SEXUAL ABUSE OF MALE CHILDREN.   Term Paper ID:18886 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Definition, incidence, incest, characteristics of victims & perpetrators, family aspects, effects on child, treatment.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Definition, incidence, incest, characteristics of victims & perpetrators, family aspects, effects on child, treatment. Paper Introduction: Sexual Abuse of Male Children Once a phenomenon downplayed and ignored by American society, child abuse is currently a topic well-acknowledged in the media and of prominent concern to social scientists, physicians, teachers, and parents. Child abuse takes many different forms, including physical abuse, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Of the three, sexual abuse has proven to be perhaps the most controversial, and has recently received considerable attention. However, the focus of this attention has been upon female child victims of sexual abuse. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issues involved in the relatively unacknowledged and not-well-understood phenomenon of sexual abuse of male children. In order to discuss the subject of child sexual abuse, it is Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. She characterizes the typical mother andfather perpetrators as having "emotional, social, and psychologicalproblems compounded by poor impulse control, low self-esteem and alcoholabuse . Summit, R.C. Of the three, sexual abuse has proven to beperhaps the most controversial, and has recently received considerableattention. Child Abuse &Neglect, 13, 281-291. Much less is known about the incestuous mother, a factor related tothe underreporting of sexual abuse by males. Finally, information regarding the sexual abuse of males is lessavailable than that on female sexual abuse because of a practical reason:up until recently, the major source of data on child sexual abuse was thechild protection system which has traditionally dealt only with cases wherethe abuser is a caretaker, or where a caretaker allows the abuse. 66). As more data are gathered concerning the effects ofsexual abuse on male children, specific treatment plans designed for thispopulation's special needs should be developed. Role reversal is key to the relationship,with the mother viewing the child as replacing the father (Forward & Buck,1978). Child Abuse & Neglect, 12(2),181-188. (1988). This fact first became evident as studies ofalcoholics and drug abusers demonstrated rates of childhood sexual abusebetween 3 percent and 44 percent, as opposed to a 1 percent rate in theaverage population (Schaefer, Sobieraj & Hollyfield, 1988; Singer, Petchers& Hussey, 1989). R.S. This fact helps toexonerate many accused molesters in clinical examination and characterendorsement proceedings (Summit, 1983). Sanford (198 ) describes this type of offender asemotionally underdeveloped, overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life,unable to cope with lack of structure, and having an intense need for loveby the child. There is widespread societal belief that women cannot be sexually abusive to their children and at worst their behavior is labeled as seductive and not harmful. Child Abuse & Neglect, 7, 177-193. The behavior often begins with subtle overtures,such as exposure and fondling. As children and adolescents, abuse victims demonstrateself-blame, shame, fear of homosexuality, self-destructive behavior,suicidal ideation, withdrawal, and delinquent behavior (Myers, 1989; Vargoet al.,1988). Vander-Mey, B.J. Singer, M.I., Petchers, M.K., & Hussey, D. Sanford writes that "manyoffenders choose boy victims, first and foremost, because they want to havesex with a child, and individual circumstances dictate that boys are themost accessible children" (198 , p. (198 ). The exact nature of the abuse runs the gamut of noactual physical contact (such as when the adult exposes his genitals infront of the child) to fondling and kissing the child, to actual sexualpenetration (Groth & Birnbaum, 1979). Even if he ismarried, his object of sexual arousal is children, and his wife is more ofa mother to him than a partner. Summit (1983) writes that the male victim is much moreintolerant of his helplessness than female victims and more likely to turnhis rage outward into aggressive and antisocial behavior. 