Mental health articles

child sexual abuse is an abuse of power Experts now agree that child sexual abuse is primarily an abuse of power. The most classic conceptualization of abuse is that of more powerful adults abusing less powerful children. Yet, the issue of power is more complex, for three reasons. First, up to 40% of all offenders […]

Ecological Influences of child sexual abuse Risk of sexual abuse can be conceptualized as a result of various external influences that are experienced by children internally as potentiating or protective factors. In other words, children are at risk of sexual abuse because of factors that occur outside the child (i.e,, at the level of the […]

child sexual abuse by uncles and male cousins Uncles and male cousins are the other relatives who frequently commit sexual abuse. While uncles and cousins abuse at approximately the same rate as fathers (Russell, 1986), there is almost nothing in the literature about abuse by these extended family members. There are only two known studies […]

Sibling incest in child sexual abuse Approximately 1% to 2% of all women are victims of sibling abuse. This abuse accounts for approximately 7% to 14% of all intrafamilial abuse and 1% to 4% of all child sexual abuse. Professionals once thought that sibling abuse was a lesser form of sexual abuse, assuming that it […]

child sexual abuse by grandfathers Abuse by a grandparent accounts for approximately 11% of all substantiated abuse by nonparental caretakers (Margolin & Craft, 1989) but only 1% to 2% of all child sexual abuse (Russell, 1983; Wyatt, 1985). Of grandparents who abuse, grandmothers account for 0% to 7% of that abuse (Cupoli & Sewell, 1988; […]