Hidden Child Molestation: An Investigation of Adolescent Perpetrators in a Nonclinical Sample

To examine and describe hidden child sexual molestation committed by adolescent males, 582 college men were surveyed via an extensive questionnaire. Three percent (N = 16) of the men reported activity that met the criterion for sexually molesting a younger child. Most of the victimization experiences were initiated by the men (86%), and most involved female victims (67%). Few differences emerged between the molesters and nonmolesters on the family background variables, current adjustment measures, or measures of attitudes conceptually linked to sexually aggressive behavior. Compared to nonmolesters, however, the molesters were more likely to endorse rape myths and were more likely to have been sexually victimized as children.