Gender Differences in Psychosocial Predictors of Attitudes Toward Reporting Child Sexual Abuse in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

There is a dearth of research investigating psychosocial correlates of attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse in males and females and a lack of such studies drawing on participants from the United Kingdom. Therefore, the main objective of this article is to examine gender differences in social and psychological predictors of attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse. Participants drawn from the United Kingdom general population were recruited via an opportunistic sampling method. Cross-sectional design using a self-report questionnaire was utilized. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that social support, masculinity, and age form significant associations with attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse in females (total variance explained by the model was 25%). In the male sample, the only significant predictor of attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse was interpersonal manipulation (total variance explained by the model was 9%). This study provides an important insight into psychosocial barriers and facilitators to reporting child sexual abuse. Such knowledge is crucial for the early detection and prevention of abuse.

KEYWORDS:

• Attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse
• gender differences
• interpersonal manipulation
• masculinity
• social support

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rachel L. Humphries

Rachel L. Humphries is a graduate student at the University of Chester, Chester, UK.

Agata Debowska

Agata Debowska, PhD, is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Chester, Chester, UK.

Daniel Boduszek

Daniel Boduszek, PhD, is a reader in criminal psychology at the University of Huddersfield, UK, and a professor of psycho-criminology at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Katowice, Poland.

Michelle L. A. Mattison

Michelle L. A. Mattison, PhD, is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Chester, Chester, UK.