Exploring the Overlap in Male Juvenile Sexual Offending and General Delinquency: Trauma, Alcohol Use, and Masculine Beliefs

Abstract

Despite Burton and Meezan's (2004) finding that sexually aggressive youth are three to four times more likely to recidivate nonsexually than sexually, there is little to no research to date that explores this overlap in criminality. With a sample of 290 male sexually violent adjudicated and incarcerated youth, this study was able to successfully predict those who are exclusively sexually violent from those who are both nonsexually and sexually violent with each of the following factors: childhood trauma, masculine beliefs, and alcohol use. While alcohol use accounted for the greatest variance between the groups, masculine beliefs offered the greatest basis for the discussion and future projects for the authors of the study. Treatment and research implications are offered.

Keywords:

• juvenile sexual offender
• nonsexual violence
• masculinity
• alcohol
• trauma
• sexual violence

Notes

This article was developed from a master's thesis for Smith College School for Social Work.

1. Please note that where the term juvenile is used, the ages of the youth in the studies are from 12–18 in most cases and occasionally 12–21. In cases where studies are of younger children or adults, this has been indicated in the text.

2. Please note the youth were held in a Department of Corrections operated facility or “youth prison.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adam Brown

Adam Brown, MSW, Northeast Center for Youth and Families, Inc., Easthampton, Massachusetts.

David L. Burton

David L. Burton, MSW, PhD, Smith College, School for Social Work, Northampton, Massachusetts.