TYPES OF EXTRAFAMILIAL ABUSE

TYPES OF EXTRAFAMILIAL ABUSE
This next section furthers the discussion of risk of extrafamilial abuse by reviewing
the different groups of perpetrators. In the following section the major types of
extrafamilial abuse, including abuse by strangers, acquaintances, authority figures (including abuse by unrelated caregivers), friends of the family, friends, and dates
are presented. As discussed earlier, there is virtually no literature available on the
dynamics of many of these types of abuse, but that which is available is presented.
Because of the dearth of literature, the sections discussing the different types of
abuse often rely primarily on the author’s secondary analysis of Russell’s (1983)
community prevalence study of female violence.4 Because much of the following
sections derive of necessity from this analysis, the methodology for this study is
introduced briefly.
Of 463 incidents of extrafamilial abuse reported in Russell’s (1983) study,
incident reports were gathered for 360 incidents. These incident reports comprise the
primary sample for the reanalysis. To analyze the data, the 360 incident reports,
grouped by perpetrator, were first reviewed in detail. Based on similarities among
dynamics and characteristics of the abuse, incidents were then placed into like
categories within perpetrator groups. The process of coding proceeded iteratively as
the incident reports were read and codes were assigned. Incident reports were placed,
and sometimes replaced, into congruent categories. As categories gained shape and
context, the incident reports and categories continued to be re-evaluated until the
“best fit” was gained. The final result was an analysis not only of the overall types of
abuse, but also of subgroups within each.
The important limitations of this study are that (a) it applies only to females,
and (b) it is dated. Regretfully, no comparable studies of male victims have been done,
nor is there a more recent random retrospective study that contains similar data.
Because studies of offenders are biased by those who have gotten caught, neither can
they be relied upon to provide representative data.