Have there been changes in the epidemiology of sexual abuse of children during the 20th century?

Have there been changes in the epidemiology of sexual abuse of children during the 20th century? To explore this question, a comparison was made between the results of the survey conducted by Alfred Kinsey and colleagues in the 1940s of women in the United States, the majority of whom were born between 1900 and 1929, and the results of more recent studies of the epidemiology of sexual abuse. In Kinsey's study, 24% of 4,441 women reported at least one episode of sexual abuse before adolescence; in 49% of the episodes, the perpetrator was not known to the child and, in 50%, the abuse did not involve bodily contact. These findings are compared to the results of more recent epidemiologic surveys, particularly Russell's study conducted in San Francisco in 1978. Although there are important differences in the methodologies used by Kinsey and Russell, it is likely that changes have occurred in the prevalence and nature of sexual abuse in the 20th century. Russell described a higher prevalence of sexual abuse, a greater proportion of perpetrators who were relatives or adults known to the child, and a greater proportion of serious types of sexual abuse.