It is a common belief that priests who sexually abused minors specialized in victim type, particularly in regard to age and gender. The Nature and Scope study showed that 81% of the victims of sexual abuse by priests were male, and more than half the sample was aged 11 to 14 years. However, a closer analysis of victim type shows that only 693 of the 4,392 priests with sexual abuse allegations “specialized,” or abused multiple victims of the same gender and age. Few studies compare child sexual abusers who are versatile in their victim choice and those who sexually abuse a particular type of victim. Findings here indicate that priests who were versatile in their choice of victim differed from specialists in that they had more victims over a longer period of time, more grooming behavior, and an earlier onset of abusive behavior. There are also differences among various specialist groups in regard to age of onset and duration of abusive behavior.
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