Predictors of Intrusive Sexual Behaviors in Preschool-Aged Children

Tyler Smith
,
Rebecca A. Lindsey
,
Som Bohora
,
Jane F. Silovsky

University of Washington
,
Washington State University
,
University of Oklahoma

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Abstract

Intrusive sexual behaviors (ISBs) are a specific type of problematic sexual behavior characterized by the invasive nature of the acts (e.g., touching others’ private parts, attempting intercourse; Friedrich, 1997). The limited amount of research on ISBs has focused on sexual abuse history as the primary predictor. However, Friedrich, Davies, Feher, and Wright (2003) found that ISBs in children up to age 12 were related to four broad conceptual factors: (a) exposure to sexual content, (b) exposure to violent behavior, (c) family adversity, and (d) child vulnerabilities. The current study sought to replicate Friedrich’s study using a clinical sample of 217 preschool-aged children (ages two to six). Results supported variables from within the child vulnerabilities construct (externalizing behaviors, βEXT = 0.032, p = 0.001), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) criteria met (βPTSD = 0.177, p = 0.02), and an inverse relationship with age (βAGE = −0.206, p = 0.024). These results highlight the importance of considering childhood behavioral patterns and reactivity to traumatic events as correlates of ISBs in young children.

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Bibliographic Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

American English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 229-238

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

The Journal of Sex Research

Publication milestones

Published - 2019

Publication status

Published - 2019

ISSN

0022-4499

Publication IDs

Scopus: 85045129855