468). The molester does not view the boy so much as amale sexual object, but rather as a child sexual object. (1978). Schultz (Ed.). Perhaps one of the major differences lies in the fact that thefather is often not physically available to the mother (because of divorceor separation), while in father-daughter incest the unavailability of thespouse (wife) is usually emotional. (1983). New York: Penguin. As with any otherchild molester, the same-sex offender desires the child primarily for hiscompliance and lack of expectations. To go outside the family to have any of his needs met is out of thequestion because "the self-concept of the man revolves around the existenceof the family unit" (Sanford, 198 , p. Adult male report of childhood sexual abuse bymothers: Case descriptions, motivations and long-term consequences. Child Abuse& Neglect, 12, 141-149. New York: Plenum. (1989). American Journal of Psychiatry, 187, 8 6-81 . Faller (1989), on theother hand, found her subjects to be from the middle and lower class;however, all subjects were drawn from the public protective serviceagencies which rarely receive referrals from the upper middle classfamilies. contacts orinteractions between a child and an adult when the child is being used forthe sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or another person when theperpetrator is in a position of power or control over the victim" (NationalCenter on Child Abuse, 1978). He is differentiated fromother types of offenders by his use of violence and intimidation, histendency to choose strangers for victims, his lack of desire to have arelationship with the victim, and the fact that he is more likely to engagein sexual intercourse with the child (as opposed to exhibitionism orfondling) (Groth, 1979; Sanford, 198 ). Cavaiola & Schiff (1988) state that "as a group, abuse victims [bothmale and female] tend to come from dysfunctional homes marked by divorce,chemical dependency And psychiatric histories" (p. Groth, A.N., & Burgess, A.W. Preying on playgrounds: The sexploitation ofchildren in pornography and prostitution. Krug, R.S. This is interesting information, but pointsmore to the conclusion that there may be little difference between malechild perpetrators and female child perpetrators. . Men who rape: The psychologyof the offender. This would seem particularly important with regard to male victimssince they show a tendency to act out their feelings in more aggressiveways towards others. Forward, S., & Buck, C. The sexual victimization of male children: A review of previous research. . 159). Faller's extensive study of male and female sexual abuse victims alsolists some of the characteristics of the perpetrators (Faller, 1989). Sanford goes on to explain thatchild sexual molestation is usually a premeditated act that requires theestablishment of a close, personal relationship with the child. Contraryto what most people would like to believe, he is neither a freak nor acriminal. In any particular case of childsexual abuse, two or more of these types of victimization may be involved.In general, the offender (or molester, or perpetrator) gains sexual accessto the child either through pressure (via enticement, encouragement, orinstruction) or by forcing the child into the compliance through threatsand intimidation. Myers, M.F. (1988) recommend thattreatment be influenced by the nature of the sexual experience since thefocus may be different for a rape victim or victim of molestation by anacquaintance vs. She explains the difference bythe fact that a higher percentage of the girls were sexually abused withinthe family (and therefore more likely to be reported to protectiveservices). 124). The story of the ravishing,seductive little boy does not work as well as the 'Lolita made me do it'rationalization" (p. Garden City, NY: Anchor. (1989). These data suggest that drug prevention and treatment efforts shouldaddress the needs of children with histories of sexual victimization. ChildAbuse & Neglect, 13, 111-119. Male victims ofsexual abuse rarely tell anyone about their abuse at or even near the timeof occurrence (Groth & Birnbaum, 1979; Krug, 1989; Myers, 1989). Vander-Mey also provides one of the few general character profiles ofcertain subgroups of perpetrators of male child abuse, based upon herreview of previous literature. Ingeneral, perpetrators of male child abuse are professional men outside ofthe family (ie., teachers, day care providers), the biological father ofthe child, the stepfather, mothers, stepmothers, and family friends andacquaintances. Prevalenceof childhood physical abuse in adult male veteran alcoholics. 31).The incest offender often comes from a dysfunctional family lacking inwarmth or understanding, and he usually suffered physical or sexual abuseas a child. Vargo et al.