Survey Reveals Troubling Information About Teens And Sexual Violence
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A new study has uncovered some shocking statistics about teens and sexual violence.
The research, which was published online in JAMA Pediatrics earlier this week, reveals that nearly 1 in 10 youths surveyed admit to perpetrating some type of sexual violence in their lifetime, with 4% reporting they'd attempted or completed rape.
Furthermore, males tend to begin perpetrating sexual violence earlier than females. Of those who reported they'd attempted sexual violence before the age of 15, 98% were male. Only when females reached the age of 18 or 19 did the numbers even out, with 52% of males and 48% of females becoming perpetrators.
Men tended to attempt sexual violence on younger people, while women tended to go for older ones. And those who claimed to have been perpetrators reported greater exposure to violent X-rated content.
But the scariest part of the study? Most of those who attempted sexual violence blamed their victims, at least partly. NPR reports that half of those who perpetrated assaults blamed their victims entirely. Just one-third said it was their own fault.
According to the study's lead researchers, the data was collected online in 2010 and 2011 and included information from 1058 youths ranging in age from 14 to 21.
Researchers say that while the results of the study are not definitive due to the small research pool, they are troubling nonetheless.
