The victim-offender overlap in sexual violence: A compa rative study among victims, offenders,
and victim-offenders
The complex nature of the victim-offender overlap in sexual violence is not fully captured as the factors tend to be more explanatory for either perpetration or victimization. Therefore, this study aims to distinguish between the characteristics of victim-offenders, only-offenders and only-victims
of hands-on sexual violence. Through a multinomial logistic regression, based on survey data from a Belgian nationally representative sample (n = 710), demographic characteristics, resilience, the strength of their social network and mental health were compared.
The results indicated that sex and migration background predicted membership of the different groups. Regarding social connectedness, persons without a partner were more likely to be victim-offenders than victims. Furthermore, a history of self-harming behavior was strongly associated with victim-offenders. This article concludes with suggestions for future research into this topic and recommendations for rehabilitation services.