Childhood Sexual Abuse Case Study

This paper will analyze the problem of Jessica as the female perpetrator of the sexual abuse of a male named Trevor. The scope of the problem, the relevant short and long-term sequelae, its etiological theoretical explanations and the empirical evidence in their support, and both risk and protective factors will be explored. The paper will conclude with a critical analysis of related discursive elements, assumptions and value hierarchies, and the role of structural factors in shaping the problem conceptualization.

When attempting to understand the scope of the problem of female perpetrated male child sexual abuse (CSA), one would generally look to incidence and prevalence rates. When doing so, it is important to clarify the difference between

Diverging opinions on the age for sexual consent, sexual maturity and the cut-off age for childhood further complicate the issue (Collin-Vézina, Daigneault, & Hébert, 2013, p. 2; Stoltenborgh et al., 2011, p. 80). Although no single prevailing definition of what constitutes childhood sexual abuse exists, it is generally understood as a child being forced or coerced into sexual activity, or taken advantage of for sexual purposes by someone older and/or a ‘person in charge’ who is in a power position (Collin-Vézina et al., 2013, p. 2; Jaffe, MacQuarrie, Straatman, & Reid, 2011, p. 6; Scrandis & Watt, 2014, p. 706). Furthermore, a child under 16 years of age is not considered capable of consenting to sexual activity (excluding a narrow ‘close in age’ exception) because they are considered to be insufficiently aware of the implications of sexual activity, so even when they may think they are consenting, it is understood to be only because they are being manipulated from within the context of a trusting relationship with the perpetrator (Jaffe et al., 2011, p. 6; Valente, 2005, p.

Stoltenborgh et al. (2011) found a significant difference in the prevalence of self-reported sexual abuse between boys and girls globally (p. 89). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that although 1 in 6 males are sexually abused before age 18, boys’ tendency to “disclose less often than girls…has limited the delineation of the problem” (Scrandis, 2014, p. 706). Scrandis (2014) found that in a study of children aged 3-18, barriers to disclosure were “threats made by the perpetrator, fear, lack of opportunity and/or understanding, and an existing relationship with the perpetrator” (p. 706). Furthermore, when attempting to measure the scope of the problem of male child sexual abuse perpetrated by a female, there are also barriers to reporting related to societal perceptions of this kind of abuse. Rudin, Zalewski, & Bodmer-Turner (1995) found an underreporting of female sexual offenders which has limited researchers’ ability to collect accurate data on the population (p. 964). Whether or not society and relevant professionals are willing to “label a behavior as sexual offending when it is perpetrated by a woman” (Gannon & Cortoni, 2010, p. 182) affects our understanding of this