In Re... Volume VII, Number 3, 2004
Sexual Behavior in Young Children: What the Research Says*
Cases alleging sex offenses by minors are becoming increasingly common, and often are difficult for prosecutors. The most complicated are those involving young children as alleged offenders, sometimes so young that they would not typically be involved with the court on any charge. When the behavior is chronic or particularly aggressive, intervention in juvenile court may be appropriate. In many cases, however, in which the child’s behavior is limited, not aggressive, and/or when sexual intent may be difficult to establish, the proper way to handle the case is not so clear. In those cases, prosecutors may face the dilemma of needing to be certain that the community is safe from a young person who might be dangerous, while at the same time wanting to avoid branding as a “sex offender” (with all that implies from incarceration to registration), a young person who may simply be acting from immaturity or developmental delays and poses little risk of re-offending if the case is handled properly.
Accurate information based on empirical research is essential to properly weigh those competing considerations, particularly with children. What follows are ten common questions about children who act out sexually (referred to here as “children with sexual behavior problems (SBPs)”), and what the research says about them.
- Is all sexual behavior between young children normal, acceptable play? Some sexual behavior between children is not appropriate. Sexual behavior between children is considered problematic when the sexual behavior: a) occurs at a high frequency; b) interferes with the child’s social or cognitive development; c) occurs with coercion, intimidation, or force; d) is associated with emotional distress; e) occurs between children of significantly different ages and/or developmental abilities; or f) repeatedly reoccurs in secrecy after intervention by caregivers.1, 2
- Are all sexual acts between children harmful? Some sexual play between young children close in age, such as playing doctor or looking at private parts, is not considered to be harmful.3, 4 However, some children display intrusive, aggressive, or coercive sexual behaviors that are potentially harmful to the other children involved.5, 6, 10, 12
- Have children with SBPs been sexually abused? Research on children with SBPs has shown that highly inappropriate or aggressive sexual behavior is not always an indicator that a child has been sexually abused. In separate groups of children with SBPs, between 4% and 62% have no known history of sexual abuse.7, 8, 9 It appears that sexual behavior problems in children have multiple origins. Family sexuality patterns, exposure to sexual material, other non-sexual behavior problems, exposure to family violence, and physical abuse can be important contributors to childhood sexual behavior problems.13, 14
- Do children who have been sexually abused later act out sexually with other children? Although some children who have been sexually abused have sexual behavior problems, a majority do not.12, 15 However, children who have been sexually abused have been found to exhibit more frequent and intrusive sexual behaviors than do children with no history of sexual abuse.12, 15, 20\
- Do girls have sexual behavior problems? Many children with SBPs are female. In research on school-age children with SBPs, about one-third were female, 7, 8 while a recent study of preschool children found that a majority were girls (65%).9
- Can children with SBPs live in a home with other children? With appropriate treatment and careful supervision, most children with SBPs can live safely with other children. Although research has not directly dealt with this issue to date, clinical experience indicates that many children with SBPs can remain in their home or a foster home with other children without problematic sexual behavior. However, children who continue to exhibit highly intrusive or aggressive sexual behavior despite treatment and close supervision should not live with other young children until this behavior is resolved.6, 16
- Can children with SBPs attend public schools? Most children can attend public schools and participate in school activities without jeopardizing the safety of other students.17 Children with serious, aggressive sexual behaviors may need a more restrictive educational environment.17
- Should children with SBPs be placed in specialized inpatient or residential treatment facilities? Most children can be successfully treated and managed on an outpatient basis while living at home.6 Inpatient treatment should be reserved for unusually severe and serious cases, such as a child with other psychiatric disorders and/or highly aggressive sexual behavior that recurs despite appropriate outpatient treatment and close supervision.16
- Without long-term intensive therapy, will children with SBPs continue to have sexual behavior problems? Most children do not continue to have SBPs. Treatment outcome research has demonstrated that most children show significantly fewer sexual behavior problems after short-term outpatient treatment (12–32 weeks).7, 14 The recidivism rates for children 6-12 were approximately 15% two years after treatment.7
- Will children with SBPs grow up to be adult sexual offenders? Most children with SBPs do not demonstrate continued SBPs into adolescence and adulthood. Future SBPs by children appears to be low.7, 14 Further, most adult sexual offenders do not report a childhood onset for their behavior.16, 18, 19 The relationship between childhood sexual behavior problems and adult sexual offending has not been documented in the research to date.
