What are the risk factors for sexual abuse in childhood?

Reported cases of child sexual abuse are more common in homes characterized by poverty, food and housing insecurity, marital instability, and drug and alcohol abuse. Children who are raised in homes in which adults come and go-repeated marriages, separations, and revolving romantic partners-are at higher risk of sexual abuse. However, sexual abuse also occurs in intact families and at all socioeconomic levels. Some researchers argue that maltreatment is more likely to be discovered in children of disadvantaged families than in children at higher socioeconomic levels, because disadvantaged children are likelier to come into contact with social services, such as when parents seek welfare and other forms of financial assistance or when parental substance use is discovered.