Research examining childhood abuse has shown an association between victimization and psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, depression). Historically, psychiatric diagnoses have been emphasized as a consequence of victimization, with less research examining if it also functions as a risk factor for further victimization,…

Though no identifiable demographic or family characteristics of a child exclude the possibility that a child has been sexually abused, some characteristics are associated with greater risk: female gender, preadolescents and early adolescents, having a stepfather, living without a natural parent, having an impaired mother, poor parenting, or…