Moderating factors of the association between being sexually solicited by adults and active online sexual behaviors in adolescents

Criminological differences between contact-driven and online-focused suspects in online child sexual grooming police reports

BACKGROUND

Differences exist between contact and noncontact-driven online child sexual abuse offenders; however, there is still a notable lack of empirical studies with police samples from non-English speaking countries, including Spain.

OBJECTIVE

We address this gap by analyzing the criminological characteristics of online child sexual grooming (OCSG) suspected offenders from de-identified law enforcement investigations in Spain.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

We anonymously coded data provided by Spanish law enforcement agencies from 257 OCSG cases (i.e., unique chat logs between a suspect and minor) extracted from 98 police reports with index investigation years from 2008 to 2021. A total of 101,391 messages were analyzed.

METHODS

Three distinct datasets were created: 257 OCSG cases, 120 unique suspects (79 online-focused, 41 contact-driven), and 234 unique victims. Each dataset focused on different criminological variables for analysis, such as grooming strategy, motivation, and victim high-risk behaviors.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between suspects on gender, age, or criminal offense history. Contact-driven suspects were more likely to use positive rapport (ɸ = 0.18), send unprompted sexually explicit images of themselves (ɸ = 0.19), and offer something in exchange (ɸ = 0.25). Victims of contact-driven individuals were more likely to be male (ɸ = 0.52) and offer something in exchange for sex or sexually explicit images (ɸ = 0.18). Victims of online-focused individuals were more likely to be younger (r = 0.26).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest criminological differences in the online grooming strategies between contact-driven and online-focused suspected offenders in Spain.

Stability of the online grooming victimization of minors: Prevalence and association with shame, guilt, and mental health outcomes over one year

INTRODUCTION

Online grooming is the process by which an adult manipulates a minor by using information and communication technologies to interact sexually with that minor. The objective of this study was to analyze the stability of online grooming victimization among minors and its relationship with demographic variables (e.g., gender, age, and sexual orientation), emotions of shame and guilt, and depression and anxiety symptoms.

METHODS

The participants were 746 adolescents aged 12-14 years when the study started (Mage = 13.34, SD = 0.87) who completed self-reports at Time 1 (T1) and 1 year later at Time 2 (T2). Among them, 400 were girls, 344 were boys, and two were nonbinary. At each time point, the minors self-reported their online grooming experiences during the previous year.

RESULTS

The results showed that 11.8% (n = 89) of the participants were T1-victims, 13% (n = 95) were T2-victims, and 11% (n = 81) were stable victims of online grooming. Stability in victimization was related to being older, being a sexual minority, being born abroad, having separated or divorced parents, and having parents with a lower education level. Stable victims showed higher shame and guilt scores at T1 than did T1-victims, indicating that elevated levels of shame and guilt could contribute to the persistence of online grooming over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, adolescents in the stable victim category presented more depression and anxiety symptoms. Intervention strategies should address emotions related to victimization, such as shame and guilt, as well as depression and anxiety symptoms.

Solicitation and Sexualized Interactions of Minors with Adults: Prevalence, Overlap with Other Forms of Cybervictimization, and Relationship with Quality of Life

Sexual solicitation and sexualized interaction with minors by adults constitute one of the most pernicious risks of the Internet. Little is known about the age range in which this phenomenon is most prevalent or the relationship and overlap of this problem with other risks, such as peer-to-peer cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse. Additionally, little empirical evidence exists on whether the overlap between these types of online victimization affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to: 1) analyze the prevalence of sexual solicitation and interaction according to sex and stage of adolescence; 2) relate this problem to other forms of online victimization (cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse); 3) analyze the overlap between these forms of online victimization and differences in HRQoL scores. A cross-sectional and analytical study with 3,578 adolescents (52.7% girls) aged between 10-15 years was carried out. Of the adolescents in the study sample, 12.6% (n = 448) had received sexual requests and 6.4% (n = 230) had interacted sexually with adults. Sexual solicitation was most common among girls in middle adolescence. Of the participants, 33.9% (n = 1,216) had been involved in some form of online victimization. Peer cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse were positively and significantly correlated with sexualized solicitation/interactions with adults. Victims with the overlapping of all three types of online victimization (2.7%, n = 98) presented the lowest HQRoL scores (p < .001).

