Theories That Explain the Sexual Abuse of Children

This chapter summarizes single‐factor and multifactorial theories that seek to explain the sexual abuse of children, and outlines empirical evidence that tests these theories. It examines the theories that may explain contact sexual offending against children. The theory that holding a sexual interest in children is causally linked to sexual abuse of children is both the most intuitive single‐factor theory and the most empirically supported. The theory that individuals who commit sexual offenses against children experience intimacy deficits is one that underpins much of the treatment work with this population. Ward and Siegert's Pathways Model recognizes the number of distinct etiological pathways that culminate in sexual abuse of a child. They have proposed four factors as mechanisms: intimacy and social skill deficits; distorted sexual scripts; emotional dysregulation; and cognitive distortions.