(1988) discuss the need to address the intense anger, hostility and lowself-esteem of abuse victims, along with their lack of appropriate socialskills. Females are abused more by family members,and less by outside professionals or acquaintances. Vander-Mey (1988) cautiously reportsthat where the pedophile is a homosexual, a few differences have beennoted: the homosexual pedophile is "less achievement oriented, [has]weaker internal locus of control, [has] lower self-esteem, [is] lessaggressive, and [has] a stronger need to nurture" than the heterosexualpedophile or "normal" male (p. Most researchers agree that the answer lies in an underreporting ofcases due to overt and covert barriers to reporting. Why do abused youth have such a high rate of substance abuse? Incest is used to describethose situations where the child is in some way used sexually by a parent,older sibling, or other significant person in the child's family.Pedophilia refers to sexual contact by a nonfamily member; a pedophile isprimarily sexually interested in children, and a pederast is a male wholoves male children. (Forward & Buck, 1978, p. Sanford and others describe the incest offender as suffering from asevere lack of self-esteem and being ill-prepared for the responsibleposition he finds himself in as the center of his family's life. Faller did find one sex-related difference: female victims werepredominately from lower class families while male victims were evenlysplit between the lower and middle class. . (1988). (1988)indicate that "even by conservative estimates, one of every three femalesand one of every five males will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18"(p. Significantly, "almost half of fixated offenders were victims ofchild sexual abuse, usually victimized by a nonfamily member in a violentmanner" (Sanford, 198 , p. 124). Betrayal of innocence: Incest andits devastation. More importantly, it is a way of coping with an overwhelmingexternal reality through use of the disassociation effects of mood alteringchemicals (Singer et al. What are the characteristics of male victims of child sexual abuse?Some studies report that male children are younger than girls at the onsetof the abuse (Vander-Mey, 1988), while others report that they are olderthan girls (Faller, 1989). Singer, Petchers & Hussey (1989) report thatthe subjects in their study were primarily from middle and upper middleclass families--a finding explained by the fact that the subjects werepatients in a private adolescent psychiatric unit (which would befinancially unavailable to lower class families). Two significant perpetrator characteristics discussed above attest tothe important long-term effect of sexual abuse on male children: 1) themajority of perpetrators are male, and 2) most perpetrators have a historyof physical or sexual abuse in their childhood. A review of theliterature on child abuse reveals that differences in the personalitycharacteristics or backgrounds of child abuse offenders may not lie invictim sex, but more in the category of victimization, as described in thebeginning of this paper: 1) incest, 2) pedophilia, 3) rape, and 4)pornography. long-term incest. Further, father perpetrators tend to be physically abusive offamily members and were themselves victims of physical or child abuse"(Vander-Mey, 1988, p. . . Despite the age difference and his position of power in thecommunity and family, he sees himself as having a reciprocal, peer-likerelationship with his victim. (p. This makes sense if thevictims' characteristics are taken into consideration. Drugtreatment programs and psychiatric treatment centers already recognize thislink with females, but less so with males. Exploring the possible sexualabuse histories of males in treatment would seem highly appropriate,particularly since male children have traditionally been so reluctant toreport their abuse. However, Faller (1989) reports that a careful review ofsamples using college students, therapists, hospitals, adult offenders andsexual offenders reveals an incidence rate for male victims as high as 5 percent. Child Abuse & Neglect, 13, 319-325. Why is there such a discrepancy in incidence rates for male sexualabuse? Personal barriers to reporting include the following: 1) male denialof helplessness based upon society's belief that a male is expected to beable to defend himself against any assault, 2) fear that the victim'ssexuality may become suspect, 3) shame, 4) belief that passivity inresponse to sexual assault is equated with homosexuality, 5) fear ofdisbelief by others, and 5) avoidance of the distress involved in tellingabout the event (Groth & Burgess, 198 ; Vander-Mey, 1988). These categories are similar to those utilized by Sanford(198 ) to distinguish offenders. Sanford's "fixated" offender, similar to a pedophile, usually has alifelong history of primary sexual attraction to children. The fact that males are more likely to be abused by a nonfamilymember may also explain the fact that the males in Faller's study werereferred for treatment by courts and attorneys much more often thanfemales. Additionally, perpetrators ofmale child abuse tend to also abuse multiple victims--more so than in thecase of female child abuse perpetrators (Faller, 1989; Vander-Mey, 1988).Interestingly enough, twice as many boy molesters deny their molestation asdo girl molesters (Sanford, 198 ). Abusers of female children come from a similar population,but in different proportions. Vargo, Stravarkaki, Ellis, and Williams et al. (1979). 