Child Sexual Abuse Among Polish Adult Population: Prevalence and Abuse Characteristics
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Lost Childhood Association
Abstract
The
present
study
aimed
to
consolidate
on
and
expand
on
existing
knowledge
on
the
issue
of
child
sexual
abuse
(CSA)
by
identifying
the
prevalence
of
and
characteristics
of
CSA
among
Polish
adult
population
with
inclusion
of
other
gender
identities
and
socio-‐demographic
characteristics.
A
cross-‐sectional
study
was
performed,
using
a
self-‐reporting,
anonymous,
questionnaire.
Data
were
analyzed
by
frequency/percentages,
using
SPSS
software.
A
total
of
234
individuals
of
various
gender
identity
(male,
female,
non-‐binary,
demigirl,
agender,
gender
fluid)
participated
in
the
study
(Mage
=
22.52,
SD
=
6.65).
The
results
indicate
a
39.7%
(N
=
93)
prevalence
of
CSA
in
the
tested
Polish
population.
Of
the
total
sample,
13.2%
knew
other
3
or
more
individuals
who
suffered
from
CSA,
14.5%
knew
other
2
persons,
and
26.1%
knew
one
individual.
Of
the
abused
participants,
36.5%
was
of
intra-‐
and
extrafamilial
(51.6%)
nature,
whilst
11.8%
experienced
both.
The
mean
age
the
first
abuse
occurred
was
9.20
(SD
=
3.43).
The
duration
of
CSA
varied:
2
weeks
up
to
8
years.
The
most
common
type
of
violation
was
fondling
(91.4%)
and
other
sexual
activities,
excluding
penetration
(62.4%).
All
of
the
CSA
victims
experienced
at
least
2
types
of
sexual
violation.
The
overall
prevalence
found
in
the
current
study
was
higher
than
expected,
suggesting
that
victims
may
currently
be
more
likely
to
self-‐report
on
CSA
experiences,
as
majority
of
respondents,
more
than
80%,
are
in
the
18-‐30
age
group.
It
is
suggested
that
there
is
a
greater
need
for
understating
the
scale
of
CSA
in
Poland
and
for
inclusion
of
other
gender
identities
in
the
research
on
this
topic.
Description
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
International Resources, Poland, child sexual abuse, prevalence, research
Citation
Guziak, M. A. (2020). Child Sexual Abuse Among Polish Adult Population: Prevalence and Abuse Characteristics.