Demographic Characteristics of Minor Victims of Sexual Offenses in Romania—A Retrospective Study

Background/Objectives: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a serious public health and forensic issue, associated with significant psychological, psychiatric, and social consequences. However, data from forensic psychiatric evaluations regarding victims of this type of abuse are limited, especially in Romania. This study primarily aimed to profile the demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics of minors who were victims of sexual offenses and underwent forensic psychiatric evaluation. Secondary objectives included examining relationships between demographic and clinical variables, describing patterns of victimization, and analyzing the co-occurrence of vulnerability factors. Methods: This study was retrospective, descriptive, and analytical, including 51 minors (under 18 years of age) examined at the Mina Minovici National Institute of Legal Medicine (INML), between 2013 and 2025. Data extracted from forensic psychiatric reports included demographic variables, the type of offense, psychiatric diagnosis, psychological issues, intellectual functioning, family environment, and relationship with the aggressor. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson χ2 and Fisher’s exact tests, binary logistic regression, and nonparametric tests for cumulative vulnerability. Results: The sample was predominantly female (94.1%), with a mean age of 13.75 years. Rape was the most frequent offense (45.1%). Most victims originated from disorganized family environments or were institutionalized (70.6%), and 60% had below-normal intellectual functioning. A psychiatric diagnosis was present in 56.9% of cases, while 70.6% exhibited psychological issues. Within an exploratory logistic regression model that did not reach overall statistical significance (omnibus likelihood ratio test χ2 = 9.31; p = 0.097), the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis showed the strongest individual association with psychological issues (OR = 5.17; 95% CI, 1.22–21.85; p = 0.026). Cases in which the aggressor was not related to the family environment were the most frequent (60.8%), followed by cases involving family members (23.5%). Most subjects displayed multiple co-occurring vulnerability factors. When the cumulative vulnerability score was recalculated to exclude psychological issues (to avoid construction-induced circularity), higher vulnerability remained significantly associated with extrafamilial victimization (Kruskal–Wallis H = 6.93; p = 0.031), but was no longer associated with psychological issues themselves (Mann–Whitney U = 298.0; p = 0.56), indicating that the originally observed association was an artefact of the score’s construction. Conclusions: Minors who are victims of sexual abuse often face multiple overlapping vulnerabilities, including unstable family environments, cognitive impairments, and psychiatric conditions. These factors frequently coexist in victims evaluated in forensic psychiatric settings and are associated with psychological issues and complex victimization profiles. The findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and victim-centered methods in forensic psychiatric evaluations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Forensic Sciences
Published
2026-06-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci6020054
Primary Topic
Child Abuse and Trauma
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Demographic Characteristics of Minor Victims of Sexual Offenses in Romania—A Retrospective Study

Sorin Hostiuc, Adelina Dubas, Alina Frunză, Matei Dragodan et al.
Forensic Sciences
Child Abuse and Trauma
article

Demographic Characteristics of Minor Victims of Sexual Offenses in Romania—A Retrospective Study

Sorin Hostiuc, Adelina Dubas, Alina Frunză, Matei Dragodan, Daniela Gabriela Andrei, Daria Hemeș, Anna Florescu, Cosmina Chivu, Bogdan Pădure, Albert Merfu, Ștefania Andrei
article en

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a serious public health and forensic issue, associated with significant psychological, psychiatric, and social consequences. However, data from forensic psychiatric evaluations regarding victims of this type of abuse are limited, especially in Romania. This study primarily aimed to profile the demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics of minors who were victims of sexual offenses and underwent forensic psychiatric evaluation. Secondary objectives included examining relationships between demographic and clinical variables, describing patterns of victimization, and analyzing the co-occurrence of vulnerability factors. Methods: This study was retrospective, descriptive, and analytical, including 51 minors (under 18 years of age) examined at the Mina Minovici National Institute of Legal Medicine (INML), between 2013 and 2025. Data extracted from forensic psychiatric reports included demographic variables, the type of offense, psychiatric diagnosis, psychological issues, intellectual functioning, family environment, and relationship with the aggressor. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson χ2 and Fisher’s exact tests, binary logistic regression, and nonparametric tests for cumulative vulnerability. Results: The sample was predominantly female (94.1%), with a mean age of 13.75 years. Rape was the most frequent offense (45.1%). Most victims originated from disorganized family environments or were institutionalized (70.6%), and 60% had below-normal intellectual functioning. A psychiatric diagnosis was present in 56.9% of cases, while 70.6% exhibited psychological issues. Within an exploratory logistic regression model that did not reach overall statistical significance (omnibus likelihood ratio test χ2 = 9.31; p = 0.097), the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis showed the strongest individual association with psychological issues (OR = 5.17; 95% CI, 1.22–21.85; p = 0.026). Cases in which the aggressor was not related to the family environment were the most frequent (60.8%), followed by cases involving family members (23.5%). Most subjects displayed multiple co-occurring vulnerability factors. When the cumulative vulnerability score was recalculated to exclude psychological issues (to avoid construction-induced circularity), higher vulnerability remained significantly associated with extrafamilial victimization (Kruskal–Wallis H = 6.93; p = 0.031), but was no longer associated with psychological issues themselves (Mann–Whitney U = 298.0; p = 0.56), indicating that the originally observed association was an artefact of the score’s construction. Conclusions: Minors who are victims of sexual abuse often face multiple overlapping vulnerabilities, including unstable family environments, cognitive impairments, and psychiatric conditions. These factors frequently coexist in victims evaluated in forensic psychiatric settings and are associated with psychological issues and complex victimization profiles. The findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and victim-centered methods in forensic psychiatric evaluations.

Forensic SciencesVol. 6(2)
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (RO), Mining Institute (RU)
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Child Abuse and Trauma
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