Child sexual abuse: A reality for both sexes

Abstract

Despite growing awareness regarding the reality of child sexual abuse (CSA), a paucity of studies have examined whether the determinants, risk factors, and aftermath of CSA differ between male and female victims. This paper attempts to provide an empirical and conceptual review of research findings to date. There is evidence that CSA against boys is under-reported, and that male victims are given less counselling than females, despite the prevalence of comparable psychological sequelae. It is argued that further research into gender differences associated with CSA needs to be conducted because the conclusions of existing studies are tenuous. Future research may (a) lead to an elaboration and assessment of current conceptualisations of CSA that predominantly focus on female victims, and (b) facilitate the development and implementation of gender-based public policy in relation to CSA.