A MULTIFACTOR ANALYSIS OF CASE HISTORIES OF 82 PERPETRATORS OF CHILD ABUSE WAS UNDERTAKEN, AND THE METHODOLOGY OF THAT ANALYSIS IS PRESENTED. THE SUBJECTS OF THE STUDY WERE DRAWN FROM 73 CASES OF ESTABLISHED CHILD ABUSE, AND INCLUDED THE CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENT OR PARENT SUBSTITUTES, AND EIGHT MALE ABUSERS WHO WERE EXTERNAL TO THE NUCLEAR FAMILY. WITHIN THIS GROUP THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 46 MALE AND 36 FEMALE PERPETRATORS. THE SUBJECTS WERE CLASSIFIED AS TO THEIR SEX AND ROLE IN THE INCIDENT. THE CASE HISTORIES WERE THEN USED TO DETERMINE WHICH DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIOECONOMIC, PERSONAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND RELATIONAL FACTORS SIGNIFICANTLY DISTINGUISHED THE MALE FROM THE FEMALE ABUSERS, AND THESE FROM THE NONABUSERS OF EACH SEX. IT WAS FOUND THAT WHILE FEMALE PERPETRATORS TENDED TO BE YOUNG, MOST MALE PERPETRATORS WERE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 31 AND 40; THAT THE TRADITIONAL PATTERN OF LOW EDUCATIONAL LEVEL HELD FOR THE FEMALES, BUT NOT FOR THE MALES; THAT WHILE THE HISTORIES OF PERPETRATORS OF BOTH SEXES SHOWED PATTERNS OF MINIMAL OR INEFFECTIVE CONTROL OVER THEIR ENVIRONMENT, THE LOCUS OF SPECIFIC FACTORS VARIED AS A FUNCTION OF SEX; THAT WHILE HISTORY OF ABUSE AS A CHILD WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR FOR FEMALES, IT WAS NOT FOR MALES; AND THAT WHILE MALE PERPETRATORS ABUSED MALE AND FEMALE CHILDREN WITH EQUAL FREQUENCY, FEMALE PERPETRATORS ABUSED MALE CHILDREN SIGNIFICANTLY MORE. THE IMPLICATIONS AND GENERALITY OF THESE PATTERNS ARE DISCUSSED AND RELATED TO FINDINGS IN OTHER AREAS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT MODIFIED-KBL)