The information presented here is based on research involving large groups of children, and may not apply in any specific case. It is, of course, up to each prosecutor to determine the proper action in any individual case, including how best to utilize the information provided here. These research results, however, may be useful to juvenile court prosecutors in deciding whether to file a delinquency action and if so, what offense to charge, or whether to take some other course, such as referring the matter to child protective services, recommending appropriate treatment resources to the family instead of filing, or taking no action at all.
1 Hall, D. K., Mathews, F., Pearce, J., Sarlo-McGarvey, N., & Gavin, D. (1996). The development of sexual behavior problems in children and youth. Toronto: Canada Youth Services 416.929.2100.
2 Johnson, T. C. (1998). Understanding children’s sexual behaviors: What is natural and healthy. South Pasadena, CA: Author.
3 Friedrich, W. N., Grambsch, P., Broughton, D., Kuiper, J., & Beilke, R. L. (1991). Normative sexual behavior in children. Pediatrics, 88, 456-464.
4 Gordon B. B., & Schroeder, C. S. (1995). Sexuality: A developmental approach to problems. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
5 Araji, S. K. (1997). Sexually aggressive children: Coming to understand them. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
6 Johnson, T. C. (1991). Children who molest children: Identification and treatment approaches for children who molest other children. APSAC Advisor, 4, 9-11, 23.
7 Bonner, B. L., Walker, C. E., & Berliner, L. (1999). Children with sexual behavior problems: Assessment and treatment (Final Report, Grant No. 90-CA-1469). Washington, DC: Administration of Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from http://www.calib.com/nccanch/pubs/otherpubs/childassessment/index.cfm
8 Gray, A. S., Pithers, W. D., Busconi, A., & Houchens, P. (1999). Developmental and etiological characteristics of children with sexual behavior problems: Treatment implications. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23, 601-621.
9 Silovsky, J. F., & Niec, L. (2002). Characteristics of young children with sexual behavior problems: A pilot study. Child Maltreatment, 7, 187-197.
10 Friedrich, W. N., & Luecke,W.J. (1988). Young school-age sexually aggressive children. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19, 155-164.
11 Johnson, T.C. (1989). Female child perpetrators: Children who molest other children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 13, 571-585.
12 Friedrich, W. N. (1993). Sexual victimization and sexual behavior in children: A review of recent literature. Child Abuse & Neglect, 17, 59-66.
13 Friedrich, W.N. (2002). Psychological assessment of sexually abused children and their families. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
14 Pithers, W. D., Gray, A., Busconi, A., & Houchens, P. (1998). Children with sexual behavior problems: Identification of five distinct child types and related treatment considerations. Child Maltreatment, 3, 384-406.
15 Kendall-Tackett, K. A., Williams, L. M., & Finkelhor, D. (1993). Impact of sexual abuse on children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 164-180.
16 Chaffin, M., Letourneau, E., & Silovsky, J. F. (2002). Adults, adolescents, and children who sexually abuse children: A developmental perspective. In J. E. B. Myers, L. Berliner, J. Briere, C. T. Hendrix, C. Jenny, & T. A. Reid (Eds.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (2nd ed., pp. 205-232). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
17 Horton, C. B. (1996). Children who molest other children: The school psychologist’s response to the sexually aggressive child. School Psychology Review, 25, 540-557.
18 Abel, G., Becker, J. V., Mittleman, M., Cunningham-Rathner, J., Rouleau, J. L., & Murphy, W.D. (1987). Self-reported sex crimes of non-incarcerated paraphiliacs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2, 3-25.
19 Marshall,W. L., Barbaree, H. E., & Eccles, A. (1991). Early onset and deviant sexuality in child molesters. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6, 323-335.
20 Friedrich, W., Fisher, J., Dittner, C., Acton, R., Berliner, L., Butler, J., et al. (2001). Child Sexual Behavior Inventory: Normative, psychiatric, and sexual abuse comparisons. Child Maltreatment, 6, 37-49.
*Based on material prepared through the National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth (NCSBY) at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, authored by Jane F. Silovsky, PhD and Barbara L. Bonner, PhD. NCSBY’s project is funded by grant number 01-JR-BX-K002 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice. NCSBY has collaborated with APRI for several years in developing curricula for prosecutor training in the area of adolescent sex offenders. Additional information about adolescent sex offenders and children with sexual behavior problems is available from NCSBY at www.ncsby.org.
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