1989). (1978).Interdisciplinary Glossary on Child Abuse and Neglect. . 1 1). Singer, Petchers & Hussey (1989) found littledifference in the age of onset of,abuse in their sample of adolescent malesand females, with the average age of onset being 1 .9 years of age. Banning, A. Behavioral sequelae ofphysical and/or sexual abuse in adolescents. 117). Sinceboys are much more likely than girls to be victimized outside the home,many cases were not passing through the child protection system (Faller,1989). Ironically, he views himself as a victim of his need for sexwith children, and his victim as the powerful one in the relationship.This addiction-like quality leads to a high rate of recidivism in a fixatedoffender. Whether or not these differences areconsistent and meaningful has not yet been established. 3 3). Childsexual abuse: Its impact and treatment. Youngermale victims are typically abused by a family member, while rape,pornography and prostitution occur in older males between the ages of 8 and17 years (Faller, 1989; Vander-Mey, 1988). References Baker, C.D. Department of Education. Banning (1989) believes thatfemale perpetrators are much more common than is estimated, and thatsocietal prejudices contribute to the problem: Mothers are perceived as nurturing and asexual to their children. This isunfortunate because, according to Sanford (198 ), "when they do report, andif the offender is apprehended, his chances of going to prison are greaterthan if he had molested a little girl . add to this thefact that drug use reduces the adolescent's feeling of isolation andloneliness. (1988). Krug(1988) postulates that drugs and alcohol help the victim escape his past,and that the substance abuse represents another form of self-destructionand "partial expiation of guilt" (p. In the case offather-son incest, the victim's reluctance to report is compounded by theneed to overcome the disbelief of others where two strict moral codes havebeen violated: that prohibiting incest and that prohibiting homosexuality. Characteristics of a clinical sample ofsexually abused children: How boy and girl victims differ. Myers (1989)refers to this as a recapitulation of the victimizing experience. Washington, DC:U.S. Contrary to the popular view of male child molesters as homosexuals,these molesters are rarely attracted to adult males. This seems to beparticularly true of boys involved in pornography or prostitution, with thetypical participant characterized as follows: "between the ages of eightand seventeen, has had previous homosexual contact(s), has been anunderachiever in school or at home, has parents who are physically orpsychologically absent, has no strong moral or religious affiliation andevidences poor sociological development" (Baker, 198 , p. Other estimates of the incidence of male victimization generallyrange from 2.5 percent of males to 9 percent of males (Myers, 1989; Vander-Mey, 1988). Faller, K.C. Schaefer, M.R., Sobieraj, K., & Hollyfield, R.L. 567)The little literature to date on mother-son incest indicates that thecharacteristics are not that different than those described above forfather-daughter incest. The child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome. One of the legacies of sexual abuse for males and females appears tobe drug and alcohol abuse. Cavaiola, A.A., & Schiff, M. Vargo, B., Stravarkaki, C., Ellis, J., & Williams, E. The fact that male victimsof child abuse often react to the abusive experience by victimizing otherchildren, either as adolescents or when they become an adult is well-documented (Sanford, 198 ; Summit, 1983; Vander-Mey, 1988). The fixated offender typically wasattracted to children as an adolescent, and never progressed beyond thisstage as an adult. Male rape: Offenders andvictims. Childabuse takes many different forms, including physical abuse, psychologicalabuse, and sexual abuse. (198 ). Mother-son incest: Confronting a prejudice.Child Abuse & Neglect, 13, 563-57 . Amajor age difference may lie more in the type of victimization. In L.G. Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas. The same behavior in a father is labeled child molestation. (1989). However, the focus of this attention has been upon female childvictims of sexual abuse. The "aggressive" offender, or rapist, also often comes from anabusive background, suffers from poor self-esteem (to the point of extremeself-hatred), and has poor impulse control. Male victims,more than females, tend to come from broken homes. Child Abuse & Neglect, 12, 61-72. Singer et al. Part of the reason for this is that thereported incidence of male victimization is small in comparison to femalevictimization. The purpose of this paper is to discuss theissues involved in the relatively unacknowledged and not-well-understoodphenomenon of sexual abuse of male children. Thesexual victimology of youth. This loss is the crux of his problem . Within this general definition, Vander-Mey(1988) has outlined four primary types of sexual,victimization: 1) incest,2) pedophilia, 3) rape, and 4) pornography. 67). However, child abuse does not seem to be linked to, or clustered in,a particular social class. (1988). In someinstances, particularly where the molester is someone outside of thefamily, it is easier and less suspicious to maintain this type ofrelationship with a boy. 187). Groth, A.N., & Birnbaum, H.B. It becomes the child's role to nurture theadult. . The term rape always refers to forced sexualintercourse against an individuals will. . Current treatment approaches for child sexual abuse victims includesome combination of group therapy, individual therapy and family therapy.In terms of specific treatment issues, Vargo, et al. The silent children: A parent's guide to theprevention of child sexual abuse. Sanford, L.T. (198 ). Sexual Abuse of Male Children Once a phenomenon downplayed and ignored by American society, childabuse is currently a topic well-acknowledged in the media and of prominentconcern to social scientists, physicians, teachers, and parents. In 1978, the National Centeron Child Abuse and Neglect defined child sexual abuse as ". They found that youth who were sexually abusedhad significantly higher levels of chemical abuse than the control group. Singer,et al. (1989). Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,33(6), 468-473.----------------------- 15 (1989). Females are alsorarely sexually abused by their mothers. Men sexually assaulted as adults and sexuallyabused as boys. Krug (1988) adds to this list other societal barriers to thereporting and acknowledgement of male child sexual abuse, particularly whenthe abuse is by the mother: 1) the undeniable physical evidence ofpregnancy is not available to males, 2) there is a cultural double standardin which fathers may be considered "evil" but mothers are "all good," 3)males are too embarrassed to report sexual activity with their mothers, 4)males are often assumed to be unaffected by sexual abuse, and 5) patientsand therapists have not yet linked interpersonal and emotional problems ofmen with previous sexual abuse by the patients' mothers. Myers (1989) indicates that females maybe better therapists for males molested by their fathers or another malebecause the female engenders trust and is perceived to be better able tounderstand the feelings of vulnerability and violation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 18(3), 2 3-215. (1989) were one of the first researchers to empirically document therelationship between sexual abuse and substance abuse in adolescents usinga matched control group. The relationshipbetween sexual abuse and substance abuse among psychiatrically hospitalizedadolescents. Instead, he is often an otherwise law-abiding, hardworking guy-next- door who, somewhere along the line, has lost the ability to control his impulses. Males who aresocially isolated, involved in drugs/alcohol, and engaged in a solitaryactivity (such as hitchhiking) are at a much greater risk of becoming arape victim or involved in pornography and prostitution (Groth & Burgess,198 ; Vander-Mey, 1988). Cavaiola & Schiff reviewed the history of 15 adolescentsadmitted to a short-term residential chemical dependency treatment centerand found that 68 percent had been physically or sexually abused. There is a definite dearth of research and literature concerning thesexual abuse of male children. In order to discuss the subject of child sexual abuse, it is firstimportant to understand what the term means. Other common long-term reactions the male child has to sexual abuseinclude confusion and anxiety over his sexual identity, sexualdysfunctions, prostitution, problems in maintaining a long-termrelationship, and serious depression as an adult (Krug, 1988; Myers, 1989;Vander-Mey, 1988). National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.