Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40331992›Full record

ArticleDeutsches Arzteblatt international2025

Sexual Violence Against Children and Adolescents: A German Nationwide Representative Survey on Its Prevalence, Situational Context, and Consequences.

Harald Dreßing, Andreas Hoell, Leonie Scharmann, Anja M Simon, Ann-Christin Haag, Dieter Dölling, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Joerg M Fegert

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. European child and adolescent psychiatry in a digital world.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Harald DreßingCentral Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; The German Center für Mental Health (DZPG), Mannheim, Germany; Infratest dimap, Society for Trend and Election Researchg mbH, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Criminology, University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
Andreas Hoell
Leonie Scharmann
Anja M Simon
Ann-Christin Haag
Dieter Dölling
Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
Joerg M Fegert

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSexual violence against children and adolescents is widespread around the world. Current knowledge about the extent of this often concealed problem and the situational contexts in which it occurs is insufficient, not only in Germany.

methodsA representative sample of the German population aged 18 to 59 was selected for this survey with the aid of Infratest dimap (a private polling company). The participants were asked to fill in a combination of written postal and online questionnaires in a mixedmode design from January to October 2024.

results10 000 people were contacted in writing (response rate: 30.2%). 12.7% [11.5; 13.9] stated that they were affected by sexual violence, including 20.6% of all women and 4.8% of all men. Men had more frequently experienced sexual violence in sports and leisure facilities, in a church context, and in the setting of government- provided child, youth, and family services. 37.4% [32.6; 42.2] of the affected persons had not previously reported the crime to anyone. 31.7% [30.0; 33.4] of respondents reported sexual violence via the internet and social media. The mental health of affected persons was poorer than that of unaffected persons.

conclusionMany cases of sexual violence go unreported. The different settings in which these offenses are committed, e.g., the preponderance of male victims in institutional settings, further imply a need for differentiated protection strategies, addressing both potential victims and potential perpetrators.

Indexed as

Child Abuse, SexualSex OffensesAdolescentAdultChildFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceRisk FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID40331992
PMCPMC12539684

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.