The Role of Technology in the Perpetration of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Importance of Considering Both In-Person and Online Interactions

"Mend the rift" therapeutic model for working with sibling sexual abuse: Professionals' perspectives

BACKGROUND

Sibling sexual abuse (SSA) is considered the most prevalent and longest-lasting type of interfamilial sexual abuse. The psychological implications of SSA may be felt throughout the harmed siblings' lifespan. Nevertheless, SSA receives very little therapeutic attention.

OBJECTIVE

The present study explores how professionals dealing with the phenomenon see how to work with such cases.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Fifty-two professionals working in the field of SSA participated in the study and completed closed and open-ended questionnaires.

METHODS

A mixed-method research approach was implemented to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the professionals' responses.

RESULTS

The findings addressed three main intervention aspects. The first comprised the key unique therapeutic themes of SSA interventions that differentiate the SSA therapeutic process from other child sexual abuse cases. These included complex familial dynamics (e.g., secrecy climate, loyalty conflict, and intergenerational transmission of trauma) and at-home risk. The second addressed the therapeutic goals, including rebuilding family relationships and promoting safety strategies at home. The third was the SSA intervention structure, defining the structural elements of a holistic therapeutic model for family care.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the findings, a therapeutic model for family intervention in SSA cases was proposed, aiming to define service characteristics, determine who should be involved in the therapeutic process, and identify who should lead the intervention. The research contributes to the advancement of the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to address the inherent familial complexities in SSA cases and the enhancement of the therapeutic orientation for professionals involved in such cases.

The prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse added

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Research efforts are measuring various forms of online sexual abuse. There is a need to incorporate such measures of online sexual abuse into the calculation of overall prevalence rates for child sexual abuse.

PARTICIPANTS

A sample of 2639 respondents aged 18-to-28 was recruited from a nationally representative online panel.

METHODS

Using an online questionnaire, respondents were assessed via self-report about 9 types of online sexual abuse in childhood and were also assessed with 2 questions that have been used to assess generic child sexual abuse prevalence in previous surveys.

RESULTS

The addition of the online abuse to the generic questions about child sexual abuse raised the overall prevalence rate from 13.5 % to 21.7 %. The rate for females increased from 19.8 % to 31.6 % and for males from 6.2 % to 10.8 %. The largest independent contribution to the overall combined increase were the offenses involving non-consensual image sharing and voluntary online sexual interactions with an impermissibly older adult partner. The inclusion of the online sexual abuse exposures also increased the ability to identify the survivors with the highest levels of current psychological distress.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of counting and including online sexual abuse in efforts to estimate the overall prevalence of childhood sexual abuse. The paper proposes 2 or 3 questions that could be added to sexual abuse questionnaires to assess these online offenses efficiently.