Sexual Assaulters of Children and Adolescents: An Exploratory Study on its Biopsychosocial Characteristics in Northern Brazil

Abstract The objective was to identify the main biopsychosocial characteristics among sexual aggressors of children and adolescents listed in 250 legal cases processed in the Court for Crimes against Children and Adolescents, in municipalities located in the North of Brazil. The variables analyzed: previous crimes, severity of the aggression, age of the perpetrator, and sex and age of the victim. The χ test was used for descriptive analysis and association. The results demonstrate acts of greater severity with adolescents and less severe acts without penetration with children. Younger people more often victimized unrelated teenagers, while older people preferred to victimize children belonging to the same family. The results demonstrated the establishment of a trend in terms of its biopsychosocial characteristics.