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Child Victims Becoming Perpetrators
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Becky Bolen Posted recently the citation of a
research article</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>which supports the common opinion that child
victims of</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>sexual abuse are likely or at least more likely
than other children</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>to become adult perpetrators.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Bagley, C.,
Wood, M., & Young, L. (1994). Victim to abuser:<BR>Mental health and
behavioral sequels of child sexual abuse in a community survey<BR>of young adult
males. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18(8), 683-697.<BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT
face=Arial size=2>I believe that our knowledge and understanding of child abuse
or any other</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>subject for that matter is enhanced through
professional discussion and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>debate of various views I asked Dr. Ralph
Underwager to offer his comments</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>on the Bagely article. Only after receiving his
response I asked his permission to</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>post them here. His comments in their entirety
follow.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am no advocating adopting Dr. Underwager's views
nor rejecting them outright.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I do believe that the science is furthered, and
ultimately children will benefit,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>from such discussion. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am more than </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>willing to pass on to Dr. Underwager any differing views should the
author</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>ask me to do so, so that the discussion might
continue.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Simcha Plisner JD MSW</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%5</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Dear
Simcha:<BR><BR>The article you asked about, Bagely et. al. 1994, is based on
<BR>retrospective data. The sample was asked to remember and report what
had <BR>happened to them years earlier. Psychologists have known for many years
<BR>that retrospective data of this sort is not reliable and must be viewed
<BR>very cautiously. There is no control group and some of the instruments
<BR>used to measure the variables of interest are a bit shaky. The data
are <BR>correlation and not longitudinal so there can be no causal information
<BR>obtained by this study. It ought not be used to imply or infer causation.
<BR> <BR><BR>In a sample of 750 finding eight who are judged to be
pedophiles is one <BR>percent. This is no more, if as much, than the
base rate of pedophilia <BR>in the general population. Therefore to use
this as a basis for <BR>claiming a causal relationship is without merit
and is literally <BR>nonsensical. <BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The article
cannot be used to support a claim of an effect of sexual <BR>abuse is a
heightened risk of becoming an abuser. <BR><BR>Also there is ample
scientific evidence demonstrating that the oft <BR>claimed abuse - abuse cycle
is not found. We have 64 articles that show <BR>this is the case.
The abuse - abuse cycle has been falsified. This is <BR>what even the US
Supreme Court in Daubert acknowledges is the way science <BR>works. It
falsifies what is not accurate but cannot prove what is, in <BR>fact, the
case.<BR> <BR>Ralph Underwager, Ph. D.
<BR><BR>.0________________________________________________________________________<BR><BR>Ralph
Underwager & Hollida Wakefield<BR>13200 Cannon City Blvd<BR>Northfield,
MN 55057<BR>507.645.8881 voice<BR>507.645.8883
fax</FONT><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
</x-html>From ???@??? Mon Oct 22 10:03:43 2001
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From: "Simcha Plisner" <splisner@worldnet.att.net>
To: Child Maltreatment Researchers <CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu>
References: <sbd04deb.024@kirkleesmc.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: Child victims becoming perpetrators
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 15:28:04 -0500
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Dr Freel:
Your comments are well taken. But after all of the but, but, but, but, etc.,
I fail to understand your conclusion that it is a factor which cannot be
dismissed as yet.
If their is no causal relationship why can it not be dismissed until someone
proves such a relationship.
I understand that their are many in the field who can't
let go but that does not mean that the rest of us need to
continue ruminating over speculation. Nor should those
who can not let go be allowed to continue espousing
as professional and reliable a theory which is to date invalid.
Simcha Plisner JD MSW
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Freel" <mike.freel@kirkleesmc.gov.uk>
To: "Child Maltreatment Researchers"
<CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu>
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2001 9:59 AM
Subject: Child victims becoming perpetrators
> A consistent findings in research literature is that adult child sexual
abusers are more likely than non-abusers to have a history of childhood
sexual abuse. See for example:
>
> Araji and Finkelhor, 1986; Urquiza and Crowley, 1986 (cited in Widom and
Ames, 1994); Hanson et al, 1994; Waterhouse et al, 1994; Elliott et al,
1995; Craissati and McClurg, 1996; Haywood et al, 1996; Fromuth and Conn,
1997.
