Children with Problematic Sexual Behavior: Implications for Sexual Abuse Prevention

Research suggests that pre-teen children with problematic sexual behavior (PSB) commit a sizable minority of all cases of child sexual abuse (CSA). In addition, data indicate that the impact of CSA committed by children with PSB is similar to CSA perpetrated by teenagers and adults. Such findings suggest that a comprehensive sexual abuse prevention program must consider the potential role of other pre-teen children displaying PSB. Unfortunately, PSB among pre-teen children is an often misunderstood and underappreciated social problem. For instance, empirical data suggests that the majority of these children do not have a sexual abuse history; however, many community-based treatment approaches assume sexual abuse as the etiology of PSB. This session will provide a brief review of the current knowledge of pre-teen children with PSB, including various etiological theories. Preliminary data will be presented on the treatment of 44 children between the ages of 3 and 8 who displayed PSB at the initiation of services. Using a widely disseminated evidence-based parent-training intervention (i.e., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy), two-thirds of the children no longer displayed PSB at the end of treatment (z = -4.69, p < .001). These children showed a rate of improvement for other behavioral problems (e.g., aggression, defiance) that was similar to that observed for a group of children not displaying PSB at the beginning of treatment (n = 143). In addition, the development and pilot testing of a new flexibly implemented model that is suitable for implementation in community agencies will also be discussed. Pilot data of this intervention and a discussion of how it can be assimilated into community prevention programs will be highlighted. An emphasis will be placed on understanding how the integration of an appropriate response for childhood PSB is integral to a comprehensive sexual abuse prevention program.