Childhood sexuality: a decade of study. Part I—research and curriculum development

Ryan, G A

doi:10.1016/s0145-2134(99)00118-0

Cited by 55 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This included sexual activity with another child, but related to forced activity, when the respondent bribed, tricked, or coerced another child to participate in the behaviour. Influenced by Ryan's (2000) list of childhood sexual behaviours requiring intervention, the range of activities was delineated according to the degree of intrusiveness. The lower degree of intrusiveness included activities such as kissing and hugging.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood sexual experience and adult offending: an exploratory comparison of three criminal groups

Connolly

Woollons

2008

Child Abuse Review

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The study explored the links between adult offending and exploitative sexual experiences during childhood. A questionnaire was administered to three criminal groups (child molesters, rapists and non-sexual offenders) with the aim of investigating the statistical relationships between the men's early childhood sexual experiences. The sample comprised a total of 125 males. Fifty-eight were in prison for non-sexual crimes, 23 were serving sentences for rape and the remaining 44 were undergoing therapeutic treatment for their child molestation crime at a special treatment programme within the prison. Significant differences were found across the groups with respect to family context: education, subsequent occupation, religious family background and levels of abuse experienced during childhood. The two sex offending groups reported higher levels of physical and sexual abuse. The rapists reported significantly higher levels of emotional abuse and neglect. The child molester group was more likely to report both consenting and non-consenting activity with other children and there was significance across the range of sexual behaviours. Higher abuse reporting by the child molester and rapist groups suggests that early experience may influence developmental trajectories and offending pathways.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood sexual experience and adult offending: an exploratory comparison of three criminal groups

Connolly

Woollons

2008

Child Abuse Review

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“…It could be that children's bodies, rather than having to be intelligible primarily as gendered, could instead gain their intelligibility from their status specifically as the bodies of children, with this happening prior to a sexualised conception of gender. The everyday social world has, at least since the nineteenth century (Prout, 2005) treated children in this way much of the time: they are seen as pre-sexual beings who need to be protected from sexualisation (Cullen & Sandy, 2009;Epstein, 1999;King, 2009;Renold, 2006;Ryan, 2000). In the affluent North they are frequently the subject of moral panics in this respect (Robinson, 2008), while in less privileged parts of the world this can expose girls, in particular, to danger (Bhana, 2005).…”

Section: Young Children and The Heterosexual Matrixmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This evidence suggests that it is unrealistic simply to position young children outside of the heterosexual matrix. Ryan (2000), for example, reviewing the literature up until 1988, reported retrospective survey data showing that adults remember sexual experiences with other children from age four, mainly in the context of fantasy play, such as 'playing married' or 'playing doctor'. Such play frequently took place out of the sight and without the knowledge of adults, suggesting that studies relying on adult observation are likely to under-report such behaviour.…”

Section: Young Children and The Heterosexual Matrixmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young children, gender and the heterosexual matrix

Paechter

2015

Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education

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In this paper I consider the adult focus of current mainstream gender theory. I relate this to how the concept of the heterosexual matrix originates in a social contract which excludes children from civil society. I argue that this exclusion is problematic both for theoretical reasons and from the perspective of children themselves. I start by discussing the nature of the heterosexual matrix and its foundations. I consider the implications for participation which arise from being named as a child, how that affects children's attempts to claim participation in civil society, and how this is related to children's naming of themselves as gendered. I then briefly consider the possibility that, because of their exclusion, children might also be considered to be exempt from the heterosexual matrix. However, I argue, there is considerable evidence that children are actively sexual beings who also work hard to claim inclusion in local practices of heterosexuality. I end by suggesting that there are three key reasons for this: that the discourses of normative sexuality provide children with a language to express sexual feelings; that self-insertion in the heterosexual matrix is a way for children to claim rights to participation; and that taking up heterosexual formations is a means whereby children can experience the power of naming themselves as part of the social world.

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“…Ryan (2000aRyan ( , 2000b defined sexual behavior as problematic if it placed the child at risk or violated social norms. According to Ryan (2000aRyan ( , 2000b, sexual behaviors that interfere with the child's development and relationships cause others to feel uncomfortable or are abusive or coercive indicate a need for therapeutic intervention. Crisci, Lay, and Lowenstein (1998), however, used motivational factors to define PSB and suggested that sexual encounters involving an imbalance in power and control should be defined as problematic.…”

Section: Defining the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The severity and frequency of sexual abuse and the developmental stage of the child at the time that the sexual abuse occurred are hypothesized to result in the emergence of PSB in children. Victims' responses to sexual abuse including patterns of denial and minimization, power and control behaviors, and preoccupation with one's own victimization can also lead to the child's progression from victim to victimizer (Friedrich et al, 2003;Friedrich & Luecke, 1988;Ryan, 2000aRyan, , 2000b.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Get SMART: Effective Treatment for Sexually Abused Children with Problematic Sexual behavior

Offermann

Johnson

Johnson-Brooks

et al. 2008

Journ Child Adol Trauma

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Nearly 20% of children with a history of sexual abuse develop problematic sexual behaviors (PSBs). Effective mental health treatments for this specialized population are limited. This article presents outcome data on 62 children enrolled in the preliminary trial of the Safety, Mentoring, Advocacy, Recovery, and Treatment (SMART) model. SMART integrates individual, family, and group therapy in a strengths-based,problem-focused treatment model targeting PSB. Significant improvements were found in measures of functional impairment and PSB after participating in SMART. This preliminary study supports the effectiveness of the SMART model in ameliorating the PSB symptoms of young, sexually abused children.

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Childhood sexuality: a decade of study. Part I—research and curriculum development

Cited by 55 publications

References 23 publications

Childhood sexual experience and adult offending: an exploratory comparison of three criminal groups

Childhood sexual experience and adult offending: an exploratory comparison of three criminal groups

Young children, gender and the heterosexual matrix

Get SMART: Effective Treatment for Sexually Abused Children with Problematic Sexual behavior

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