From Childhood to Adulthood: A Systematic Review of Factors in Developmental Pathways of Sexual Aggression in Adult Males and Females

Over the past 40 years, several studies have explored the developmental pathways leading to sexual aggression. However, the variability of the factors of these pathways across studies have never been examined. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to investigate the factors these pathways encompass across groups defined by the sex of the perpetrator (male/female) and the age of the victim (adult/minor). A search through 21 online databases identified 29,218 candidate studies; of these, 18 specifically examined developmental pathways to sexual aggression, and were retained. These pathways span characteristics (factors) across three developmental stages: (1) childhood; (2) adolescence; and (3) adulthood. Within these 18 studies—16 quantitative and 2 qualitative— we identified 46 developmental pathways, encompassing nearly 400 different risk factors across the three developmental stages. These risk factors were grouped into 80 categories. Only 10 of these 80 categories were present in all the studies of male perpetrators. These 10 categories were classified into three groups: (1) dysfunctional childhood environment (e.g., direct and indirect victimization); (2) antisocial orientation during adolescence and adulthood (e.g., antisocial attitudes and behaviors, criminality); and (3) deviant sexuality in adulthood (e.g., deviant sexual fantasies). The existence of many specific factors, in addition to shared factors, argues for the existence of equifinality in these pathways, suggesting that there are multiple routes or paths leading to the same maladaptive behavior, namely, the commission of sexual aggression. The theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed.