NCJ Number
217356
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: 2007 Pages: 85-106
Date Published
2007
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article presents a new comprehensive assessment tool, the Multiplex Empirically Guided Inventory of Ecological Aggregates for Assessing Sexually Abusive Children and Adolescents (MEGA), which can be used by clinicians and nonclinical professionals to define sexually abusive youth, to assess the dynamics involved in the sexually abusive interactions they have with others, and to estimate their risk for sexually abusive behavior.
Abstract
MEGA consists of seven ecological domains or "aggregates." Each is composed of a set of empirically guided elements that address risk factors and protective factors related to sexually abusive behavior. These risk and protective factors are multiplex, i.e., they interact simultaneously, affecting many aspects of functioning in youth and influencing whether they engage in sexually abusive behavior. In contrast to other risk assessment tools, MEGA is applicable to all youth under 19 years old, regardless of gender or developmental ability. MEGA is also superior to other instruments that measure sexually abusive behavior in children and adolescents in highlighting neuropsychological elements and antisocial behaviors that may contribute to a youth's functioning. It is also distinctive in its distinguishing among possible types of sexual coercion and its inclusion of predatory elements of sexual abuse against strangers or casual acquaintances. 1 table and 67 references