Sexual Abuse, Sexual Behavior and Victimization in Adolescence and Youth

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization, violence against children refers to all forms of violence, whether it is carried out by parents, caregivers, family members or strangers and directed at children under 18 years of age. It is estimated that approximately 1 billion children between the ages of 2 and 17 worldwide are victims of physical, sexual, emotional or neglect abuse (Hillis, Mercy, Amobi, & Kress, 2016). Sexual abuse, sexual behaviors and victimization of children and adolescents have negative consequences that affect physical and/or psychological health throughout life. Some of the negative effects of this type of violence are deaths, serious injuries, developmental and neuropsychological disorders, serious behavior problems, higher prevalence of psychological disorders (depression, anxiety, stress, etc.) risky sexual behaviors, pregnancies unwanted, sexually transmitted infections, increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood and diseases such as diabetes and/or hypertension, and finally it has also been associated with negative consequences at a social level such as dropping out of studies, greater difficulty in finding and keep a job etc. Regarding risk factors, these can be framed at the individual level (eg, sex, age, belonging to a minority group such as LGTB, poverty), interpersonal (family dysfunction, violent family environment, lack of emotional attachment, etc.), social (marginal and / or poor neighborhoods, higher demographic density, child and youth gangs, etc.) and cultural (social and gender norms, public, educational, social, economic policies, countries in conflict, etc.). Research is fundamental both to know the factors, consequences and to create strategies, prevention and treatment programs against child sexual abuse, sexual behavior and victimization of children and adolescents. Papers addressing these topics are invited for this special issue, especially those that combine high academic standards with a focus on providing a better understanding of child sexual abuse, sexual behaviors, and victimization to specify some related challenges facing this field and suggest strategies appropriate to address them.

Dr. María del Mar Sánchez-Fuentes
Dr. Ana Isabel Arcos-Romero
Guest Editors

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