Long-Term Outcomes of Child-Child Sexual Interactions

Much controversy exists over the potential long-term effects of sexual interactions between children. Although these encounters may not fit legal definitions for sexual assault, they still may be regarded as such by parents or by the children themselves. To investigate such effects, 304 United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (U.K.) young adults retrospectively described their childhood experiences. Over 85% of participants recalled a childhood peer sexual experience occurring prior to the age of 12. Experiences remembered with neutral or positive affect were not related to pathology, while those experiences remembered only with negative affect were associated with anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress symptoms. In comparison to U.K. respondents, Americans chose more negative emotions and were twice as likely to choose confusion as one of their responses. The present study highlights the influence of the conceptualization of the child-child sexual experience on subsequent psychopathology.