Barriers to Accessing Treatment Services: Child Victims of Youths with Problematic Sexual Behavior

Alexandra Slemaker, Peter Mundey, Erin K. Taylor, Lana O. Beasley and Jane F. Silovsky
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Alexandra Slemaker: Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Iowa State University, 510 Farm House Lane, Ames, IA 50010, USA
Peter Mundey: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Savannah State University, 3219 College Street, Savannah, GA 31404, USA
Erin K. Taylor: Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Lana O. Beasley: Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, 338 Human Sciences, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Jane F. Silovsky: Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a significant public health problem. Although the deleterious effects on the child victims could be mitigated through evidence-based interventions, victims often fail to be identified and receive clinical assessment and therapy services, particularly when they have been victimized by another youth. Given that at least a third of CSA cases are committed by another youth, understanding the process of identifying and addressing the needs of CSA victims of youth is the focus of the present study. Factors impacting services for child victims of youths with problematic sexual behavior (PSB) were examined through qualitative interviews (N = 226) with mental health agency administrators, direct service providers, and community stakeholders from eight geographically diverse communities across the United States. Responses focused on macro and micro level barriers to the identification and service provision for child victims of PSB of youths. Implications for clinicians and policymakers are discussed, along with strategies to enhance access and provision of services to meet the needs of the child victims.

Keywords: problematic sexual behavior; sibling incest; child sexual abuse; sibling sexual abuse (SSA); evidence-based treatment; child-on-child sexual abuse (COCSA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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