Summary

Research has identified a variety of factors related to a child’s self or family that may increase one’s risk of experiencing child sexual abuse (CSA), teen dating violence (CSA within a romantic relationship), or revictimization (when CSA survivors are sexually victimized again either as a child or adult). As examples, risk factors for CSA and teen dating violence both include being a girl and experiencing prior victimization or maltreatment (not specifically sexual), while revictimization is associated with such factors as co-occurring maltreatment in the home, post-traumatic stress disorder, and maladaptive coping strategies. Almost half (47.9%) of CSA survivors experience subsequent sexual victimization in their lifetime.

Risk Factors for CSA Victimization

While any child can be sexually abused, there are certain factors that appear to place some children at greater risk. Knowledge of risk for abuse can help identify high risk situations or youth before the abuse occurs.

Identifying high risk situations can help to prevent abuse.

Regardless of risk, it is important to note that having certain characteristics does not necessarily mean a child will be abused, and abuse is never the child’s fault.

Research has not always identified the same risk factors. However, gender is commonly identified as a major predictor of CSA, with girls being at greatest risk.1

Gender is commonly identified as a major predictor of CSA, with girls being at greatest risk.

Living without both biological parents (e.g., with a step-father or in foster care) and prior maltreatment (e.g., child physical, psychological, or sexual abuse and neglect) are also commonly cited as risk factors for victimization.123
 
Recent research based on 72 studies has identified 23 risk factors for CSA across seven “risk themes”:2

1. Prior victimization of the child and/or their family members 
   Risk factors include: prior CSA victimization of the child and/or siblings; prior victimization of the child other than child abuse; prior or concurrent forms of child abuse in the child’s home environment; a parental history of child abuse victimization
2. Parental problems and difficulties
   Risk factors include: intimate partner violence between the child’s parents; other parental relationship problems; parental substance abuse; psychiatric/mental/or physical problems of parents; a low level of parental education
3. Parenting problems and difficulties
   Risk factors include: low quality of parent-child relation including low parental attachment; parental overprotection; low levels of parental care/affection; low parenting competence
4. A non-nuclear family structure
   Risk factors include: growing up in a non-nuclear family; a child having a step-father
5. Family (system) problems
   Risk factors include: problems in functioning of the family system; social isolation of the family or the child; a low family socioeconomic status (SES); six or more moves/resettlements of the child and family
6. Child problems 
   ​Risk factors include: physical and/or mental chronic condition; using drugs or engaging in [violent] delinquent behavior
7. Child characteristics 
   Risk factors include: a low level of social skills; frequent use of the Internet

The most significant risks were found to be prior victimization of the child and/or the child’s family members. Strong effects were also found for prior or concurrent victimization (other than child abuse) in the child’s home environment and parental history of child abuse victimization.2 The most frequently cited risk factors in included studies were prior or concurrent forms of nonsexual child abuse in the home, non-nuclear home environment, being female, parental mental/psychiatric or physical problems and low family SES.2 
 
Other studies have additionally found child social isolation14 and child mental or intellectual disability5 to be associated with CSA.

Teen Dating Violence

A significant amount of sexual violence towards youth happens in the context of romantic relationships. Rates of sexual violence in dating contexts have been found to be 14% for girls and 8% for boys age 13-18 years.6 

14% of girls and 8% of boys ages 13-18 years experience sexual violence in a dating context. 

The following factors have been identified as predictive of victimization in teen dating contexts: 

• Individual and family correlates
  • Child maltreatment (e.g., psychological, physical, or sexual abuse, neglect or witnessing violence)78
  • Exposure to family violence, including witnessing interpersonal violence and physical abuse in the home78 
• Peer correlates
  • Peer victimization (being bullied, or being the target of physical, psychological, social, or emotional harm from a peer)89
  • Sexual harassment from peers8
  • Affiliation with “deviant” peers (having a best friend who had even run away from home, been suspended or expelled from school, or been arrested by the police)8
  • Peers’ violent dating behaviors (physical violence perpetration and victimization)9
  • Peers’ aggressive and/or antisocial behavior9

Revictimization of CSA Survivors 

Both adult and child survivors of child sexual abuse are at greater risk of being victimized again than the general population. This is called sexual revictimization. Research suggests that having previously experienced sexual victimization can double or even triple a person’s risk for future victimization.10

Having previously experienced sexual victimization can increase a person’s risk for future victimization.

Recent research found that almost half (i.e., 47.9%) of CSA survivors experienced sexual victimization at a later time.11 Specific risk factors for revictimization include:12

• Co-occurring maltreatment in the home
• Risky sexual behavior particularly in adolescence (e.g., having unprotected sex, having sex with strangers, or having a high number [unspecified in the study] of sexual partners by a certain age)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Emotion dysregulation
• Maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., denial, avoidance, withdrawing from people, and acting out sexually and/or aggressively)
• Drinking/substance use

• 1. a. b. c. Finkelhor, D., & Baron, L. (1986). Risk factors for child sexual abuse. Journal of interpersonal violence, 1(1), 43-71.
• 2. a. b. c. d. Assink, M., van der Put, C. E., Meeuwsen, M. W., de Jong, N. M., Oort, F. J., Stams, G. J. J., & Hoeve, M. (2019). Risk factors for child sexual abuse victimization: a meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin.
• 3. Pérez-Fuentes, G., Olfson, M., Villegas, L., Morcillo, C., Wang, S., & Blanco, C. (2013). Prevalence and correlates of child sexual abuse: a national study. Comprehensive psychiatry, 54(1), 16-27.
• 4. Fleming, J., Mullen, P., & Bammer, G. (1997). A study of potential risk factors for sexual abuse in childhood. Child abuse & neglect, 21(1), 49-58.
• 5. Jones, L., Bellis, M. A., Wood, S., Hughes, K., McCoy, E., Eckley, L., ... & Officer, A. (2012). Prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. The Lancet, 380(9845), 899-907.
• 6. Wincentak, K., Connolly, J., & Card, N. (2017). Teen dating violence: A meta-analytic review of prevalence rates. Psychology of Violence, 7(2), 224.
• 7. a. b. Vezina, J., & Hebert, M. (2007). Risk factors for victimization in romantic relationships of young women: A review of empirical studies and implications for prevention. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 8(1), 33-66.
• 8. a. b. c. d. e. Hébert, M., Daspe, M. È., Lapierre, A., Godbout, N., Blais, M., Fernet, M., & Lavoie, F. (2017). A meta-analysis of risk and protective factors for dating violence victimization: The role of family and peer interpersonal context. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1524838017725336.
• 9. a. b. c. Garthe, R. C., Sullivan, T. N., & McDaniel, M. A. (2017). A meta-analytic review of peer risk factors and adolescent dating violence. Psychology of violence, 7(1), 45.
• 10. Classen, C. C., Palesh, O. G., & Aggarwal, R. (2005). Sexual revictimization: A review of the empirical literature. Trauma, violence, & abuse, 6(2), 103-129.
• 11. Walker, H. E., Freud, J. S., Ellis, R. A., Fraine, S. M., & Wilson, L. C. (2019). The prevalence of sexual revictimization: A meta-analytic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 20(1), 67-80.
• 12. Scoglio, A. A., Kraus, S. W., Saczynski, J., Jooma, S., & Molnar, B. E. (2019). Systematic review of risk and protective factors for revictimization after child sexual abuse. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1524838018823274.