feb;19(1):36-44
references.pmid: 11818348
references.citation: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005 Feb;33(1):39-53
references.pmid: 15759590
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1998 Oct;22(10):1005-12
references.pmid: 9793723
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1993 Jan;113(1):164-80
references.pmid: 8426874
references.citation: J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs. 2005 Jan-Mar;18(1):10-6
references.pmid: 15701094
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1999 Feb;23(2):115-28
references.pmid: 10075182
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997 Mar;36(3):323-9
references.pmid: 9055512
references.citation: Child Abuse Negl. 1990;14(1):29-40
references.pmid: 2310971