Childhood sexual abuse is significantly associated with subsequent sexual offending: New evidence among federal correctional clients
Abstract
Background Adverse childhood experiences are associated with multiple negative behavioral outcomes and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is particularly damaging. There is controversial evidence that CSA has a specialized effect on subsequent sexual offending. Objective The current study tested the hypothesis that CSA is associated with sexual offending. Method Using a near-population of correctional clients on supervised release in the Midwestern United States, we examined the hypothesis with hierarchical negative binomial regression models. Results CSA was significantly associated with official charges for rape/sexual abuse despite controls for sex, race, age, arrest onset, total arrest charges, total adverse childhood experiences, Antisocial Personality Disorder, sexual sadism, and pedophilia. Age of onset of CSA was also inversely associated with sexual offending with effect sizes ranging between 2-5 standardized z-scores. Conclusion The current study provides significant evidence that CSA is associated with later sexual offending even when accounting for powerful clinical and criminological covariates.
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In a study of correctional clients, younger age at CSA onset was inversely associated with rates of sexual offending.
“while younger age at CSA onset was inversely associated with rates of sexual offending in a study of correctional clients (Drury et al. 2019).”
From Child Sexual Abuse as a Unique Risk Factor for the Development of Psychopathology: The Compounded Convergence of Mechanisms (2021) · cites this paper as Drury et al. 2019
In a study of 865 active correctional clients, CSA was associated with official rape and sexual abuse charges with an incidence rate ratio of 2.91 after controlling for demographic variables and other adverse experiences including other forms of CM and out-of-home placements.
“Most recently, a study of 865 active correctional clients used probation records and social service records to link CSA to official rape and sexual abuse charges and found that CSA had an incidence rate ratio of 2.91 after the authors controlled for a host of demographic variables and other adverse experiences including other forms of CM and out-of-home placements (Drury et al. 2019).”
From Child Sexual Abuse as a Unique Risk Factor for the Development of Psychopathology: The Compounded Convergence of Mechanisms (2021) · cites this paper as Drury et al. 2019
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Noll, J. G. (2021) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-081219-112621 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Drury, A. J., Elbert, M. J., & DeLisi, M.
- Affiliations
- Iowa State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- DeLisi, Matt
- ORCID
- DeLisi, Matt
- Venue
- Child Abuse & Neglect
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-09
- Volume
- 95
- Pages
- 104035
- ISSN
- 0145-2134 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2955574675
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 5.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Child Abuse & Neglect (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Military, Security, and Education Studies
- Keywords
- child sexual abuse, sexual offending, adverse childhood experiences, supervised release, antisocial personality disorder, sexual sadism, pedophilia
- MeSH terms
- Adverse Childhood Experiences, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Middle Aged, Pedophilia, Rape, Regression Analysis, Midwestern United States, Law Enforcement
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