A Longitudinal Examination of Developmental Covariates of Sexual Behavior Problems among Youth Referred to Child Protection Services

Little is known about the development of childhood sexual behavior problems (SBP) in terms of continuity and discontinuity into adolescence. Prior studies have espoused a nondevelopmental approach focusing on the clinical profiles of these youths at the time of their referral. To address this gap, t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sexual abuse 2022-08, Vol.34 (5), p.537-567
Main Authors: Chouinard-Thivierge, Stéphanie, Lussier, Patrick, Daignault, Isabelle V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Behavior disorders
Behavior problems
Child development
Child welfare
Childhood
Children
Life history
Longitudinal studies
Protection
Sexual behavior
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Little is known about the development of childhood sexual behavior problems (SBP) in terms of continuity and discontinuity into adolescence. Prior studies have espoused a nondevelopmental approach focusing on the clinical profiles of these youths at the time of their referral. To address this gap, the current study proposes an examination of the developmental covariates involved in the continuity of SBP among a sample of 340 children and adolescents referred to Child Protection Services (CPS) in Quebec, Canada. Children’s CPS contacts from birth up to age 17 were inspected, allowing to recreate the life history of social and familial adversities during that period. Logistic regression models were performed and helped to identify developmental covariates of childhood-onset SBP and its persistence into adolescence. Findings suggest that children with childhood-onset SBP that persisted into adolescence have experienced various life adversities. The study findings provide some preliminary evidence of the developmental pathways of SBP.
ISSN:1079-0632
1573-286X
DOI:10.1177/10790632211047184