Recovery support for children with problematic sexual behaviors

Sexual behavior occurs during all stages of development, and sexual behavior that is an inevitable part of the developmental process is not in itself problematic. While most sexual behaviors exhibited by infants and school-aged children are normal and unproblematic, some may be problematic. However, most studies on problematic sexual behaviors have focused on adolescents, with insufficient attention being paid to the sexual behaviors of younger children. In this paper, the author reviews previous studies and summarizes the types of child sexual behavior that are normative as well as problematic. In addition, this paper includes an overview of the factors that contribute to problematic sexual behaviors exhibited by children, assessments of support, and actual methods of support, focusing on recent studies. Moreover, the author proposes that interventions for problematic sexual behaviors of children should not be framed as traditional therapeutic education, but as recovery support.