U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Boys Will Be Boys: Understanding the Impact of Child Maltreatment and Family Violence on the Sexual, Reproductive, and Parenting Behaviors of Young Men

NCJ Number
229006
Author(s)
Abby Kahn; Pat Paluzzi
Date Published
2006
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This report discusses the issues and findings on maltreatment and violence against young men.
Abstract
The report addresses the complex public health issue of child maltreatment and family violence as it affects the future sexual, reproductive, and parenting behaviors of young families. Research shows that boys are exposed to child maltreatment and family violence at rates similar to girls, suffer different types of violence than girls, and experience their own gender-specific response. Young male survivors are prone to certain sexual, reproductive, and parenting behaviors because of their exposure, including higher rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection, perpetrating violence among their own families, and more. This report recommends that professionals in the United States should help to foster a change in thinking about child maltreatment and family violence as social phenomena and masculinity as a social concept. Professionals in the field must be sensitive to this overlooked phenomenon as they diagnose, treat, and manage the sequelae of child maltreatment and family violence among male survivors. 61 references