The study's findings reveal that 85.5 percent of the victims were females and 14.5 percent were male. The ages of the children ranged from 2 months to 12 years, with the mean age for girls 6.8 years and boys 7.4 years. Most of the victims (68 percent) had histories of a single assault by someone known to the child. Abuse patterns varied with the children's age, sex, and relationship to the assailant. School-aged victims were more likely to be assaulted by someone outside of the family. Older children suffered more severe forms of abuse than did younger children and were more often abducted. Boys were more likely to be assaulted by strangers and suffered more severe forms of abuse than did girls. One-time abuse by a stranger outside of the home environment often included abduction and physical force and was reported to the police. Of the aggressors, 97 percent were males and 3 percent were females. Almost 26 percent of the assailants were 15 years of age or younger. 25 references. 3 tables. (Author abstract modified)