>
> However, as Finkelhor (1986) argues, this finding in itself does not offer
a causal explanation of child sexual abuse. Few researchers argue that
childhood sexual abuse offers a complete explanation of the aetiology of
child sexual abuse. There are methodological issues to consider. Firstly,
many studies supporting this finding are carried out in prison populations,
and it is questionable whether results can be generalised to all child
sexual abusers. Secondly, comparison groups are often drawn from specific
populations or general populations, and abuse may be related to other
factors, such as, family or social backgrounds.
>
> And there are a number of other considerations discussed by Finkelhor. Not
all abusers were themselves abused as children, and for a large proportion
of abusers childhood sexual abuse does not play a part in the development of
their own sexually abusive behaviour. If the 'victim-to-victimiser' theory
offered a full explanation for the development of sexually abusive
behaviours toward children in adults, then all those who had been sexually
abused as a child would become abusers in adulthood. More importantly, the
'victim-to-victimiser' theory does not explain why there are so many female
victims of childhood sexual abuse and so few females who sexually abuse
children. Further, it is only a percentage of those men sexually abused as
children who go on to sexually abuse as adults.
>
> Despite these important qualifications, empirical evidence continues to
show that for some men childhood experience of sexual abuse is a factor in
the development of sexually abusive behaviour toward children . Perhaps in
the long term it will not be found to be as important a factor as the above
studies suggest (for the methodological reasons given), but it is likely to
remain a factor in understanding child sexual abuse and one which cannot be
dismissed as yet.
>
>
> Mike Freel, PhD
> Principal officer, child protection & review unit
> Westfields, Westfields Road, Mirfield, WF14 9PW, England
> tel 01924 483741
> e-mail: mike.freel@kirkleesmc.gov.uk
>
>
>
> References
>
> Araji, S., and Finkelhor, D. (1986) 'Abusers: a review of the research'.
In D. Finkelhor, A Sourcebook On Child Sexual Abuse, London: Sage
>
> Craissati, J., and McClurg, G. (1996) 'The Challenge Project: perpetrators
of child sexual abuse in South East London', Child Abuse and Neglect, 20:
1067-1077
>
> Elliott, M., Browne, K., and Kilcoyne, J. (1995) 'Child sexual abuse
prevention: what offenders tell us', Child Abuse and Neglect, 19: 579-594
>
> Finkelhor, D. (1986) 'Abusers: special topics'. In D. Finkelhor, A
Sourcebook On Child Sexual Abuse, London: Sage
>
> Fleming, J., Mullen, P., and Bammer, G. (1997) 'A study of the potential
risk factors for sexual abuse in childhood', Child Abuse and Neglect, 21:
49-58
>
> Fromuth, M. E., and Conn, V. E. (1997) 'Hidden perpetrators: sexual
molestation in a nonclinical sample of college women', Journal of
Interpersonal Violence, 12: 456-465
>
> Hanson, R. F., Lipovsky, J. A., and Saunders, B. E. (1994)
'Characteristics of fathers in incest families', Journal of Interpersonal
Violence, 9: 155-169
>
> Haywood, T. W., Kravitz, H. M., Wasyliw, O. E., Goldberg, J., and
Cavanaugh, J. L. (1996) 'Cycle of abuse and psychopathology in cleric and
noncleric molesters of children and adolescents', Child Abuse and Neglect,
20: 1233-1243
>
> Urquiza, A. J., and Crowley, C. (1986, April) 'Sex differences in the
survivors of childhood sexual abuse', Paper presented at the Fourth
Conference on the Sexual Victimization of Children, New Orleans, LA
>
> Waterhouse, L., Dobash, R. P., and Carnie, J. (1994) Child Sexual Abusers,
Edinburgh: Scottish Office Central Research Unit
>
> Widom, C. S., and Ames, M. A. (1994) 'Criminal consequences of childhood
sexual victimization', Child Abuse and Neglect, 18: 303-318
>
>