Sexual abuse of deaf children. A retrospective analysis of the prevalence and characteristics of childhood sexual abuse among deaf adults in Norway

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 2004-03, Vol.28 (3), p.241-251
• Main Author: Kvam, Marit Hoem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Age Distribution; Aged; At Risk Persons; Biological and medical sciences; Case Studies; Child; Child Abuse; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse, Sexual - statistics & numerical data; Child Sexual Abuse; Childhood Factors; Childhood sexual abuse; Children; Comparative Analysis; Deaf; Deaf children; Deaf people; Deafness; Deafness - epidemiology; Deafness - psychology; Disabled children; Female; Females; Foreign Countries; Humans; Incidence; Male; Males; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Norway; Norway - epidemiology; Norwegian; Prevalence; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Questionnaires; Registries; Risk Factors; Schools; Sex crimes; Sex Distribution; Sexual Abuse; Special Schools; Surveys and Questionnaires; Truth Disclosure; Victimology; Victims of Crime
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2003.09.017

Objective: North American studies conclude that deaf children may have a 2–3 times greater risk of sexual abuse than hearing children. No comparative studies are available in the Nordic countries. The present study was initiated to estimate the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among deaf children in Norway, describe the nature of the abuse, and to examine risk factors. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was sent in 1999 to all 1150 adult deaf members of the Norwegian Deaf Register. The Deaf Register includes all deaf Norwegians. The questionnaire, which was also available videotaped in sign language, was an adapted version of a questionnaire used in a Norwegian survey among the general adult population in 1993. The results from this earlier study were used as a comparison group. Results: Deaf females aged 18–65 who lost their hearing before the age of 9 ( N=177) reported sexual abuse with contact before the age of 18 years more than twice as often as hearing females, and deaf males more than three times as often as hearing males. The abuse of the deaf children was also more serious. Very few cases were reported to parents, teachers, or authorities. Conclusions: Deaf children are at greater risk of sexual abuse than hearing children. The special schools for the deaf represent an extra risk of abuse, regardless of whether the deaf pupils live at home or in boarding schools. Objectif: Les études faites en Amérique du Nord concluent que les enfants sourds courent deux à trois fois plus de risques d’être abusés sexuellement que les enfants non-sourds. Il n’y a pas d’étude comparative faite dans les pays nordiques. Cette étude a été mise en oeuvre en Norvège pour estimer la prévalence des abus sexuels sur des enfants sourds, pour en décrire la nature et les facteurs de risque. Méthode: On a adressé un questionnaire auto-administré en 1999 à l’ensemble des 1150 adultes inscrits au registre norvégien des sourds. Celui-ci les inclut en totalité. Le questionnaire qui est disponible également en version video en langage des signes est une version adaptée d’un questionnaire utilisé pour une enquête effectuée en 1993 auprès de la population générale adulte. On a utilisé comme groupe de comparaison les résultats de cette première étude. Résultats: Les femmes âgées de 18 à 65 ans qui avaient perdu l’audition avant l’âge de 9 ans ( N=9) ont mentionné un abus sexuel avec contact avant l’âge de 18 ans dans plus de deux fois plus de cas que les femmes non sourdes,