Child Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Offending and Victimisation: A 45-year Follow-up Study

Criminology Research Grant: CRG 13/09-10

This 45-year follow-up study examined the rate and risk of subsequent offending and victimisation in 2759 child sexual abuse (CSA) victims compared to the general population through data linkage to a Victoria Police database. While the majority of CSA victims do not develop to offend or be victims (77% and 64% respectively), they are a significant at risk group relative to the general population, being 4.97 and 1.14 times more likely to be charged with and be the victims of any offence, respectively. Highest risks were associated to violent and sexual offences, with the risk for sexually offending accounted for by male victims abused at an older age.