Sexual Abuse & Delinquent Adolescent Girls

Are girls at higher risk for juvenile delinquency as a function of being sexually abused as children? This study examined this question using a sample of delinquent adolescent girls 13 to 17 years of age, all of whom had been placed on probation by the Wayne County Juvenile Court. Specifically, the conducted study examined whether the occurrence of sexual abuse in the sample was greater than what might be expected on the basis of chance alone.

In addition, the occurrence of sexual abuse was examined for association with several subject demographic variables (grade level, ethnicity, living situation, highest grade received by the primary caregiver, mother's age at daughter's birth, whether the mother was herself sexually abused, and income source) in order to determine whether sexual abuse occurred more frequently as a result of differences in demographic background.

Also, for those subjects who were sexually abused, descriptive analyses were conducted to compile a profile of the nature of the abuse experienced by these girls. The sexual abuse characteristics that were examined in these analyses were:

(a) how often the abuse occurred (daily, weekly, 1-3 times a month, less than monthly); (b) who committed the abuse; (c) the length of time the abuse lasted; (d) whether the abuse was reported; (e) the length of time that went by before the abuse was reported; (f) whether counseling was received; and (f) whether delinquent activities starte

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nquent girls that reported themselves sexually abused, what are the typical characteristics associated, e.g., how often the abuse occurred, who committed the abuse; the length of time the abuse lasted; whether the abuse was reported; the length of time that went by before the abuse was reported; whether counseling was received; and whether delinquency occurred prior to the abuse. METHOD Subjects A total of 50 adolescent girls between the ages of 13 and 17 years, all of whom were currently on probation via the juvenile court, served as subjects in the study. Subjects were randomly selected from a roster of all 13 to 17 year old girls currently placed on probation by the Wayne County Court System. Subject selection methods began with using official Wayne County Court records to develop a roster of 200 delinquent girls between the ages of 13 and 17 years, all of whom had been placed on probation by the Wayne County Court System. The roster was numbered and the researcher randomly selected every fifth name from the roster as potential subject candidates for a total of 50 girls. Those selected were then contacted by the researcher and asked to participate in the study. They were told that their participation was voluntary and

Category: Psychology - S