EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE AND ADULT SEXUAL PERPETRATION

Empirical findings indicate that many adult sexual offenders experienc ed sexual abuse during childhood. It has been suggested that character istics of offenders' sexual perpetrating behaviors may resemble their own victimization experiences, although there has been minimal empiric al investigation in this area. The purpose of the present study was to provide preliminary data on the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and characteristics of sexual offending behavior A sample of ad ult male sexual offenders with histories of sexual abuse completed the Sexual Victimization Survey as well as a measure on their sexual offe nses. Such characteristics as the nature of sexual activities, duratio n and frequency of experiences, and age and relationship of participan ts were examined Results showed trends in the hypothesized direction a nd revealed a variety of similarities between childhood sexual abuse a nd adult sexual perpetration. Findings of this exploratory study sugge st the importance of addressing the nature of victimization in the tre atment of sexually abused boys and offenders with histories of sexual abuse.