A Growth Mindset and Self-Affirmation Intervention to Reduce Violent and Risky Online Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Previous Victimization

The Internet is the setting for several forms of violent and risky behavior among adolescents, such as cyberbullying, sexualized interactions with adults, sexting, and online dating violence. Often, these behaviors are responses to experiences of online victimization. This study examined the differential effects of a wise intervention (WI), combining growth mindset and self-affirmation strategies, on these behaviors for adolescents who had experienced victimization and those who had not. A sample of 1,085 adolescents (54.3% girls; ages 11-18 years) were randomized into two intervention conditions (WI and an anti-stress control intervention). They completed measures of violent and risky behaviors at pretest and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups and measures of victimization at pretest. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that the WI was beneficial for adolescents without experiences of victimization at pretest, as they displayed smaller increases in online peer aggressions, sexualized interactions with adults, and sexting than the adolescents in the control condition. However, the WI was not beneficial for adolescents with experiences of victimization at pretest. Moreover, the adolescents under the anti-stress control condition displayed better outcome. These findings suggest that previous victimization experiences of adolescents should be considered to select an appropriate intervention.

Typology of Victimization against Women on Adolescent Girls in Three Contexts: Dating Offline, Dating Online, and Sexual Harassment Online

Defining the typologies of adolescent girls in relation to different types of victimization against women could be very useful for prevention. Almost all the typologies previously elaborated on this topic define the typologies from situations of dating victimization. This study used cluster analysis to establish for the first time a typology of adolescent girl victimization against women that included dating violence offline, dating violence online, and sexual harassment online outside a relationship by means of a comparative analysis of behavior between those who had suffered this violence and the population at large. The participants were 3.532 Spanish teenage girls aged 14-18 with experience of relationships with boys. Three discrete, identifiable types were obtained: the first group (63.8%), non-victim girls; the second group (29.4%), victims of sexual harassment online outside a relationship but with a low incidence of dating victimization; the third group (6.8%), victims in the three contexts. The logistic regression analysis showed that risky sexual behavior online was the main risk condition for inclusion in the second and third groups (compared to the non-victim group), followed by low self-esteem (for the second group) and age (for both groups). Other variables that also contributed to predicting membership victim groups were health complaints, feminine gender role stress, justification of male dominance and violence, visiting risky websites, and problematic internet use. These results show the importance of including the prevention of such problems in order to eradicate violence against women in adolescence who have grown up with digital technologies.

A Preventive Intervention to Reduce Risk of Online Grooming Among Adolescents

Sexual abuse of adolescents by adults on the Internet is a severe risk with negative consequences for the victims. However, there is an important gap in the development of preventive interventions to address this problem. This study evaluated the efficacy of a brief (less than one hour) educational intervention on online grooming (less than one hour) in reducing adolescents' sexual interaction behaviors with adults when they are sexually solicited. A sample of 856 Spanish adolescents (48% girls, ages 11-17 years) was randomized into two intervention conditions (educational intervention about online grooming and a resilience control intervention). Adolescents completed measures of online sexual solicitation by adults and sexualized interactions with adults at pretest and at three- and six-month follow-ups. Measures of their knowledge about online grooming were taken at pretest, postintervention, and at three- and six-month follow-ups. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that the intervention reduced sexualized interactions when adolescents were sexually solicited by adults (β = -.16, SD = .07, t = -2.44, p = .015). Moreover, the intervention increased adolescents' knowledge about online grooming over time (β = 1.95, SD = .19, t = 10.52, p < .001). These findings suggest that a brief educational intervention about online grooming may be a promising, low-cost intervention to reduce the risks of sexual abuse on the Internet.

Types of Male Adolescent Violence Against Women in Three Contexts: Dating Violence Offline, Dating Violence Online, and Sexual Harassment Online Outside a Relationship

There has been little investigation of male adolescent violence against women as acknowledged by boys themselves, and even less on such violence in different contexts with comparative studies of behavior between those who perpetrate this violence and the population at large. This study used cluster analysis to establish a male adolescent typology based on boys' self-reporting of violence against women in three contexts. The participants were 3,132 Spanish teenage boys aged 14-18 with experience of relationships with girls. Three discrete, identifiable types were obtained: the first group (69.8%), of non-violent boys; the second group (26%), more involved in sexual harassment online outside a relationship but with a low incidence of dating violence offline; the third group (4.2%), with abuse in the three contexts but less involved in sexual harassment online than the second group. The logistic regression analysis showed that justification of male dominance and violence was the main risk condition for inclusion in the second and third groups, followed by low self-esteem (for the third group) and risky sexual behaviors online (for the second and third groups). The findings based on these results are important for preventing male adolescent dating violence against women in the three male types detected.