Dire Inroads: The Relationship between Maltreatment Duration, Sexual Delinquency, and Adverse Outcomes

The goal of the study was to determine whether there is a relationship between duration of each form of maltreatment experienced and delinquency type, trauma, and frequency of offending. Data were collected from 136 incarcerated youth in a Midwestern state. Binary logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between duration of each form of maltreatment and sexual and non-sexual offending outcome. Linear regression explored the relationships between duration of each form of maltreatment, trauma symptoms, and total delinquency. Results revealed that for a 1-year increase in duration of sexual abuse, youth had greater odds of disclosing a sexual offense ( B = 1.486, p = .002). Youths with longer durations of sexual abuse reported more severe trauma symptoms ( B = 2.07, p = .049); longer durations of physical abuse were associated with frequency of delinquency ( B = 0.03, p = .05). Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.