Non-Sexual Abuse May Lead to Sexualized Behavior in Children
Experts long have considered sexualized behavior in children to be a strong indicator of sexual abuse. Some behavior (masturbation, exhibitionism) is part of the normal developmental process, but other behaviors seem to occur significantly more often in children who have been sexually abused.
But according to a study reported in Child Maltreatment, physical and emotional abuse may cause the same behavior. The researchers followed children at risk for physical or emotional abuse, but who had no reports of sexual abuse. They found that children who had suffered either physical or emotional abuse exhibited more sexualized behavior than non-abused children. "Findings suggest that maltreatment other than sexual abuse, and the developmental periods in which is occurs, may be linked to the development of sexualized behaviors."
The abstract (free) and full text (minimal charge) are available online.
Lawyers handling cases with claims of sexual abuse need to be aware whether the respective expert witnesses have investigated the possibility of emotional or physical abuse in a given case. It is one of those questions that need to be asked, if only to rule it out as a possible cause of the child's symptoms.
