Child Sexual Abuse among Troubled Clergy: A Descriptive Summary

The purpose of this study was to explore the sexual conduct of troubled clergy toward age-inappropriate individuals. Study participants were males who had sought residential treatment at Southdown, a Canadian institution which assists clergy and other religious professionals in dealing with spiritual, emotional, and psychological issues in their own lives in ministry. The vast majority of those served came from the Roman Catholic tradition. Sexual behavior with "Age-inappropriate" individuals was operationally defined as sexual behavior with those 19 years of age or under. Every file of 1,322 resident males was searched for sexual activity with age-inappropriate individuals. Four groups of 111 members each were generated: age inappropriate sexual activity; homosexual activity; heterosexual activity; and bisexual activity. The results of the study indicated: (1) the prevalence of age-inappropriate sexual activity in the general population of priests and clergy may be relatively low; (2) those individuals who do undertake age-inappropriate sexual activity do so relatively often, with no obvious signs of neurotic symptomatology and with tranquil passivity; (3) the age-inappropriate group was clearly distinct from the adult homosexually active group; (4) all groups were significantly distinct on the basis of masculinity and femininity ratios on two of five factors; and (5) the age-inappropriate group was the lowest on both masculinity and femininity factors. (ABL)