Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Perceptions Of Child Sexual Abuse: The Effects Of Perpetrator Age, Rural Status, And Rape Myth Acceptance, Kalynn C. Gruenfelder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global issue, affecting many children in the short- and long-term. Despite the high prevalence of CSA, factors affecting adults’ perceptions of CSA are still in question. Research focuses on CSA committed by adults, but there is disproportionately less research examining perceptions of CSA committed by juveniles. Research shows a higher incidence of juvenile-perpetrated CSA than adult-perpetrated CSA in the lifetime of 17-year-olds (Finkelhor, Shattuck, Turner, & Hamby, 2014). The current study aimed to fill the gaps in the literature concerning adult perceptions of CSA cases considering victim and perpetrator characteristics and rape myth acceptance. …